UMASS/AMHERST 312066 0333 3034 2 MSP ^^^ LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE No.__kS_Jl__.-_ DATE. 4_r_l88S H aiiii ..f.u-n.d... SOURCE. ET 1885- ^^.ii ^i'- Mr m-^m ^^K=-« ^^^^H ^^^^fc^^ ^ ::— -m - ^t^?Cffc-/M '*^^^^^=^3?-;^5^^-^^^^=^^^ ^^^ i> H^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^w5? ^af ^MBfe=^£K*=^— -^T^ 1^^^^^ ^^^^^^TO- aAgl?-..^J»jf3t| ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^.#^ ^|i?:r: .^^i* a^ si^. y (Jdly 4, 1885. -«A/aa^^^i: J O H X E. L A X K. II,X^lJ3T]^ftTl;D W£;p;KX,Y JOUI^NAI^ HORTICULTURE IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. FOUNDED BY ir. Bohinson, Atithor of ''The Wild GurJen,'^ '^^Enylhli Flower 6arde7i,^' ^-c. " You see, sweet maid, we marry A gentle scion to the wildest stock And make conceive a bark of baser kind By bud of nobler race : This is an art Wbich. does mend nature : change it rather. The art itself is nature " — Shakespeare. VOL. XXVII. -Ml DSUMMER, 1885, LONDON : OFFICE: 37, SOUTHAMPTON STKEET, COVENT GAEDEN, W.C. (IrLY 4, 1885. JOHN E. LANE, Gil EAT BERKHAMSTEAD, THIS T W E X T Y - S E V E Is T H VOLUME OF "THE GARDEN" IS DEDICATED. W. n., July 1, 1885. 199 r yj.'X.l July 4, 1885.] THE GARDEN INDEX IIsTIDEIX: TO "^rOXiTJUyilE ZXI^C^V^II. Abulia riipestrii^ 424; uniflora, 435 Abeliai, the. 424 Abies D)u?lasi, 550; D>ugUsi taxtfoUa, 403; Douglasi, wood of, 4:U ; graadig, 551 ; exceha aurea. 601. Abutiloa, d>uble, 78; Firefly, 306; me- (fapotamicum, 189 ; Thompjoni fl,-pl., 22 ; vitifolium, 580 ; vitifoUum album, 538 Acacia alinia, 278 ; cyanophylla, 205 ; dealbata out-of-doors, 333 ; lineata, 278; Riceaoa. 369; lyrticillara, 177 A^acias at Kew, 36 Acanthophippiura bicobr, 456 Acer colchicum, 233 ; luacrophyllum, 247 ; pannsylvaaicum, 492 ; rubrum, 324 Achimenes for baskets, 189 Achorutes specie^, 523 Acineta chrvsantha, 139 Actiivdta Kolomikta, 594 Adenocarpus decorticans, 4'>3, 551 Adiintum Edijeworthi, 448; f-trleyense for baskets, 189; f.dat'im, 528 Adiantums, pro'iferous, 4*8 Adonis pyreoaica, 488 ^'Echmp.as at home, 54 -Jljhmeas, species of, 53 Aerantbes leonis, 606 Aerides Ballantinianura, 653 ; Wilgon'.- anum, 505 ^Eiculusrubicunda, 551 ^thionemas, note on, 80 Agapanthus umbcllattis, 171, 191,208; umbellatm variegatus, 5i0 A^apetisbiixifolia, 2^6 Agzv. amerhana. 233 AKebia (juinata, 3SS Alabama Snow Wreath. 599 Alders for wet places, 356 Alexandra Palace Exhibition, 333 Alexanirlaii Laurel, the, 43, 8! Algiers eardena in. 489 Allium Holtz ri, 140 ; korataviease, 505, 533 ; stipitatum, 536 Almond leaves, disea e1, 591 Alocasia guttata, 6; Hender^oni, 579 Alonsoa incisa, 284 Aloine plants by post, 298, 336: flowers, Correvon on, 5 ; protectors, 341 Alpines and perennial?, 441 Alpinia albo-Uneita, 242 Alstrcemerias, 587 ; and Narcissi. 43 ; from seed, 137 ; raising seedling, 73 Altemantheras, propigating, 102 Alyssum montinum, 540 ; saxatile, 416 ; Tom Thumb, 63 Amaryllis bulbs, drying. 576 ; Comte de Germiny, 65 ; Lady Howard de Wal- den, 353; Niobe, 271; Paragon, 271 ; The Queen, 271 Amaryllises atter flowering, 470 ; cul- ture of, 17 ; from seed, 4'M ; new, 305, 397 ; new sorts of, at Chelsea, 230 ; raising, 577 ; Eeedling, treatment of, 624 Amisonia punicea, 130 Amelanchier canadensis, 403 Amer House, t'loomel, Cattleyasat, 527 America, Chrysanthemums in, 187 ; Eng- lish R^sei for, 140; forestry in, 358 ; Primulas in, 128 American cemetery, an, 79 American exhibition in London, the, 412 American fljristi' society, 120 American Larch, the, 350 American notes, 2?S, 379, 472 American Oak, introlucing, 327 American wild flowers, 209 Ammonia, absorption of, by pUnts, 575 Amorphophallus Rivieri, 334 Amphicorae Emodi, 447 Aniroiace Laggeri. 32; sirm^ntosa, 416 Anirosacea, notes on, 442 Anemone apennina, 441 ; blanda, 210, 303 ; coDonaria splendens, 463 ; cul- ture, 332; fulgens, 122, 151, 204; fulgens. Greek forn of, 235; palmata alba, 536 ; Ponceau, 457 ; Pulsatil'a, 303 ; sylvestris, 4SS Anemones, 211 ; ai annuals, 515 ; double French, 230 ; Gaerusey, 332 ; Irish, 463 Anemones from seed, 586 Angulosa Ruckeri, 604 Annuals and their culture, 300, 463 ; Anemones as, 515 ; autumn sown, 442 Anthurium ferrieiiense, finely grown, 122 Anthyllis montana. 362 Ants, trapping, 325 Antwerp, internationalcongress at, 464 Aphelandra anraiitiaoa, 177 Aphides and stron^My scented plants, 54S Apono^eton distachyon, 211 ; decay of leaves of, 162 Apple, American Mother, 15 ; blossom, 469; Bo^dinoff, 514; buds and birds, 408; Calville. 03; congress, the, 233; crop, the, 28 ; culture in Hereford- shire, 124; niarketinz, 223; Reinette Hermans, 419 ; trees and Cherries, 560 trees, chisel-pruning, 222, 268 Apple bud-eating insects, 591 Apples. American, 427 ; pnd Apple fairs, 44; British, 104; for Britain, 310; and geology, 5 ; late keepirg, 55 ; the beat, 107 ; west country, 513 Apricots, cultural notes on, 115 April flowering ihrnbs, 333 Aquatics for pools, 575 Aquatic plants, 575 Aquilegia californica, 513 ; canadensis, 513; chrysantha, 513, 542; co^ralea, 513; plandulosa, 418; sihirica, 517; glandulosa, treatment of, 599 Arabis blepharophylla, 333 Aralia Sieboldi from s sed, 284 Araucarias coning, 551 Arbutus Andrachne, 653 Arbutuses, 590 Arisfemas, notes on, 208 Arlstea major, 675 Arlington Yew, the, 677 Armeria Laucheana, 54) Arnebia echioides, 264, 412j Arrowheads, the, 8 Arrangement of spring 'flowers, 411 Artists, horticultural, 35 Arum italicum, i8-2 Aram Lilies, 61; culture of, 315 ; plant- ing out, 413 Arnndo Donix on, lawnf, 397 Asafuctida v. rabbits, 409 Asarumi, American, 392 Ash seeds, sowing, 328 Ash, timber, uses of, 553 Ash. white, ths, 410, 550 ; wood of the, 461 Asparagus at Killerton, 216 ; culture in Franca, 240 ; extraordinary, 267 ; forc- ing at Walcot, 20; plant ng, 520 ; the be^t, 89 Asphalte walks 65, 97, 120, 191. 225 Asphalte v. gas lime, 252 Asphodelus albus, 536 Aster Amellus. 202 Asters, a few dwarf, 202 Atragene alpina, 513 Aubrietia deltoides Leichtlini, 277 ; tau- ricola, 277 ; violacea. 34 L Aubrietia't for edgings, 416 Auricula Miss Mollie, 457 ; Mrs Moore, 353 Auricula show, 377 Auricula Society, the, 334 Auriculas. 569 ; alpine, 3SS ; in the north, 394 ; new, 377 ; raising seedling, 391 ; sixty years ago, 614 Australian plants, pictures of, 206 ; trees in Arran, 85 Austrian Fir, the. 273 ; Pine, the, 459 AiLstrian mountain stream, an, 428 Autumn-sown annuals, 442 Avenue trees, 550 Avenues and paths, 542 Avenues, trees for, 603 Azalea anKcna, 85 ; Illuminator. 271 ; in- dica alba, 303 ; indica alba out-of- doors, 350 ; narclssiHora, 64 ; rhoni- boidea, 47S ; culture, 18 Azaleas out-of-door.4. 324 ; Prince Bau- doin and Princess Victoria, 457 Bablocif, Poplars at, 123 Baden-Baden, notes from, 277, 306 Balsam Poplar, the. 350 Balsams, note on, 260 Bananas in America, 16 Bark, load of, 533, 558 ; price of. 558 ; selling. 532 ; stripping, 570 ; Larch, 603 Bark and timber, prices of, 681 Barberries, early, notes on, 433 Barberry, purple-leaved, 563 Barkeria elegans, 65; Lindleyana Cen- tera?. 396 Barkerias, the, 396 Bisket plants, 1S9 Baskets and rafts for Orchids, 411 Bisswood, the, 410 Battersea, new garden at, 53) Bean. Soisf.on-s Ixr'je runner, 539; White Dutch, Scimitar, or Case-knife, 590 Bean Scarlet Runner, 4U2 Beans, Butter, forced, 480 ; French, forcing, 215 ; runner, large and small, 520; runner, mixed, 430; runner, in trenches, 6 ; runner, tall stakes for, 449 ; white runner, 520 Beauty, useful, 185 Bedding plants from seed, 2:5 Beech blight, 580 Bsech Plum, the, 525 Beech, white, 410 Beech wood, uses of, 510 Beeches, purple, 40 ; weeping, 526 Beef woods in Arran. 8> Baes and blossoms, 210 Bees in Peach houses, 395 Bees V. Peaches, 443 Beet, Egyptian, or Turnip-rooted, 133 Beets, bsst, the, a9 Begonia globosa, 553 ; Lillie, 553 ; Louis B^ucharlet, 5:0; Marquis of Stafford, 553 ; Mrs. Brissenden, 580 ; PriQC383 Victoria, 553 ; salmonea, 5S0; scandens, 333 Begonia Lifnchi%na, 417 Begonias for baskets, 1S9; for summer and autumn, 178 ; tuberous-rooted, 285 Belladonna Lilies, 171 Bellflowers, Chineje, 216 Belvoir, alpine plants a% 309 Bjrberis empetrifolia, 438 ; rotundifolla Herveyi, 403; stenophylla, 433, 478; Wallichiana, 551 Berwickshire, notes f .om, 635 Be sen elegans, 47 » Betula alba fastigiata, 550 ; nigra, 612 Betula alba pendula, 437 Bhitan cifpress. the, 39 Bhotin Pine, the, 331 Billbergia nobilis, 553 Biota orientalis Zuccariniana, 223 ; pen- dula, 293; orientalis aurea. 604 B rck, Cu'leaved Weeping, 437 Birch, Paper, the, 550 ; pyramidal, the, 5i0 ; red or river, 248 ; wood of the, 461 ; black, 612 Birchwood for doors, 300, 303 Birds and fruit-buds, 21.257, 378, 406; killed by telegraph wires, 330 Bird's-ne4/ungus, 419 Black Currant pests, 591 Black vvalnut, 410 ; culture, 48 Black Walnut, the, 269 Bl ick Walnuts, soil for, 382 THE GAEDEN INDEX [July 4, 1885. Kiduey Beans and French Beans. 589 Kirkley Hall, Phalienopsis at, 297 Klugia Xotoniana, 4S8 Knautia maeniflca, 81 Kyrle Society, the, 421 L. Label damper. McBride's, 102 Labels, garden, the best 495 ; Ink for, 554 Labourers, 599 Laburnum, wood of the, 401 Laburnums, good and bad, 503 Lachenalia Aldborough Beauty, 227 ; Nelsoni, 186 ; pendula, 7S, 100, 189 Lachenalias, 230 ; from Guernsey, 27S ; in sand, 306, 36S ; note on, 2tiS; note on rare, 306 ; out-of-doors, 340 ; treat- ment of, 471 Lactarius deliciosui, 295 Ladys Slippers, hybrid, 451, 520 Ljelia, a high-priced. 78 Ljclia anceps, 76, 78 ; anceps Hilli, 139 ; anceps Sanderiana, 119 ; anceps, varie- ties of, 51, 84; anceps, white, 143; bella, 353, 456 ; Oanhami, 553 : elegans elegantissima, 456; elegans, flae var. of, 297; purpurata, finely flowered, 554 ; Wolstenholmiie, 450 Lake House, Cheltenham, Orchids at, 143 Land, uooccupied, 460 Lapageria, double-flowered, 13; leav s dying, 64 Lapigeria, house in Chad Vallsn NurseTv, 101 ... Lapagerias and their culture, 101 ; notes on, 220 Larck, American, the, 349 Larch bug, the, 353 Larch, cause of rot in, 276; for wind breaks, 300 ; in America, 557 ; in bog^ 407 ; cones drying and collecting, 46U ; in Scotland 407 ; plantations, the first, 582 ; reproductiveness of, 250 : soil for, 431, 55S ; substitute for, 355, 360, 433 ; thinning, 327; variegated, 492; bark. 6J3 Larches in Galloway, 55S Larix K.^mpferi, 604 Larix microcarpa, 349 LathyruB Drummondi, 567 ; Sibthorpi, 536 ; splendens. si LaurustiQus for walls, 29;i; fruiting, 4S4 554; under gla^s, the, 13 Lavender Speedwell, 593 Lawns of Ivy, 326 Lawns, improving mossy, 277 ; tree roots on, 212 ; walks and rjads, 542 ; mossy 48. 72, S2, 113, 152 Layia glandulosa, SI Laying turf, 116 Leaf tints, early, 512 Lebanoa Cedars in England, 179 Ledum buxifolium, 562 Lenten Roses, 144 Leonitis Leonurua. 368 Leontice altaica, 210 Leptospermum grandiflorum. 512- lani- gerum, 1G3 LeptoifCDiuan lanifjerum in Wales 145 Leptospermums in Devonshire, 184 Leschenaultias, 495 Lettuce, Eirly Paris Market,133 ; Veitch'a Perfect Gem. 46 Lettuces, Cabbage, 430; hardy, 5: in frames, 215; the best, 90 Leucojum carpathicum, 136, 185, 210 586; vernum, 263, 267 Leucopogon Cunnioghami, 143, 163 Libocedrus deeurre s and Thuja gigan- tea, 431 ; decurrens, grafting, 433 Lichen on trees, 3S4 Light a-^id airin wooiis, 274, 300 Ligastrtim sinense, 550 Lilac alia virginalis. 278; Hungarian, the, 564 ; Marie le Grange, 505 ; varieties of, 483 Lilacs, double, for forcing, 253 Lilies, after flowering. 471 ; early potted, 50; pot-bound, 49; pottine, 13. 24; repotting, 95 ; species and varieties of, 152; tube-flowered, 312 Lilies of the Valley, home grown, 260 Lilium candidum, 344; Eulrion section of, 312; Krameri, 344; list of specits and varieties of , 152 ; tigiinum splen- dens, 152 ; Washinfitoniannm. 3i4 Lilium Broicni, 343 ; hmyi/lorum fortnosa- num, 342; nepa'ense, 844; 2>hitipyi- nense. 344; Wallichianxm, 343 Lily list, the, 163. 226 Lily of thi Valley, 102; culture, Ih-S; failures. 219 Limehouse. spring flowers at, 144 Lime, weeping white, 478 ; wood of tli». 401 Linaria anticaria, 81 ; aureo-reticuUta, 441; bipartita, 575 Linnaeus, statue of, 3S6 Linum arboreum, 137 ; trigynum, 13 ; trigynum planted out, 189 Linums, 491 Lion's-tail plant, the, 368 Liparis longipes, lis Lipura anibidans, 523 Llthospernaum prostratom, 3 Lloydia serotina, 378 Lobelia auperoa, 605 Locust tree, pyramidal, 563 common white, 593 Lomaria gibba, 319 London, open spaces in, 76, 142 London parks, 530 Lfindon parks and gardens, areas of, 35 London, tree planting in, 95 ; trees that thrive in, 36 Lonicera and Chamfficerasus, 181 Lonicera sempervirens, 284, 595 ; tata- rica, 551 Lophyrus pini, 555 Lopping deciduous trees. 431 Loropetalon chinense, 501 Luculia gratissimi, 50 ; gratissima, pro- pagating, 64 Luddemaunia (Oycnoches) Pescatorei, 46S ; Pescatorei, 456 Luisia zeylanica, 118 Luuaria biennis, or Honesty, 232 Lupine, a large, 500 Lychnis pyrenaica alba, 488 Lythe flUl, Orchids at. 51 M. Machinery for forests, 251 Mackaya bella, 334 Madeira, in, 166 Magnolia Campbelli, 22 ; conspicua, pro- pagating, 401 Magnolias, early flowering, 426, 599 Magueij plant, the, 283 Maiden Oak wood, 508 Miiden's Wreath (Francoa), 516 Mamhilad Yew. 578 Manchester Botanic Gardens, 119 Mangifera indir^a at Kew, 278 Mango, tlie, 300; fruiting of the, 3?0; flowering of the, 278 Manure from sawdust. 295 Manure liquid for plants, 228 Maple, field, for hedges, 551 ; wood of the, 610 Margam, Stone Pines at, 3M Marguerite Etoile d'Or, 64 Marguerites, insects attacking, 36 Market garden notes, 196, 285 Marketing Apples, 228 Marrow culture, 267 Martyuia fngrans, 284 Mascalls, Paid^ck Wood. Kent. £38 Masdevallia (rairiana, 456, 579, 601 ; Har- ryana latsritii, 456: racemosa Crossi, 456 Maxillaria Sanderiana, 455 May flowers, 337 ; early, 442 May frosts and fruit crop?, 463 Jlsadoff Kues, dwarf, 2Sl Measuring home-grown timber, 463, 609 Meat and eggs ;■. feathers, 236 Mechameck of the Indians, 373 Meconopsis nepalensis, 172, 563 ; Wal- lichi, 516 Melon B nham Beauty, 506 ; culture, 28 ; La Favorite, 554 ; large, a, 170 ; cul- ture, extension system applied to, 3 6, 400 ; culture, notes on, 237 Melons, Blenheim Orange and Hero of Lockioge, 45 ; early, 97 ; from Khiva, 166; two good, 45; sanmer treatment o^, 600 Merendera ciucasi:a alba, 232 Mertersia virginica, 393, 413 Merulius lacrymans, 16 Mesembryanthe num», 487 Mespilus Smithi, 564 Midlands, early summer in the, 535 ; June flowers in the, 540 Mignonette, Vilmorins, 387 Mildew on Strawberries, 413; remedies for, 324 ; v. sulphide of potassium, 379, 453 Milla bifloraand Bessera elegans, 470 Mlmuluse', 341 ; spotted, 95 ^Minaret Flower, the, 3G-i Mites, bulb, 523 ; in Oulbs, 257 Mitraria coccinea, 50 D Money io both Pockets, 232 Montbret-a Pottsi, 171. 363 ATontreuil, Peach culture at. 65 Moose Wood, striped, the, 49i Moifea pusilla, 4»7 Morus fakiva, 472 Moisy lawns, 48, 72 32, 113, 152 ; lawns, improving, 277 Mountain Laurel, 549 ^fountain stream in Austria, 429 Muhlenbeckia complexa, 238 Mulleins, the, 205 ; v. Verbascums, 172 Mummy Peas, 77 iJurthly Conifers, the, 115, 223, 350; Conifers at, 3C4 Mushroom culture out of doors, 105; failures. 105 ; spawn, prolific, 184, 241 ^fu.nbling In flowers of, 207 ; from the tcilly Isles, 232 ; names, 337, 415 ; planting, 4 ; Polyanthus, 391 ; select, 392 ; sections and popular names, 93 Narcissus apodanthus, 416 ; bicolor Horsefieldi, 392; biflirus spreading, 492, 519 ; bulbs diseaied, ;i54 ; cernuus. 491 ; Clusii, 164 ; double Poet's, 536, 536 ; incomparabitis albus plenus sul- phereus, 392 ; incomparabilis Leedsi, 392 ; juncifoliiis, 416, 491 ; Mary Ander- son, 460, 563 ; monophyllus, 30, 143, 210; nanus, 254, 232 ; nanus fl. -pi., 172 i Nelsoni, 392 ; pillidus pnecox. 164 ; princeps, 235 ; Rip Van Winkle, 201 ; Sir Watkin, 491 ; spurius coronatus and General Gordon, 364 ; spurius coronatus, Krelage's, 394 ; Tazatta Grand Monarque, 392 ; Telamonius plenus, 340 ; verbaneosis, 337 Nec'arlne Victoria, 15 NelUia opulifolia aurea, 492 Neja gracilis and falcat*. 50 Nelumbium luteum, 386 Nepenthes, basket culture of, 285 ; cincta, 139 ; co/npactx, 497 ; hybrid, 496 ; propagation of, 576 Nepsera aquatica, 487 Nerine Fothergilli, 171; and Guernsey Lily, 471 Nertera depressa, 112 Neviusiaalabamensi^, 447 New England, Orchids of, 14S ; notes from, 599 New Forest scenery, 375 yeic Furdst, inth"., 370 New Zealand Flxx at Taidyforde, 339 NewZealand, plant collecting in, 421 New Zealand Water Lily, the, 235 Niagara ouoty. cinning fruit in, 395 Niagara Fills, 500 North American Ferns, 527 North American Pines, 411 North America. Pines of, 409 Notch i\ slit planting, 329 Notes, American, 223; fum France, 65 ; on Easter flowers, 303 ; on hardy plants, 80; on recent numbers, 141, 263, 303, 33-i, 360,433 Novelties for 1335, SO Nurseries on estates, 357 Nurserymen's prices, 73. 117, 146 Nurses in young plantations, 532, Oil NuttaUia cerasiformis, 27J Nymphpea fiava, 439. .")99 Nymphjeas, notes on, 4 33 O. Oak, American, introducing, 327 Oak, Japanese, new, 351 Oak bark, prices of. 603 Oak, leafing of the, 508 Oak, pipe-stave, 656 Oak, time for felling, 274 ; white, the, 247, 349 ; whit3 American, 331 ; wood of, 408 Oak woods, forming, 555 Oik gills, 5.=.6 Oak. Fuiham, oriqinal tree at Fulham, 480 Oak timber, selecting, 531, 555. 581 Oiks, grafting, 425 ; nursmg, 5 2 ; plant- ing for proflt, 462 ; Turkey, the, 470 Oberonia longibracteata, 113 Obituary— Baker, George, 506 Cooling, Edwin, 482 Dou James. 50i Downing, Charles, HO Drewitt. James, 505 Epp", W. J., 5^6 Gibson, William, 293 Phippen, George, 430 Sinclair, Andrew, 293 Sterling, George, 76 Turner. Charles. 458 Veitch, E. T., 76 Welsh. James, 606 Ochna Kirki, 3U6 Ocotea buUata, 383 Odontoglossu m cordatum, 46 Odontojlossum crispum Ballautinel. 455 ; crispum Cooksoni, 455 ; crispum Dick- soni, 333 ; crispum, finely flowered, 10 ; crispum Johnsoni, 530, 604 ; cr?spum Phahcnopsis, 530 ; crispum rostum li'a- cinum, 505 ; crispum rosenra puncta- turo, 530 ; crispum roseum punctatis- simum, 505 ; crispum Sanderianum, 455 ; crispum Veitchianum, 455 ; Alex- anirie, flaely flowered, 17 ; Andc-soni- anum pictura, 353; ex:ellen3, 456 <^)dontoglossum nievium majus, 450 ; hyatrix magniflcum, 139 ; nEevium ma- jus, 304 ; Pescatorei Thomaonianum 456; Rossi majus. 119; Ruckerianum punctatissimum, 456 ; Schroederianum, 55; Shnttleworth:e, 297 ; Wilckeanum, 227 ; Wilckeanum albens, 271 ; Wilcke- au'im Godefroyie, 2 7 ; crispum, .'i94 ; vellum, t04; mulus Germinyanum, 0 4 ; elegans Alicia;, 604 ; crispum Bry- mer'anum, 604 narias, 415 Puschkinia scdloide', 363 ; libinotica, 361 Pa>ih saivinj bench, the, 275 Puzz e Monkeys in Chiii, z32 Pyrethrum MeUon, 553 ; uligin>3um, 80 Pyrcthrums as annuals, 43 Pi/rui Aria, 493 Pyrus rtoribunda atrosangnicea. 247 ; japonica, 43r ; japonii:;a, training, 525 ; Mains floribunda, 243 ; Maulei, 383; salioifolii, 324 Pyxldauthera barbulata, 22 Pyxidanihera barbulxta, 209 Q Q Hrcu^alba, 217. 319 ; alba, introducing, 327 ; cistauKfolia, 3il; Cerris, 476; Cerris vulgaris, wooi of, 556; Libani, 351 ; Berrata, 351 Quercui Cerris austriaca, 477 ; Cerris carta m-.ijor, 476; Cerris fulKume mis, 477 ; drris Lucombeana crispa, 47d R. Rabbit netting, fixing. 384 Ribbits, remedies against, 403, 411 ; and forest tree 3, 382 Rack bench, 251 Radishes, forced, 215 Rafts and baskets for Orchids, 411 Ragley, Cedars at, 22 t Ralway embankments, planting, 274, 300.330, 3i4, 351,400, 435,515 Rulway rates and timbar carriige, 273 Rainfall and temperature, 176 Rainfall in 1834, 98, 12) RamonJia pyrenaica, 194, 416, 491 Ramondia, the white, ld7 Ramondias Kuropeaaspeciei of, 253 Ai/is'O/nc'ft- tree feller, 329 Ranunculus acoaitiioliuj fl.-pl., 32 ; am- piexicaulis, 201 ; anemonoides, 363 ; Lyalli, 212; rutffifohus, 411; white Hercules, 536 Ranunculus LyaW, 335 Ranunculaies, 569; cilture of, 73; Per- sia a, 503 RaoUa mammillaris, 421 Raspberries, summer audauturaa, 125 Rational culture of timber treei, 276 Radh U Com non, planting, 330 Radwooi, management of, 381; Califor- nian, 611 Redwood tree, tha, 437 Ram idles against rabbits, 409, 411 Kenintheri cocjinea, 555 Renealmii nutans, 66 Rist Harrow, round-leaved, the, 33 Retinospora obtusa aurea, 604 Rheum palmatum taoghuticum, 516 Rhipsalis Houlcti, 60 RhizoglyphuiS echinopus, 257 Rhododendron cardinale, 227 ; Danni- soai ani WiUiamsi, 278 ; exoaiense, 39J ; flowers, cuttiag, 373; glauco- h/bridum, 3S8. 436; Mangiest, 553; miiitare, 139 ; Mrs. James Shawe, 278 ; Nobleanum, 100, 122 ; Teysmauni. 271 ; Thoms jut, a large, 337 ; virgatum, 338 ; shows, 603 Rhododeadrong, sweet-scented, 220; in pots, 128 ; in wet soil, 500 ; at Fair- lawn, Lytham, 306 ; variability in. 376 Rhubarb, forcing, 7 ; varieties of, 479 Ribis sanguineum, 403; Singuineum atrorubrum, 333 ; spaciosum, 551 Ridge Cjcumbers, 430 Rmds, walks, and lawns, 542 Robinii, the, 324; golden, the, 493; Pseudacacia amorphxfolia, 479 Rockeries, making, 8 ; top-dressing. 43 Rockecs, double, 151 Rock plants in flower, 1S4 R}c/cw)od LUij of Neto Zealand, 234 Rocky Mountain Conifers, 551 Rocky Mountain forests, 328 Rj»kery, how 1 /ormel a, 236; how to eitablish a, 145 ; ho.v to form, 191, 163 Rook J colonising, 330 Root cutting, propagating by, 425 Root pruning and shelter, 420 Roots and soil texture, 193 Rosx alpina, 545 Ro3a Brunoniana, 479; Lusiadas, 464; pyrenaica, 545, 560, 587 ; rugosa, 547 ; rjgosa ai a stock, 539; rus;osa, hedges of, 312; laivigata, 538; polyantha, 593 Rose American Beauty, 496 ; Deveniiensis, 547, 559; General Gordon, 271; For- tune's Yellow, 3Lii;, 559 ; Grace Dar- ling, 547 ; Marechal Niel, a good, 256, 380.538; Mart^'chal Niel, under glass, 33 I ; Mignooe te. 258; Niphetos in a cool house, 495, 589 ; Perle des Jardias, 100; Primrose Dame, 271 ; Reine Hen- rietta, 5i9, 591; Souvenir de la Mai- maison, 559, 583 ; W. A. Richardson, 518; Etoile de Lyon and Alphonse Soupert, 457; Pyrenean, 645; bushes, Urge, 559, 538; Dog. a large, 143; gDwing, profitable, 312, 380; hedges, Japa lese, 312 ; houses in Anienca, 379 ; prospects, 331, 589 ; pruning, 40 ; stocks, 517; synonyms, 496; PrincerS Beatrice, 60 fc Rosemary wrejth, the, 594 Roses, American. 251; all th? year r mud, 3l2 ; and cold nights, 493 ; at Waltham Cross, 312 ; blight in. and remedy for, 495 ; covering Toorns, 163 ; early, 230; from Jersey, 383 ; in Feb- ruary, 122; in hedgerows, 21; m'xed masses of. 312 ; on wall^, 559 ; plant- ing, 41 ; planting in spring, 2.6; pro- tec:ing, 4i ; pruning. 400, 479 ; raising seedling, 547 ; soil lor, 40 ; standard, dying, 221; Tea, best. 517; Tea, in pots, 495 ; Tea, under glass 256 ; work among, in early June, 519 ; yellow, 42 ; hedges of Tea, 593 ; button-hole, 594 Rot-proof scrim, 268, 405 Royal Gardens, Kew, 99, 191 Rubus australis in Arran, 85 ; deliciosus, 247 ; rosEcfolius coronarius, 13 ; spec- tabilis, 425, 599 Rudbeckias, 491 Rue Anemones at home, 599 Ruscus racennsKS, 43 Rash Lily, the. 167 S. S iciolablum bellinum, 139 Sagiiticia montevidensis, 6 Sa^ittarias, the, 3 S iUd3, winter, 91 Salix ciprea for wet places, 355 Salvii boliviana var. verticillata. 26; boliviensis, 185 ; Greggi,82; nigressens, 495 Salvia Candelabrum, 113 Sambucusracem^sa, 403,433; pubens, 599 Sand Plum, ihe, 525 Sand, s'.a?, 491 Sa-ricenia purpurea, 392, 492 ; hardiness of, 309 Savin, the. and its varieties, 270 ; on lawns, 223 Savoys, culture of, 430 ; dwarf v. tender, 215 Saw, new pruning, 462 ; in tree pruning, 410; cross-cut, the, 609 Sxw, pruning, a new. 433 SiwJuso as manure, 295 ; gas, 3)2 S3,wniill, arrungeni'int o/th"., 509 Sawmills in New Sjuth Wales, 358 Saws, manufacture of, 451 ; note on, 436 ; circular, 612 Saiifraga Bjydi, 333; Bnrseriana, 80, 143, 211 ; coriophylla. 261; Untoscana superba, 553 ; ligulata, 202. 208 ; Mac- nabiana, 605; peltata, 338; longifolia and lantoscaua, 587 Saxifraja lonjifoUa. 566 Sixi/rages, broad leaved, on banks, 541 Sixifrages, heart-leaved, 511 Sctrborough Lilies in March, 203 Schizanthnses in potj, 576 Schtzophragma hydrangeoides, 505 School of forestry, the proposed, 509 Scientific committee, ths, 116 Scitia amcena, 237 ; campanulata, 237 ; imritimx, 233 ; patu'.a, 287 ; peru- vianx, 233 ; sibirioa, 238 Scilla bifolia varieties, 286; Hughi, 392 ; peruviana, 551 ; s'biric ; v. Chionodoxa, 400 ; taurica, 173. 230 Scillas, hardy iiinds of, 286 ; at Christmas, 16 Scilly Island Diftolils. 210, 232 Sjoliopus Bigelowi, 378 Sc >tch Fir, artificial plantations of, 250 ; as a joinery wood, 357 ; for timbsr, 355 ; golden, 57 ; influence of soil on, 407 ; plantations, 403 ; timber, 558, 603; value of, 332; varieties of the, 532, 603 Scotch Firs and black game, 409 Scotch Firs, grouj of, 652 Scotch Ping, the', 46J ; deterioration of, 610 Sotland, destructive fires in, 534 ; fruit culture in, essay on, 30 Scrim, rot-proof, 226, 203, 405 Scuticarii SCeeli, 7S THE GARDEN INDEX [July 4, 1885. Seaforthia elegans, 266 Sea Hollies, the 238 Seakale, 402; forcing, 8, 216; growing; and forciog, 20 ; late crop of, 430 Seasoning timber for estate work, 300 Seiuiii acre, .ilG ; alhuui. 315 ; Cfvrulexnn, ka}ntscha.ticam,Zll ; Maxiiiiowiczi,Zl6; maxitnum, 31G ; poptiU^o'ium, 316 ; pulchellum, 315 ; spectabUe, 315 ; Tele- jihiiDii, 316 Seilum coraicum, 314; spectabile, 33; trifldum, 31" Seduma, cultivated, 314 Seed raiain,', 530 ; raiaing in box ^s, 418 Seed of (Orchids, 205 Seeds, keepiog, 46 ; new v. old, 92 ; old, treatment of, 344 ; soikiaG;, 548 ; sow- ing and covering. 190 Sempervivum triste, 362 Senecio Ghiesbreghti, 179 ; macroglosaus, 332 ; pulcher, 451 Se^uoii sempervireas, 383,437, 611 Shafting, hollow v. solid, 275 Shakespeare's country, 166 Shallots, culture of, 213 Sheep in Hyde Park, 560 Shelter, effects of, on trees, 356 ; and rjot pruning, 419 ; for trees, 434 Shows, flower, music at, 331 Shrub, a worthless, 417 Shrubs, spring flowering hardy, 412; for London, 36 ; for undercover, 534 ; in pots, 220 ; under trees, 117 ; winter flowering, 109 Sidalcea Candida, 2D1 Silene pendula, 541 ; Pumilio. 441 SiajTinchium fllifolium, 367 ; graadi- floruni. 167 Sisyrinchiuma, 362 Slag sand, 49L Slugs, destroying, 121, 325; how to catch them, 257 ; note on. 121, 385 Snapdragons, white-throated, 593 Snowberry, viriegated, 181 Snowdrop Tree, the, 35) Snowdrops, 129 ; at Chiswick, 202 ; f jrc- Snapdragons, white-throated, 593 idg, 63 ; lateness of, 340 ; variable, 166 ; varieties of, 567 Snowflake, Carpathian, 210 SuCIKTIES — Crystal Palace spring show, 297 ; sum- mer show, 502 Daffodil show, the, 254 Ghent Horticultural Society, 226, 464, 530 Haarlem bulb show, 226, 272 Hull Chr>8anthemum Society, 206 Isational Carnation andPicotee, 36, .'>6, 140, 377 National Chrysanthemum, 36, 55, 98 New Orleans Exhibition, 33 Pansies show, 2 Paris flower show, the, 334, 436. 4S1 Regent's Park spring show, 253 Royal HorticaUur^U of Ireland, 406, 504 Royal Botanic, 272, 378, 481, 579 Royal Horticultural, 16, 55, 76, 139, 227, 271, 353, 376, 457, 504, 553, 6,5 RDyal National Tulip, 530 Scottiah Pansy, 536, 606 Soil, origin of good, 582; texture and roots, 19 i Soils, tough, 436, 429, 471 Solauum Lycopersicum R3 Umbert), 6 Solanums, berry- bearing, 242 Soldanellt montana, 441 SomeThill, Kent, 59 Somerset, season in, 206 Sonerila margaritacea argentea, 423 Sonerilas, the, 420 Soot and its uses, 286 Soot waer, value of, 314 Southwark Park, duci pond in, 530 Sowing V transplanting, 510 Spanink Bayonet, the, in fruit, 267 Spanish CheHnut, the, 291 Spanish Furze, 533 Spade, trowel, and dibbar plantinz. 442 Spanninnia africana, 580 ; africana flore- pleno, 278 Sparaxis, 512 Sparrows and Crocuses, 364 Sphagnum, living, 205 ; for Orchids, 58 Spinach, the best, 90 Spindle tree, the, 57, 324 Sptrcea Aruncua. 113; astilboides, 560 ; Lindleyana, 293; palmata, 14. 511; palmata alba, 579 ; Thuubergi, 323 Spiriva^ at Easter Duddin(}>iti>n, 525 Spray dirtuser, Owen's, 325 Spring flowers. 110 ; arrangement of. 411; notea on, 229, 304 Spring in winter, 141 Sprinjtale injects, 523 Spruce, black, the, 550 ; Fir timb-r, 532, 610 Squills, spring flowers, 233 ; the hardy, 2S6 Squirrel Corn, the, 413 St. Nicholas House, Siarborough, 311 Stachyurua pr.Tcox, 403 S:ate forestry ia tha cjlonlea, 302 Statice floribunda, 580 Statuary and vases in gardens, 512 Steam heating, 379 Stephauutis in aunshine, 538 Stinkwood, African, 383 Stocks, double and single^ 56S ; garden, 17U ; note on, 593 Stoking stove boilers, 298 St jnecrops, cultivated, 314 Stone Pine at Cartel Gundol/o, 246 Stone Pine, the, 324 Stove boilers, stoking, 29S Strawberries, best early, ;_;:t5 ; by post, 395 ; digging amongst, o3S ; earlhin^ up, 77, 12(i ; f )rced, 394 ; forcing, 443 ; in autumn, 29, 367 ; mildew on, 443 ; old, in pots, 222 ; setting of, l9u Strawberry La Grosse Sucree, 45b ; Lax- ton's King of the Earlies, 505 ; forcing, 2C1 ; plants, old, in pots, 170 ; protector, 310; tiles, 468; Pauline, 605 Streamlet at Endsleigh, 465 Strelitzia Kegina-, 38, 95 Stud Flower, the, 212 Stylewor^s, the, 136 Sfylidium mucronatum, 134; saxi/ra- goides, 13,'> Stylidiuma, the, 135 Styphelia parvitlora, 163 Styrax serrulatum, 564 ; japonicum, 604 Sugar Mapl^ the, 410 Sulphide of potassium, 495; for plant pesta, 3'24 Sulphide of potassium v. mildew. 379, 458 Sulphur and rabbits, 409 Summer in the midlands, 535 Su 'idews, long and thread-leaved, 221 Sunflowers, tbe cultivated, tC Swamp Pink, 82 Swanley, notes from, ISO Sweet Pea, Scarlet Invincible, 561 Sweet ^eas and their culture, 265 Swiss Stone Hne, the, 222 Switzerlaud, forest law in, 510 Sycamore, wood of the, 461 sylviculture or forestry, 460 Synonyms of Chrysanthemums, 18 Syringa Josikica, 564 Tacsonia as a room plant, 52 Tacsonia Van Volxemi, 268 Tacionias, culture of, 219 Taddy/orde, 335 Tagasaste, the, 144 Tamarisk in flower, 534 Tamzrifik, the, in the desert, ISO Tank borders and Phylloxera, 4 i Tank? for rain-water, 314 Tar and rabbits, 409 Tar paved walkd, 165 Tar paving, 286 Taxing income on won js, 330 Taxoaium siuense, 117 Taxus baccata aurea, 634 Teak wood, compressed, 358 Tecoma auitratii-, 94 ; capensis, 94 ; grandi/iora, 94; raaicans, 94; stans, 94 Tecomas and thei.- culture, 93 Tecophylrea cyanocrojua, 340 Telegraph polea, 330 ; living, 434, 462 Temperature aud laiufall, 176 Tenms lawns, 393 'J halictrum anemouoides fl.-pl , 412 Thalictruma, 2i;l Thames side icenery, 254 The Mote, Ightham. 19 Things we have unUamed, 500 Tninntug, timely, 507 ; plantations, 510; c. pruning, 460 Thorns, tranaplanting. 564 Thriuax granunifolia, 6 Thuja gigantei. 433; gigautea and Libo- cedrus decurrens, 431 ; gigantea, merits of, 355 ; gigantea. wood of, 584 ; occi- dentalia pendula, 223; Phippeniaui, 403, 43S -. occidentalis airea, 604 Thujopsla borealis pendula, 324 Thunbergia Harrisi, 333 Thuoia Veitchi, 57a, 604 Thymus carnosus, 32 Tile edgings, 26S Tilia pftiolaris, 473 Tdhindsia usneoides, 576 Timber, best time to cut, 329; and rail- way rates, 273 ; carriages, 383 ; drying, 610 ; Eogliah, value of, 384 ; felliug, time for, 410 ; for felling, aelection of, 328, 462; growing and selling, 555. 611; harvesting, 433 ; home, disposal of 328. 6s2; loading, 43 1. 462; measuring home-grown. 460, 609 ; of Scotch Elm. 356 ; preservation of, 558 ; pruning v. thinning, 434, 460; saleable and un- salaable, 507; seasoning, 329; season- ing for estate woik, 300 ; selecting for felling, 432 ; selling home grown, 273 ; tree culture, rational, 276, 299 ; trees intermixing, 432; trees, pruning, 507 ; uses of native, 355 ; valuing standing, 229, 327, 332, 356, 382 ; what to do with our, 249, 273, 300 ; fast-grown, 607 Timber, marketing home grown, 602 ; Scotch Eir,608 ; trees, proving, 607 ; of Spruce, 610 Tistiury Yew, the, 577 Titanic flower, a, 232 Toadstool, Orange Milk, 295 Tobacco juice, vaporised, 22 Tomatoes, early and late, 214 ; root- restricted, 314 ; the best, 90 ; without manure, 134, 216, 448, 570 Tooting, spring' flowera at, 144 Topics, gardening, 77, 104 Torenia coucolor, 22 ; Fordi, 22 Tower of London garden, 228 Transplanting, evils of, 431, 462; v. sowing, 510 ; v. tree diseases, 555 Trapping ants, 325 Tree diseases and transplanting, 555 felling by saws, 433 Tree felling by steam, 329 Tree Ferns in Arran, 85 ; growth, obser- vations on, 584 ; nurseries on estate, 357; Pc-eonies, vaiieties, 533 ; planting, indirect advantages of, 509 ; planting in London, 95 ; planting, preparing ground for, 431 ; Poppy, the, S2 ; praner, 3.5; roots on lawns, 212; roots in flower beds, 138 ; shelter in orchards, 336 Trees, branch-shedding, 551 ; British, Wood of, 401, 403 ; coniferous, renovat- ing, 57 ; driving nails into, 631 ; dying out, 4'.;4 ; effects of climate on, 531 ; t fleets of wind on, 433 ; effects of shel- ter on, 356 ; for avenues, 550 ; for smoky localities, 351; for villa gar- dens, 144 ; for wet and dry aituations, 355, 361 ; from root cuttings, 425 ; giants and dwarfs, among, 581; gird- ling, 329 : golden-leaved, 323 ; group- ing ornamental, 552; habits of, 358; in cemeteries, 3 ; late leafing, 493 ; lopping deciduous 431 ; nailing fence rails 1 1. 462 ; native, uses of. 355 ; of West Virginia, 410; old, difference of bulk in, 581 ; old-fashioned. 117 ; on chalk soils, 248; planting for profit, essay on. 583; protection of, from in- sects, 3S4 ; shade and shelter, essay on, 5;l; shrub growth under, 117; that rabbits like, 334 ; that thrive iu Lon- don, 33 ; the growth of, 299 ; timber, intermixing, 432 ; timber, thinning, 582 ; preserving old, 352 ; useful, 39 Trieyrtis hirta, 263 Triteleia uniflora in massej, 417 Tritoma puniila, 415 Troprcolum Jarratti, 470 ; rhomboidenni, 30 j Troy Cemetery, 79 Trumpet Flower, 94 Tuberoses, culture of, 16; after flower- ing, 488 TuUpa Borszczowi, 6, 416 ; Greigi, 412; maleolens, 413; oculus-solis merven- sis, 376 ; Ostrowskiana, 164 Tulips, Lancajh re, 536 ; new, certifi- cated, 553 Turf laying, 118 Turkey Oaks, the, 476 Turkey Oaks, wood of, 510, 553 Turxe>/'.s-beard Plant, 224 Turnip Chirk Castle, 133 ; Milan, .".TO Turnips, the best, 91 TussUagj fragrans, 172 Tussocky parks, 542 Undercover, shrubs for, 534 Underwood, trees for, 357 V. Valerian, Golden, the, 311 Valleys, frosty, 4.;7 Vallota purpurea, a white, £0 Vallutas in flower in spring, 265 Valuing standing timber, 299 Valuing timber, 327 Vanda Cathcarti, 78 ; Lowi, 56 ; parvi- flora, lis ; peduncularia. 58 ; spathu- lata, lis Vanda peduncularis, 51 Vaporised t()bacco juice, 22 Vegetable Marrows, 267 ; the beat, 91 Vegetable iheep, 421 Vegetable supp y, our, 98 Vegetables and fruits, forced, 45 Vegetables, best sorts of, 39, 133 ; new and good, 175 ; young spring. 372 Vegetation on the Ziinbesi, 255 Veilch Memorial prize fund, the, 162 Verba^cum Chaixi, 172; ntgrutn, 173; phoeniitum, 173 Verbascums, or Mulleins, 172 Verbtiua Distinction, 553 ; Dr. Feyerlin, 539 ; Fairy Queen, 553 ; Purity, 580 Verbeaina Mameana, 66 Veronica Anderaoni, 172 ; derivation of name. 167 ; Hulkeana, 495, 512 Viburnum pUcatum iu pots, 564 Villa gardens, trees and shrubs for, 144 Vinci acutiloba, 109, 130, 137, 141 Vine leaf mite, the, 565 Vine wood, growth of, 78 Vines, do able -rooted, 5 ; extension- grown. 524, 565 ; fertility of young, 15 ; horizontally trained, 5 ; in sum- mer, watering, 565 ; newly planted, 419; on the extension system, 310, 354, 367; pruning and dressing, 29; pruning out door, 14 ; steaming, 500 ; supernumerary. 28 A'ioli bifiora, 491; Mrs. Gray, 361; pedata, 201 Viola Mrs. Gray, 361 Violas for summer bedding 567 Violet, Comte Brazza's White. 113, 416 Violet Cress, the, 368 Violets, 144; culture of, 13, 24, 339; double, 14, 100; double white, 3S9; early, 122 ; from teed, 233, 232; in autumn aud winter, 49 ; wild, 416 Viigioiau forests, trees of the, 410 Vriesia brachyatachya, 26 ; janeiriensis variegati, 139 W. Walcot, Asparagus forcing at, 20 Walkd, aaphalte, 23, to, 120, 225 ; con- crete, 23 ; edgings for, 411 ; garden. 23 ; gravel, 23 ; road aud lawns, 542 ; shady, 311; tar-pived, 165 Wallflowers, double yellow, 112 Walla of hothouses, 109 Wail^, plant- covered, 536 Walnut, black, ths, 269 Walnut, the, 348; culture, 27 Waratah, the, 267 Warwickshire gardens, 167 Washington Thorn, the, 528 Water Lilies, 64 Water plants for small pools, 575 Water saucers and flower pois, 16 Water tanks, rain. 314 Watering pots, too lai^e, 314 Wattles iu Arran, 85 Wax for tree wounds. 409 Weather, prophesying the, 77 W^eeping Conifers, some, 351 Weevils, Pine, looking out for, 302 Weigelaa under giaaa, 369 Welcombe Woods, 145 Wellingtonia, Deodar and Araucaria, 39 Welsh spring flowers, 144 Westminster, public garden at, 483 W^estonbirt, note from, 464 Weymouth Pine, the. 299 White Beam tree, the, 492 White Oak and Ches.nut, wood of, 407 What to do with our timber, 249 Willow as a timber trej, 5S3 ; catkins, 303 ; Goat, for hedges, 350 ; wood of the, 461 Willows for profit, 583 W'indflowers, 470 Window gardening, 374 Wind.^or Forest, 459 Winter gardens, 121 ; Orchids. 17 ; work f Hoya Cumlngiana 103 Hydrangea quercifoUa .. .. 199 Tmpatlens Jerdoniaj . . . . . 242 Ipomaea bona-nox 473 Ipom^ea hederacea . . . . . . 473 Ipomaea pandurata 373 Ipomfea purpurea 473 Irises, Cyperua, and other water plants.. 575 Jerusalem Artichoke 68 Juglans nigra . .. .. .. 267 Kalmia latifolia 549 Lapageria house in Chad Valley nursery . . 101 Larch, American, the 350 Larix microcarpi 349 Lpptosperraum lanigeriim in Wales 145 Lillum Browni 343 Lilium candidum 344 Lilium Krameri 344 Lilium longiflorum formosinum . . 342 Lilium nepalense 344 Lilium philippineuse 343 Lilium VVallichianum .. .. 343 Lilium Washingtouianum .. ,, 344 Lipura ambulans 523 Lomaria gibba in earthenware jar.. 319 Maguey, or American Aloe.. .. 283 Maiden-hair Fern, North American 528 Mountain Laurel, the .. .. 549 Mushroom lied out-of-doors . . 105 Narcissus Rip Van Winkle . . . . 143 Nepenthes compac^a 497 New Forest, in the .. .. _ 376 New Zealand Flax at Taddyfoide . . 339 Nymphnea flava, flower-root and leaf of ^ ..439 Oak, Fulham, the original .. .. 480 Oak, Lucombe .. ,. ., .. 476 Oaku'ood Cemetery, Troy .. .. 79 Odontoglosaum crrdatum «. . . 46 Omphalodes Lucili,x 194 Opuntia arborescens 468 Orontium aquaticum. 213 Palms at Bordighera 165 Pandanuses on the Zambesi Riper.. 187 Patchouli plant, the 447 Peotstemon ;:;laber . . , . 42 Persimmon, Japanese, fruit of . . Ifi9 Phlebodium aureum 149 Phylloxera punctata 176 Pine Barren Beauty 209 Pine, Corsican, the 321 Pine, Stone, the 246 Pinus Laricio 322 Pinus Pinea 246 Plant-covered wall in greenhouse . . 537 Platycodon grandiflorum . . . . 216 Poplars, Black, at Bablock .. ..123 Posoqueria formosa 147 Primula, double, Chinese, from Burghley 127 Primula mollis 597 Pyxidanthera barbatula . . . . 209 Quercus austriaca .. _ .. 477 Quercus Cerris and varieties .. 476 Quercus fulhamensis .. «. .. 477 Quercus Lucombeana 476 Quercus serrata, leaf of .. ..351 Ramondia in 0. Forster's rock gar- den . ..195 Ramondia in pot 196 Ramondia pyrenaica alba . . . . 197 Ransome's patent tree fellar .. 329 Ranunculus Lyalli .. « ..235 Rhipsalis HouUeti 63 Rhizoglyphus echinopus .. ., 257 Rosa alpina 545 Ruscus racemosua „ .. .. 43 Saxifrages, broad-leaved, on a bank 641 Saxifraga longifolia on rocks .. 566 Scilla amtoua . . . . „ 287 Scilla campanulata i82 Scilla maritima 288 Scilla patula 287 Scilla peruviana - . . . . 288 Scilla sibirica 288 Scotch Firs, a group of . . . 552 Screw Pines on the Zambesi . . 187 Sedum acre 316 Sedum album 315 Scdum ca-ruleum . . 315 Sedum kamtschaticum 317 Sedum Maximowiczi 316 Sedum maximum 316 Sedum populifolium 316 Sedum puU'liellum 315 Sfcdum spectabile 315 Sedum spurium 315 Sedum Telephium 316 Sedum trifldum 317 Somerhill, Kent 69 Spanish Bayonet Plant, the .. 267 Spiraeas from Easter Duddingston . . 525 Springtail insects 523 St. Nicholas House, Scarborough, shady walk in 311 Stone Pine, the 246 Strawberry tile, a new . . 310 Stream in mountains of Austria . . 428 Stud flower, the 212 Stylidium mucronifolium . . 134 Stylidium saxifragoides 135 Sweet Chestnut, the 291 Taddyforde, climbers on house at , . 347 Tdddyforde, floe-leaved planti at . . -i^S Tamarisk in the desert .. .. 180 Tecoma australis 94 Tecoma capensis 94 Tecoma grandiflora 9t Tecoma radicans ., . . 94 Thames-side scenery 255 The Mote, Ightham, 19, 22, 23, 27, 30, 31, 34 Tiger Lilies, bed of 15? Trees on bold rocky ground . . 602 Troy Cemetery 79 Turkey's-beard plant 225 Utah, Cacti in 469 Vanda peduncularis — Verb as cum Chaixi Verbascum phteniceum Verbascum nigrum . . Viola Mrs. Gray 51 172 173 173 361 Walnut, black, the 269 Wall covered with plants in green- house - . . . . . . . . . 537 Windsor Forest, view in . . . . 452 Xerophyllum setifolium Salvia Candelabrum . . Sagittaria montevidensis 113 Yew-tree Vale, patriarchs of 8 Yucca acuminata 578 ::66 AMASONIA PUNICEA 130 BARKERIA LINDLEYANA CENTER.E .. .. 396 CARNATION BELLE HALLTDAY 26 CI3TUS FLORENTINUS 570 CYCLAMEN REPANDUM 544 CYPRIPEDIUMCARDINALE 520 I CYPRIPEDUM GODEFROY.E .. _ . . 444 ' ERYNGIUM OLIVERIANUM 238 I GENTIANA ANDREW8I "sQ \ HELIANTHUS MULTIFLORUS MAJOR .. .. 66 COLOURED PLATES. HIBISCT'S GRANDIFLORUS 108 IPOM.EA RUBRO C(ERULEA 472 LEOXOTIS LE0NURU3 368 LILIUM NEILGHERRENSE 342 LILIUM TIGRINUMSPLENDENS 152 NEPENTHE? DORMANNIANA, WILLIAM8I AND HENRYANA « ..496 ODONTOGLOSSUM CORDATUM VARS. .. « 46 OMPHALODES LUCILLE 194 PANSIES, GROUP OF - 262 PLATYCODON GRANDIFLORUM MARIESI .. 216 RAMONDIA PYRENAICA 194 ROSA ALPINA PYRENAICA 544 SAGITTARIA MONTEVIDENSIS 6 SCILLA BIFOLIA, VARIETIES OF 286 SEDUM CORSICUM 314 SONERILA MARGARITACEA AROENTEA „ 420 VERBASCUM PHLOMOIDES 172 VIOLEIS, DOUBLE 598 xu THE GARDEN INDEX [July 4, 1885. JOHN E. LANE For upwards of half a century the name of John Lane, of Berkhanistea-^, the present head of one of the oldest and best known nursery firms in this country, has been familiar to horticulturists. Born at Great Berkhamstead seventy-seven years ago, his life from (juite a youth has been spent in building up a business "which now, thanks to his energetic efforts, enjoys a world-wide reputa- tion. Living as he has all his days in what may be tfermed the centre of English horticulture, no man is better acquainted than Mr. Lane with its history during the past fifty years. He has witnessed the commencement of many fashions in gardening and seen the end of not a few. He has enjoyed the acquaintance of the greatest horticulturists of the present century, among whom may be mentioned Loudon, Lindley, Paxton, Fortune, Elvers, Robert Thompson, and others. These men, his contemporaries, are gone ; while he remains, hale and hearty, as capable of managing his business as ever he was. As an exhibitor Mr. Lane's experience dates back as long ago as 1828, and from that time to the present he has been a familiar figure at all the great shows, especially at those held in London. In the days when the exhibitions at Chiswick were the greatest in the country, !Mr. Lane was a constant and most successful exhibitor. But e^-en before that period he contributed to the society's shows. In 1831 he showed the first pot Roses that had ever been seen, and he speaks with enthusiasm of the sensation they created, the popular idea being that Rose culture in pots could not be successfully carried out. These first show pot Roses were but small specimens — a striking contrast to the monste rplants some 6 feet through which have been shown during recent years, and from the same nursery, too. Roses were always a speciality at Berkhamstead ; over forty years ago Loudon said he found more kinds of Roses in Messrs. Lane's nursery than in any other. .Since then hardy fruits, trees, and .shrubs have received most attention from Mr. Lane, and his nursery at the present time shows how extensive his trade in them is. Although the nurseries are not located on or even near a heathy or peaty soil, Berkhamstead has become famous for its American plants, such as Rhododendrons, Kalmias, Azaleas, and the like ; these, though generally thouglit to re(juire peat, grow luxuriantly without it — in fact, in yellow loam. The Japanese Azalea mollis introduced by Fortune has been for years one of the Messrs. Lane's special objects of culture, and its present popularity is due in a great measure to their never lia\dng lost an opportunity to exliibit it in its finest condition. INIr. Lane's long experience among hardy fruits has made him one of the best authorities on the subject, a fact recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society, by whom he has been made vice-president of their fruit committee. The large permanent orchards at Berkhamstead in connection with the nurseries afford abundant material for ttudy, particularly in the case of Apples, which has been JNIr. Lane's hobby, and of which he has acquii'ed a profound knowledge. Among new sorts originated by him is Lane's Prince Albert, one of the finest of its class and now becoming widely popular, although many years have elapsed since it was first put into commerce. Grape culture, too, has engaged Mr. Lane's attention for years, and most successful has he been, especially with Vines in pots, which have won for him a wide reputation as a Grape grower not only in this country, but also abroad, wherever his Grapes have been exhibited. Mr. Lane and Mr. John Lee (the subject of our last memoir) are now among tlic oldest representatives of the nur.sery trade in this country — men widely known and held in the highest respect. .-^ ^- JAV. 3, l-isS. THE C4AEDEN VOL, XXVII. CHURCH DECORATION. It will be generally admitted, I think, that the floral decoration of churches has greatly improved of late, not only as re- gards the quantity of material used, but also in quality ; the arrangements are lighter and more graceful than hitherto. The old heavy masses of commonplace Evergreen have given place to light festoons or delicate tracery. Well-btrried Holly of course we must have, and Ivy, with its jet-black clusters of berries and long graceful sprays ; other Evergreens that in winter give our gardens such a snug look we must also have, and especially those that bear berries. Amongst flowers, white ones predomi- nate, with just a sprinkling of brilliant colour to give life to the whole. On entering, the first thing that attracts attention in most churches is the font ; this is mostly decorated at the base with Ferns, Lycopods, and dwarf foliage plants plunged in fresh green Moss, the other ornamentations being some bril- liant berried Solanums, white and red Primulas, white and red Tulips, and that most appropriate and fragrant of bulbs, the early Roman Hyacinth. The ."fill' I .1 I' I I I - I I I I II I I I I II flowers. The columns or arches are lightly wreathed with long sprays of Ivy, as are also the candelabra, and various devices in variegated Holly and other handsome foliage surround the texts that are placed on the walls. The pulpit and reading-desk are generally prettily decorated with wreaths made of the very finest-leaved Co- nifers, Box, or Ivy, associated with dried Cape flowers or Everlastings and designs in brilliant Holly berries. At the base plants of dwarf habit are used with good efl:'ect, notably Ferns and other fine-foliaged plants intermixed with white and red flowering plants. But it is on the altar and reredos that we find the most lavish display of flower, and although some still adhere to formal gilt stands and flower holders with water tubes for the stalks, many have adopted more natural styles of arrangement, consisting of zinc or tin troughs for holding water, in which flowers and foliage and good-sized branches of hardy shrubs 01 Fern fronds are inserted, the tins being hidden by flakes of fresh green Moss. Bold and striking arrangements consist of Arum Lilies associated with their own foliage, late-flowering Japanese I Chrysanthemums, Poinsettias, and Amaryllisef. j In large decorations in which plants are employed I very effectively Palms are most useful, especially tall graceful kinds, such as Seaforthia elegana and Cocos Weddelliana. Amongst hardy flowers -vhite Christmas Roses might be employed with .dvantage. In mild seasons and in sheltered ooalities they are sometimes produced in profu- ion, and if protected with a handglass, their.blooms may be had untar- nished by the wea- ther. If there ia one flower better suited than another for church decora- tion, it is certainly the Christmas Rose (the Helleborus ni- ger) and especially that form of it well named maximas, and sometimes called the Scotch variety, and alti- folius. The flowers are produced in twos and threes on stout, erect stems fully 8 inches long ; they measure 4 in. across at least when fully expanded and, rising well above the soil, in addition to the natural pro- tection afforded by theautumnal leaves lying on the surface of the ground, the broad dainty cups of lovely whiteness THE GARDEN [Jan. 3, 1885. remain unsullied by even a speck of the closely adjacent soil, though quite unprotected with cloche or handlight. I ought to mention that the flowers do not all expand at one time, but follow each other in rotation. J. G. Flower Garden. SHOW PANSIES. In a volume of the Morists' Magazine, published in 1835-6, 1 have come upon a plate of Pansies, representing three very fine varieties in their day, raised by Mr. Thomson, of Iver. It was said of them— the names were Fomona Superba, Comte de Sails, and Desdemona — that they were the finest the season had produced, and doubtless they were. The flowers in that year had become more rounded, stouter in texture, and the colours more pronounced than the blossoms figured in the earlier numbers of the Flnricultural Cabinet ; and it is quite correct to say that Thomson, Mountjoy, and others did wonders with the Pansy in those days. The yearly improvement was striking and rapid, and by the time 1850 was reached. Hale, Turner, Dickson, and others had produced flowers that were regarded by the florists in those days as little less than perfect. It is said that the Pansy was never cultivated as a florist's flower until it was taken in hand by Mr. Thomson. He was gardener to Lord Gambler, and it is recorded that in 1813 or 1814 his lord- ship carried to him a few plants of Heartease gathered in the fields near his mansion at Iver. They were the yellow and white, and his lordship requested him to cultivate them. Having done so, Mr. Thomson soon discovered that a great im- provement was effected in the flowers, and this led to as many other sorts being collected as could be discovered in the neighbourhood : and he states, " About five years after this commencement I had raised many seedlings from the originals ; and one which took Lord Gambler's fancy was named Lady Gambler, and another George IV.; a third was named Ajax. The first good shaped flower was named Thomson's King." At that time the only mark in the eye of the Pansy (now occupied in the case of the fine varieties of the present day by a huge dense dark blotch) was a few dark lines, and the dark eye, which is now one of the chief re- quisites of a first-rate flower, had never been seen or even contemplated. Now, the show Pansy has almost ceased to be a florist's flower of any great repute in the south in so far as raising new varieties is concerned. The late Mr. Henry Hooper, of Bath, almost, if not quite, up to the time of bis death raised many flowers, but he seemed to have crossed the show and fancy varieties, as not a few of the flowers displayed a dual character. Years ago Mr. Turner had to give up their culture at Slough, though for several years the Royal Nursery there was the leading southern home of the Pansy ; but in the north the Scotch florists are active in the culture and production of new varieties, and at the great exhibition at Dundee in September last not only were show and fancy Pansies largely produced, but they were surprisingly fine, the show varieties being 'parti- cularly attractive. The cool, moist districts of the north are favourable to the culture of the more delicate-constitutioned show Pansy, and the plants do well there, while they wither away in the drier districts of the south ; but it is more than probable that if southern florists would take up the culture of the show Pansy in earnest, a greater measure of success would reward their endeavours. The show Pansies are divided into three main sections, viz. : selfs, white grounds, and yellow grounds. The section of self-coloured fiowers is divided into three divisions, viz. : dark selfs yellow selfs, and white selfs, the former being the most numerous. A selection of the best dark selfs gives the following: Andrew li'ox, a fine dark glossy flower, stout, smooth, and of good form ; Arthur Ormiston, a rich black self of extra fine form and substance; Beacon, dark maroon, extra fine; Garry, rich, dark, very smooth, and extra fine ; John Ormiston, dark, extra fine ; Ormsa, a dark glossy flower of excellent quality ; and Sunny Park Rival, a rich dark blue self, the very finest of its class. Of yellow selfs, the following deserve a place in any collection : George McMillan, deep yellow, with fine dark blotch ; George Murray, a pure yellow self of the finest quality ; Gomer, deep yellow, extra fine form and quality ; \V. Crockett, clear golden yellow, very fine ; and William Johnson, a fine new golden self of excellent properties. There are but a select number of white selfs ; they are— Janet Anderson, pare white, with fine dark blotch ; Mrs. Dobbie, clear white, very smooth and fine ; Mrs. Goodall, clear and stout, a good show flower ; and Snowflake, one of the very bes^. The white ground flowers supply a much larger number to select from ; here are a dozen of the best : Annie Stewart, dark purple belting, very fine ; Bella, white, purple belting ; Janet Lees, dark plum belting, extra fine ; Juno, pure white, with rich dark purple belting ; Miss Barr, white, deep purple margin, finest form ; Miss Ross, maroon-purple belting, very fine ; Mr. Cowan, pure ground, rich purple belting, extra fine; Mrs. Henderson, light purple margin, very pleasing; Mrs. Proudfoot, white and light purple ; Mrs. Ritchie, white, light purple belting ; Princess of Wales, pure white and rich maroon, one of the best ; and Undine, with very light purple belting, novel and attractive. YuUow grounds also are always a numerous class, and a large, finely-formed, well-marked flower is one of the most charming of spring blossoms. A selection of fifteen varieties of these is made as follows : Ardeos, deep yellow and purple belting ; Captain Cowan, deep golden yellow and bronzy purple ; Corsair, bright golden yellow and violet-bronze ; Ebor, gold and dark bronze ; Ella Murray, yellow and dark maroon ; George S. Veitch, rich golden and deep purple ; James Black, deep yellow and shaded purple; John Henderson, yellow and deep purplish chocolate, novel and fine ; John Stewart, yellow and bronzy purple ; Master Ord, yellow and dark bronze ; Mrs. Harvey, yellow and bronzy purple ; Mrs. Scobie, gold and dark purple ; Per- fection, golden yellow and dark purple ; Pilrig King, gold and mulberry blotch ; and William Dickson, pale yellow with light plum belting, extra fine. At this season of the year show Pansies are planted out in well-prepared beds or in a bed pre- pared in a cold frame, or they are wintered in pots. If in an open bed, the soil should be stirred when the surface is dry enough, and a top-dressing from the potting bench placed about each plant will be very useful. Any long shoots should be pegged to the soil securely, as the winds are apt to blow them about and break them off. In the case of the plants in a cold frame, they cannot have too much air, except when the weather is very cold and frosty, and the plants should be gone over occasionally so that any mildewed leaves may be removed. Shanking is a kind of disease the Pansy is subject to — that is, plants that appear to be full of health and vigour in the morning will be down before mid-day almost, as if the roots had been severed with a knife. The best thing to do is to remove the plants before they become much withered, place them in cold water for several hours, and make cuttings of what portions can be used for the purpose. In shanking the plant appears to die off close to the soil, and it appears to be caused by a disease inherent in the Pansy. E. D. DOUBLE DAFFODILS. In The Garden (p. 526) my friend Mr. Brock- bank speaks of my theory about the doubling of Daffodils. He refers, no doubt, to my belief, that the wild single Daffodil under certain conditions becomes double in cultivation, and, perhaps, re- peating statements of facts, and saying that the evidence seems trustworthy, may be called a theory ; at the same time I strongly deprecate discussions on the probability of these facts as useless waste of room, and leading to no result. What I ask is that the facts may be corroborated by careful and patient observation. To repeat the facts very briefly, more than a dozen persons have told me that single wild Daffodils planted in their garden have in two or more years become double. The conditions of soil or climate required for this transformation seem to be by no means general. They do not seem to exist near London. In my garden, in Cheshire, I have tried for ten years to make a double Daffodil out of a single by varieties of soil and manure, but in vain. However, from several parts of Hampshire, from Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Lancashire, Northumberland, and Denbighshire I am assured that the change has repeatedly been observed, and in all these counties observations are now in pro- gress, the subjects of them being wild bulbs which I have supplied, and I am willing to continue to supply them to any who will conduct the observa- tions carefully. The most paradoxical circum- stance about the case is this : I received last spring from several gardens Daffodil flowers said to be the development of wild single-flowered bulbs. These fiowers were not only quite double, but varied severally according to the gardens from which they came. Some were the acknowledged and genuine doable form of the wild Daffodil ; others were what is generally sold as the double " lobularis," intermediate between the last and the large garden Daffodil ; others I could not distinguish from the common large double Daffo- dil of gardens. I ask no one to be satisfied with this second-hand, evidence, but if all who are in- credulous would try the experiment in their own garden and ask their friends to do the same, perhaps in two or three years some oi them may have surprising results to record. Llandudno. C. WOLLEY DoD. CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN THE OPEN AIR. That Chrysanthemums should be grown mu more extensively than they are there cannot be doubt, but the offering of prizes for outdoor blooms, as suggested by Mr. W. J. Murphy, for further encouragement of their cultivation would be a mistake, as who could distinguish the indoor or artificially treated flowers from those gathered off plants in the open .' Though some exhibitors might and would be honest enough to keep to the wording of the schedule, it U to be feared that all would not do so, and the least scrupulous would stand the best chance of winning the prize. Whether Chrysanthemums can be successfully flowered outdoors or not depends on the autumn and how long sharp frosts keep off. The latter often come so early as to blacken the buds, and it is only by getting the plants housed or protected before this happens that they can be made to expand. This year they have been grand every- where, but then we had such weather just at the time of their blooming .as to be almost like sum- mer, which brought them on and induced them to open in a way seldom seen. Although there is this uncertainty about them, I should be glad to see them in quantity in every garden, and though room cannot be spared for them all in summer, that need not shut them out, as they may be grown by being planted out or plunged in pots, and then lifted when the buds are well formed and placed where they are wanted to open. By managing in this way, borders or beds under sunny walls may be furnisheil and fine groups formed, which, when the plants are coming into bloom and after, may be protected at night with old lights or have canvas or mats run down over them whenever the weather is bad. If the plants are lifted, they should be cut round some time before, and when they are ready for removal it is necessary to pick on damp, dull weather, and if then taken up with good balls and kept well watered at the roots and syringed overhead, they will soon get fresh hold of the soil and start on again without feeling much check. Years ago I used to grow all mine for the houses in the open ground, where they were planted out in May, and I never had better or healthier specimens, as they always kept their foliage right down to the pots. The way we treated them was to plant in hard land, where we dug out a small hole, and when turning them out of the pots put just a. Jan. 3. 1885] THE GAEDEN 3 little rotten mannre around them mixed up with the soil, and in the autumn we found that their roots did not run far about. S. D. Gladiolus VlUe de Versailles.— This is one of the most lovely and easily grown of winter flowering plants, and when better known will probably be as generally grown as the Bouyardias. It was first brought under my notice by Mr. Hart- land. Two years ago flowers of it were pronounced by a competent authority to be " exquisite in form and delicate in colour." I would advise all who have not yet tried this Gladiolus to do so, especi- ally those who require choice flowers for bouquets and for other decorative purposes. — W. Ckanb, BaUijrvalter Park, Bon-n. Lost species of Gladiolus.— I note a lament as to the disappearance of the many Gladiolus species that have been sent home from the Cape and elsewhere during so many years. I may mention that I find between thirty and forty species in Jlessrs. Roozen's list, which can be had from their agents, Messrs. Mertens and Co., 3, Cross Lane, St. Mary-at-Hill, London. Many of them are of the utmost value for decorative pur- poses, hardy borders, &c., and now that the bed- ding craze has been succeeded by a more sensible and catholic spirit in all floral matters, they will be found occupying a high place. In notes on Alstroemerias in a late number it is said that A. violacea is not in cultivation. This is incorrect, as I observe that variety also in Messrs. Roozen's list. — Ruby. Coreopsis lanceolata. — I was surprised to find that this Coreopsis had failed with Mr. Greenfield (p. 527). since it is generally speaking one of those things which do well in most soils, .ose that are cold and clayey excepted. Seeing jat Mr. Greenfield has had it in rich light loam, ?t is somewhat puzzling to discover the cause ot failure. Still it is an indispensable plant, and worth a great deal of painstaking to discover what it requires. May I suggest that 3Ir. Green- field and others who have failed with it hitherto try seeds as well as plants, planting the young plants in various places and positions 1 It would be best to have the seedlings established singly in pots, so that they mightreceive no check when per- manently planted. It is without doubt one of the loveliest and most floriferous of all perennials — E. Jenkins. Lithospermum prostratum..- Some com- plain that this plant does not succeed with them, but it thrives very well on a rockery, if not too high, where all the moisture runs away from the roots. A dry and well-drained position is what it likes. It is a delicate rooter, as I know to my cost, for I lost many plants of it until I confined it almost to a peaty soil, in which there was a fair proportion of sand. In this it succeeds admirably, but I had to make a position for it, as we have no rockery. So I provided one for it, like that in which we grow our Gentians, viz., in lines, 1 foot wide, by the sides of the walks. I took out the natural soil about 8 inches deep, in the form of a trench. About half of the trench was then filled up with some rough peat and broken potsherds. We then selected pieces of red sandstone about 2 inches thick and about the size of a man's hand. These were packed in the trench, so as to come rather above the level of the surrounding surface, leaving a space of about 3 inches between the stones. These spaces were then filled up with the peaty soil, and young thriving plants were planted in it about 8 inches apart. Treated in this way, they grew and flowered in the most satisfactory manner. After they had stood one year, they had covered the surface with good growth, and formed a lovely carpet of blue nearly all the summer. Damp is without doubt a greater enemy to this plant than cold ; therefore anything which will promote a dry medium, either above or below the ground, will prove beneficial. Next to growing it between the stones, it did best with the surface covered with small pebbles for the growth to rest on. Time and space could not be expended on a more lovely plant than this is. When once planted it will take care of itself for several years. Our plants of it had been planted five years before some alterations necessitated their removal, and we found them more vigorous than they had been previously. — J. C. C. CEMETERY EMBELLISHMENT. A SUBSTANTIAL and neat fence should surround the whole enclosure, and it should be kept in good repair. The gates should be strong, ample, and conveniently situated. Well made roads, wide, of easy grade, and graceful curves should lead as directly as possible to the several sections of the cemetery. Long, straight roads, serpentine wriggles, meaningless curves, steep grades, and roi>nd-about ways should be avoided, and no more roads than are necessary should be made. Gravel roads run wild with weeds are a wretched sight ; if the roads cannot be kept in good repair and clean, better far allow the land to stay in Grass. Gravel pathways may lead here and there where avenues would be impracticable or unseemly, but have no more of them than can be taken good care of. Shelter is as absolutely necessary in a ceme- tery as in a garden if we would have happy trees or shrubs, pretty flowers, and pleasing effects. The fence alone cannot afford the needed shelter which, if not given by contiguous higher grounds and trees, must be supplied from wiihin. Places un- fitted for burial lots and alongside the avenues and fences should be planted with trees for shade and shelter. Grass. — No matter how undulating the land may be, its surface should be smooth and even. A smooth surface is easily cared for ; an uneven one is managed with difficulty. Always accus- tomed to the little mounds that designate where burials have been made, it may appear sacrilegious to remove or level them, but that is what cemetery officials recommend, what many lot-owners do, and without doing so it is barely possible to keep the Grass in good order. During hot summers the Grass upon the mounds burns, and the plants set out on them suffer severely ; whereas when the surface of the plot is smooth and level, a good Grass lawn may be maintained as easily as in our gardens. Without good soil we cannot reasonably expect good Grass. If the ground is poor, it is only a small matter to the several lot-owners to remove some of the poor soil and replace it with 6 inches or more deep of good loam. Artificial manures are excellent in their way, starting the Grass in spring or re-invigorating it in summer, but the best results are obtained from top-dressings of farmyard manure, or, better still, from farm manure and good loam in equal parts, and which had been composted for several months before being used. Teees. — Preserve what natural trees there may be upon the grounds, and which do not interfere with burial lots. Eocky places, steep declivities, ravines, and such other parts as are unfitted for burial lots should be devoted to trees. Such de- ciduous trees as are known to thrive wfell in the vicinity, as Oaks, Maple, Tulip tree. Beeches and the like should be used in the wooded places. Elms, Lindens, and others often subject to insect ravages should be well considered before planted. Hickory, Walnut, and Chestnut offer inducements to trespass. Handsome flowering trees, as the Almond, Catalpa, Hawthorn, flowering Dogwood, Silver Bell, Magnolia, and Kcelreuteria, and those of graceful form like the Birch, can be introduced in the neighbourhood of lots. Deciduous trees are better adapted than Evergreensf or exposed places. But where practicable. Evergreens should be used freely. Norway, white and black Spruces, Scotch, Austrian, red and white Pines are among the best of their kind. And red Cedar planted closely has a telling effect. Do not mix up the trees in planting, but group them — Beeches here. Oaks there, and so on. The most favourable places as regards shelter and soil should be assigned to new, rare, and choice trees. Pendulous trees, as Birch, Beech, and Oaks, are graceful and beautiful, but a multiplicity of such formal types as the Weeping Kilmarnock Willow, Sophora, Elm, Mountain Ash, Japanese Cherry, Ash, and the trailing dwarf Cherry " worked " on tall naked stems, should be avoided. Columnar or fastigiate forms, aa the Irish Juniper, Irish Yew, fastigiate Oak, should also be used only in limited numbers. The weeping forms of the Silver Fir and Norway Spruce, among Evergreens, when " worked" low and trimmed to grow upward, and lap after lap of branches droop over each other, as in the case of the Weeping Beech, are graceful and beautiful. Shrubs of all beautiful kinds may be used, but rank-growing sorts like Mock Oranges and Lilacs should not be planted in small lots. In large cemeteries masses of shrubs are planted here and there in clumps and belts for gardenesque effect, used as a support to shelter-belts, or as a fringe to groves and wooded knolls. In rural churchyards, however, shrubs are used mostly by the individual lot-owners in their lots. If they are prepared to give strict attention to their plants, they may use almost anything that is hardy ; if not, they had better confine themselves to what will get along fairly well with but little attention. In the event of a sheltered lot and good soil, I should advise Evergreens ; in the case of an exposed situation, deciduous shrubs only. Among Evergreens the best are Retinospora obtusa. Weeping Norway Spruce, Weeping Silver Fir, Golden Yew, Japanese Juniper, Taxus cuspidata, the finer Arbor-vities, aa Golden, Siberian, Vervaene's, broad-leaved Hem- lock Spruce kept in bush form, Japanese Hemlock, Lawson Cypress, the glaucous variety of red Cedar (kept low by trimming), dwarf Pines, as the Corsi- can, Mugho, Masson's, dwarf Scotch, Swiss Stone, and Dawson's dwarf white. Rhododendron Ever- estianum, Japanese Euonymus, and Yucca fllamen- tosa. Many lovely Evergreens, as Nordmann's, Pin- sapo, and C'ephalon ian Silver Firs, may with care be kept in handsome form, and no larger than a bush, for twenty-five or thirty years. Among deciduous shrubs for lots avoid all having variegated leaves, as the Kerria. Japanese Diervillaand Althsea, those with insignificant or inconspicuous flowers, as the Barberry, Amorpha, and Sea Buckthorn ; berried bushes like the Indian Currant, Tartarian Honey- suckle, and Snowberry, or coarse growing shrubs like the Elder or Buckthorn. Use the most beautiful among Spirseas, Diervillas, and Snow- balls, Dentzias, double-flowering Almonds, Xan- thoceras sorbifolia, Chinese Tamarix, Golden Bell, Daphne, and the like. Use Periwinkle to form belts or mats ; Irish Ivy in somewhat shady places to cling to stone or wood ; Euonymus radicans (evergreen), 3 feet to 6 feet high, to grow against stones or trees ; the climbing Hydrangea to at- tach itself to rough surfaces, as the trunks of trees ; the Japanese Ivy (Ampelopsis tricuspidata) to clothe stone walls or other surfaces with the densest leafy covering of green in summer and crimson in fall, Clematises, Virginian Creeper, Wistaria, and the like festooning trees or draping walls, are known to all of us. Hardy flowers. — Plant Crocuses, Snowdrops, Siberian Squills, and Daffodils among the Grass ; get a clump of the single-flowering, fragrant Violet .and Lily of the Valley, and let them both run wild together. Clumps of Florentine Iris, white Lilies, and white Plantain Lilies are appro- priate and pretty. In the open sunny places have Stonecrop, perennial Pinks (Dianthus plumarius, caesius, and the like). Moss Pink (Phlox subulata). Rock Cress (Arabis albida), and others of ever- green mat-forming character. These will take care of themselves. From among our garden plants many may be chosen, but I should dislike to see tall Phloxes, Larkspurs, and Hollyhocks, gaudy Oriental Poppies, or other coarse growing subjects. Select plants that are neat, pretty, hardy, and that last a good while in freshness and beauty. Tender plants. — We usually crowd into our grave lots most everything in the way of a greenhouse or window plant we possess. Pelargoniums love the light ; Fuchsias and Begonias prefer a little shade, and so on ; it is more a question of situation than variety. While THE GARDEN [Jan. 3, 1885. with Drammond Phlox, Mignonette, Sweet Alys- Bum, and Petunias we may Eoake a showy mass, we shoald guard against confusion and coarse- ness. Zinnias, French Marigolds, annual Chry- santhemums, and the like, eTen Petunias, though showy, are very rank and coarse. In some ceme- teries a special effort is made in flower-garden display. Some plat? are specially reserved for flower gardening alone, and the beds and borders are planted in the most elaborate style. Some people object to these gay gardens in cemeteries, but I do not. The public demands them, and the public shall have them. Spring Grove Cemetery may be possible in every city, but it is not at all probable ; were it so, I should favour it. It was my dear lamented friend, the late Adolphe Strausch, who made and kept Spring Grove what it is ; but there is not a Strausch in every city. But considering the spacious dimensions, the hill and dale, the wood and water, and the re- sources in the way of plants, help and the like, of our large cemeteries, I should certainly advise a modification of the present system of garniture. We want charming landscape effects, intelligent grouping of trees, shrubs, and lesser plants, the colonisation of our showiest hardy plants where they shall seem happy and at home, and appear to the best advantage. We want variety, and at the Bame time harmony — something fresh at every step and without recurrence — a pleasant bit of colour here and there, without that perpetual dot- ting on every hand, so objectionable to good taste. We want to make the wildest places the most en- chanting, and yet not rob them of their wildness. We want the mill hand and the foundry worker to pause in admiration before a Cedar draped with blue Wistaria, and carpeted about with Star- flowers, Trilliums, Spring Beauty, and Poet's Narcissus, or other of a hundred combinations equally beautiful and practical. We have hundreds upon hundreds of lovely plants, native and exotic, that will contribute nobly, sweetly, appropriately to the embellishment of our cemeteries, if the Pelargonium gardener will deign to recognise them. — W. Falconer, in Country Gentlemai. CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND CATALOGUES. Before the last of the Chrysanthemums are cut down it is interesting to look over the numerous catalogues now issued by enterprising firms or energetic societies in order to compare their notes with our own, correct mistakes where possible, and glean some knowledge for the coming year. When comparison between the catalogues of some years past and those of the present season is made, it will soon be seen that there is much im- prevent generally in the arrangement of the dif- fering races of Chrysanthemums. One innovation introduced by the National Chrysanthemum So- ciety is specially worthy of mark, inasmuch as the magic letters ABC are prefixed to different varieties as indications of their various excellences — A, meaning a good decorative variety ; B, a suitable subject for training; and C, good as a cut flower. This is just what the amateur needs to guide him when in difficulties as to his choice, for cer- tainly his preferences will incline to one at least of the three cUsses; it is, however, rather sad to see how quickly in this way the A B C of Chrysan- themum culture is attained, so few varieties being able to hold their own at all points. On looking through the list one observes so many varieties are left unmarked, that the thought occurs, "perhaps the idea suggested by this system of lettering has not been fully carried out," because if a variety is considered good enough to earn a place in such a standard catalogue, surely it must have one really good point. To the amateur whose lot is cast far from the busy haunts of men and the glamour of the exhibition table it is specially in- teresting to know the most decorative and free- blooming varieties ; few, indeed, must they be it judged by this catalogue, save in the old-fashioned incurved and pompon varieties ; and yet surely, as a class, the Japanese varieties are of all the most decorative and should be foremost in Class A 1 With regard to Class B, not much need be said, as many will agree that a tightly-bonnd- down globe of green, dotted over evenly with still ftiSer globes of flower, is a sight for pity rather than praise. True it is that many varieties are unable to hold up their flowers as we should wish them to do and are lanky in habit, but is it not just as true that the result is so ugly, that if judges would give the preference to those varieties that make good spe- cimens, full of flower and free from stakes, would not a happier effect be the result ; Such heavy- headed or lanky varieties might still show their true beauty either among the cut flowers or as component parts of a decorative group, where tall and dwarf sorts might each find a place. Class C must be an attraction to all, for who is there that does not like a fine solid bloom that will last for weeks, either cut or on the plant, and that will, if cut, serve as a centre and jwint d'ajipiii to those of a light and feathery growth .' When we collect the few that combine in them- selves this A B C of Chrysanthemum culture, it is evidentataglance that the sympathies of exhibitors are so conservative as to give the preponderance to the incurved varieties as against the Japanese, recurved, or pompons. It is cheering, however, to observe that the charming and neat-habited Japa- nese variety La Nymphe is admitted into the select circle ; but perplexing to an outsider that old favourites, like Julie L^gravt^re or Felicity, should have been refused all entrance. Since the society that has now assumed the grand title of National should by all means strengthen its title to such a name, I would sug- gest that it should submit its spelling of French names to some competent authority, such as is in London easily attainable. Thus it will become an authority to which many a perplexed gardener will gladly refer, and being in print he will the more readily yield to the authority. I speak the more feelingly, for being myself sensitive on the sub- ject, and remonstrating over some mis-spell that jarred like a wrong note in music, how often have I been told, " Well, sir, it's in print, and so it must be right," a conclusion to which I could not agree. It is always an invidious thing to single out errors in any list, but there is such unanimity in some mistakes, it can but do someone good to rectify a few or enquire how they have arisen. Who, I wonder, first dubbed that handsome new Japanese variety Fabiaz de Maderanaz, when the original Fabicn (Anglice, Fabian) is so much prettier as well as easier ? or what prompts the constant perversion of vowels in such names as Hermoine, Melaine, or Niege, that in their native spelling of Hermione, Miilanie, and Neige become at once intelligible and pretty ? Joan of Arc is too often rendered masculine as " Jean " instead of Jeanne (why not adopt the English in this in- stance), and La Frisure is generally given a second and superfluous "s" to enhance its frizzlewig, I can only suppose. Charles Huber, well known in the south of France for the many good flowers he has raised, is hardly to be recognised as Charles Hubert, so much difference can one letter make ! One new variety appears as " Poison " d'Or, when it is evident Toison d'Or (Golden Fleece) is meant. Last and most curious of all, where, in the name of foitune, was the fair Thais of classic ill-fame canonised .' for she now appears in many a cata- logue as St. Thais ! But let us return to our flowers, alwaysso much more charming than mere names, and see what new faces greet us, for there is much to delight the Chrysanthemum grower. Hitherto the great want ill the gardens of the northern half of the kingdom has been caused by the dearth of flowers in October before the Chrysanthemums are open. It is no exaggeration to say that under glass at least, it is the dullest and most flowerless time of the year, when it is most difficult to keep a conservatory really gay, and in case of a sudden storm or first autumn frost, how difficult to get a good supply of cut flowers. Here is a blank that has been well filled by the white Mdme. C. Des- grange, already a favourite everywhere, and, in addition, now come Pynaert Yaa Geert and L'Or du Rhin, both brave in gold and orange; the latter of the finest and most decorative habit, use- ful both out of doors and for pot culture. Another novelty with still larger flowers and most free- blooming habit is Margot, which deservedly won a first-class certificate this year at South Kensing- ton. Its bright pink petals with lemon reverse are most taking, and being very early as well as extra large and an abundant bloomer, it will soon be found in every garden. Gardeners must often notice how much longer some sorts last than others, and Margot lasts almost to the end of the season, while Pynaert Van Geert fades as quickly. Lady Selborne comes next in order of earliness, and its pure white petals curling tightly over each other are earlier and prettier than those of James Salter, from which it sported. These are all great gains, coming in, as they do, before any of the older large-flowered varieties, and even before the yellow Aigle d'Or that used to be the harbinger of the Chrysanthemum season. Simon D^lanx is highly spoken of as a good and early red-brown, a colour much needed, but if the speci- mens I have seen are true to name, it will not compare with Mens. Moustillac, a red and gold variety of great beauty and earliness. Of small- flowered varieties, surely Sceur M^lanie and the dwarf little Petite Marie are the two most desir- able, and, if report be true, in Lyon we gain a good purple, thus completing our chord of colour. There are already so many good mid-season Chrysanthemums of all types, that it would be superfiuous to mention any additions, rather sug- gest that in this instance it is well to wait until we see something that takes the fancy, but for one old favourite I would plead, as in catalogues at least it hardly receives justice, and that is Virgin Queen, the purest of all incurved whites, and one that an amateur can grow as easily as Mrs. Bundle, of less clear complexion. Where there is a light and airy house that can be spared for late Chry- santhemums, there are now a good many new or modern kinds that should be grown to carry on the season of this flower till well on into the new year, but then of course, late kinds require more attention than the earlier ones that open when there is more sunshine. Marguerite Marrouch is an exceedingly fine red and gold late Japanese variety, large in flower and brilliant in colour; indeed, a very striking flower; but the habit of growth is weak, and it requires good feeding. A late white variety named Mdme. Page (but which 1 see in none of the big catalogues) is a good late white Japanese and quite distinct, not like Ethel, inclined to show a black eye on the first oppor- tunity. Meg Merrilies is well known as a useful late kind, and Piiocess of Teck or Christmas Number is the most useful of incurved late sorts, dwarf in habit and free in flower. To those who have never grown Fulton, a pure gold-coloured Japanese variety that lasts occasionally into February, I would suggest their doing so, for no forced bulb can give so rich a colour at Christmas, and if it has light enough, its flowers will open in the coldest house far better than more tender sorts. Nuit d'Automne is a good purple for late work and Mons. Baeo is the best dwarf red variety that will stand a very low temperature to keep it back as late as possible. Evidently descended from Tokio, which for long graced the front row on the stage, Mons. Baeo has the happy gift of flowering to the very pot's edge where light and space allow. Out of the many new French varie- ties up to this time in nurserymen's hands, let us hope there may be some additions to this section, for many fine kinds if kept out late, and then placed in a cold north house to retard them as much as possible, do not flower at all, or only prove the ghost of what they might be. To have plenty of Chrysanthemums at Christmas would be a boon to all. Edwakd H. Woodall. "Vitality of seeds not buried —I was much interested in reading Mr. Moore's account of the vitality of buried seeds (Vol. XXVI,, p. 5-'0), but I have by me four garden Peas, the produce of a Pea found in an Egyptian vase 2850 years old. These four Peas were given me about the Jan. 3, 1885.] THE GARDEN year 1830. when I was artist for the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. I left Kew in 1S39, and became gardener to the Earl of Powi?, at VValcot, and the small envelope containing the four Peas was lost sight of until my removal from VValcot last August. The Peas appear to be quite sound, and I hope to sow them in the spring, after having had them in my possession fifty-four years. If they Vfgetate I will report the fact. — George Bond, Lydbxiry, North Shropshire. COMMEXTS OX GARDEX TOPICS. Planting Narcissi — " J. C. B's " note on this subject suggests the reflection that circum- Btances alter cases. According to the authorities who take care of the Daffodil question in the gar- dening papers, the ripe bulbs may lie a long while out of the ground and be nothing the worse, but the better of it, and it follows that planting bulbs that have been lifted and stored for a time and others fresh from one plot of ground to another are two different things. In the latter case the best plan is no doubt to plant before fresh roots begin to form, because if planting is delayed beyond that time the roots formed may be injured or destroyed in removal. With bulbs taken up, however, when ripe, and before they have begun to root, and kept dry and cool in the store-room, it is different, because in these root action is arrested, and there can be no injury to the roots by late planting in the way indicated, so that nn- les? some other reason be given, it is not urgent that properly ripened and dried-oli bulb", such as we buy at the shop, be planted so early as August or September, and that there exists no other rea- son I think may be proved from experience. For example, I, like many other gardeners, get my Datch bulbs for pot culture as early in the autumn as possible, which is about the beginning of September, and one-half of them are potted at once for early work, and the other half are not potted till December, to which date they can be kept sound and plump without rooting in the bags among the chaff in which they come. Now the only difference in the flowers of the two batches is that those of ths late potted batch are always the best by a good bit, but that I attribute to the more advanced season of the year being in their favour as much as anything else. The stock consists of Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, &c. Whether such subjects as Daffodils would do better if they were never out of the ground seems to be still an open question ; but the theory of injury to the roots by late planting cannot ap- ply in cases where no roots exist to suffer, nor do I 533 how the bulb can deteriorate much, if any, by the compulsory rest of a few weeks. Horizontally trained Vines.— An article appeared in The Garden lately condemning the horizontal training of Vines "because there is considerable danger of breaking off the young lateral growths when getting them down into their places,'' the writer of this passage being iu the practice, it appears, of training the shoots downwards under the rods as well as above them, a thing rarely done and never at any time neces- sary, and hence a frivolous objection to a system of training that has many advantages. I have always advocated horizontal training as being as applicable to Vines as to other fruit trees, and of the benefits of the plan in the case of Pears and Apples there is no question. In our vineries as at present constructed horizontal training is not, however, convenient. The readiest plan is to run the rods straight up under the roof, but rods that are trained thecontrary way — that is, across the rafters horizontally — always break most regularly whether young or old, and are always more equally vigorous along their whole lengths. In a house here where the tops of the Vines have been many years horizontally trained, both wood and fruit are always best ripened compared with that on the same Vines where the rods are perpendicular, and the difference is so strikin g, that everyone notices i t. If I remember correctly, the old Vine at Hamp- ton Court is trained in its main limbs horizontally, the bparing shoots being l^d off at right angles to these, and it appeared to me to be a Vine of remarkably even vigour. There is no reason at all to train laterals downwards from horizontal limbs; all should be trained candelabra fashion, and it the main limbs are laid in at proper distances, not an inch of space need be lost. By the hori- zontal method the Vine growers about Thomery cover the fronts of all their cottages and build- ings ; it is the only plan by which they could do so, as it enables them to fill up spaces above doors and between and over windows and the like in the most methodical manner. In vineries, how- ever, it is the even degree of vigour and fertility which the method insures that are its main advan- tages. Double-rooted Vines.--" J. C. C." con- demns these as being no better than single-rooted Vines, and I quite agree with him ; but in justice to those who first made the experiment, I think they have never said they were or advocated double roots on that plea. The double rooting experiment is interesting physiologically, and is useful as showing ns what an accommodating subject the Vine is and as proving what physio- logists have long since told us that it matters little which end of a cutting you put into the soil, or end of a tree either for that part of it, provided you get roots to it before parting with those it already possesses. Garden plans. — One of your contemporaries appears to be an industrious collector of examples of the topiary art in garden design, judging by its illustrations, with what object is a puzzle to many of its readers, who fail to make out whether the said illustrations are intended as examples of what to avoid or imitate. 8ome late examples furnished we do not suppose any landscape gar- dener could now be found who would dare to sug- gest thsm, but they are reproduced with great fidelity and at no little expense by your con- temporary. If the object was to bring such de- signs into ridicule, one could understand it, but if that be the object, the satire is too deep and subtle for ordinary comprehension, and readers are driven to the conclusion that the paper in ques- tion means going in for the " revival business " in that line in the future. Horticultural teaching.— One of the youngest penny gardening papers, rather addicted to the serious vein, furnished its readers lataly with some remarkable information regarding the earth and its productions and conditions. Among other things, the earth at the present time is described as suffering from a " vacuum of mois- ture," which, it should be noted, is the first va- cuum of that nature ever recorded, and will pro- bably be noted by the British Association at its next meeting. When one reads in the same leaderette that "a hard Christmas time, a low temperature, intense frost, and bitter cold would create ice," the suspicion is irresistible that there may, however, be vacuum somewhere. We have good hope of some of the penny weeklies which are crammed with useful matter, but we have rarely read anything io " thin ' as the editorial pages of one of them lately. Hardy Lettuces. — The name of our garden Lettuces is legion, and new ones are being con- stantly added to the list, but no raiser gives us a Lettuce as hardy as the old Green Hammersmith with a better heart, and that is what we want. The Hammersmith is one of the oldest varieties in cultivation, and it may be described as perfectly hardy, because in the young state it stands our severest winters if sown at the right time. When fully hearted it does not endure alternate frosts and thaws so well, which cause the heart to rot, but there is no other sort which can approach it for hardiness at any stage except the Brown Cos, and it is only half hardy. The fault of the Ham- mersmith is that it is small and soon runs to seed, but it might be improved in that respect, and the wonder is that raisers make so little use of it in the production of new sorts. Tennis Ball is a nice little compact-hearted Lettuce, superior in that re- spect to the Hammersmith, which it resembles very much, but it goes to pulp with the first frosts. There are plenty of good Lettuces, far more than any gardener wants or grows, but a good hardy sort would be a boon. Exhibition Potatoes.— It is perfectly true that those who give and receive prizes for Pota- toes, and who institute " Potato tournaments " and all that sort of thing, have hardly any practical connection with Potato culture or the Potato trade. Ostensibly their object is to improve the Potato; practically they do nothing of the kind, but exist for their own selfish ends and hobbies. Potato " fanciers " have no more connection with the great body of Potato growers than the old florist of the rigid type had with the grower of garden flowers generally, who did not know anything about " points " and other foibles. The Potato shows are amongst the biggest farces in existence. Lately a few of the useful varieties have been introduced intoexhibitioncoUectionsforthesakec f appearance.but thatisall. They cannot be depends d on to pass muster before a " competent Potato judge " unless backed up strongly by " exhibition sorts," a term in itself which denotes the purpo! e of their culture. Potato exhibitors buy and sell among themselves just like the Auricula and other exhibitors. They do not even eat their own prize varieties, but feed their pigs with their, it is asserted, and we believe with truth. Nor c^o they grow them to sell for general consumptit u for tile good of the people, because many of tl e most beautiful exhibition soits are unfit to put en the dinner table. They have an abstract value only, and if they were destroyed to-morrow, dealers and cooks would never miss them. Nor will it co to argue that growers do not appreciate the best sorts ; they do ; and a real good new Potato is hardly out before they possess themselves of it, but the market lists in any week show that there the ex- hibition Potato is_unknown. What good, therefore , Potato exhibitions are doing or have done to in - prove our stock of Potatoes for the table has gc t to be shown. To grow year after year simply to exhibit varieties of Potatoes that serve no other end is the very prostitution of garden practice in its worst form. Apples and geology.— I see the Apple report has tempted some of our f dends to exhaust their store of " text-book " geology on the pre- tence of somehow connecting the science of geology with " British Apples," but apparently without much result. That Apple trees have a connection with geology, in so far as they grow in the ground, goes without saying, but if the Apple Congress and shows at London and Manchester made one fact clearer than another, it was that, provided the trees were properly cultivated and had a fair climate, the underlying " local beds and formations ' were not of the least consequence one way or the other ; hence the uselessness of attempting to make so much of that aspect of the subject and complicating it more than need be. Our learned geologist appears to have looked quite over those facts that lie nearest to his observa- tion. It has been ascertained, beyond all doubt, that the Apple will thrive on almost every " for- mation "in England, provided the surface soil is made suitable, the culture right, and the kinds well chosen. Anyone doubting this has but to keep his eyes open as he goes about, but he will find the proof of it in the Apple Keport itself if he will compare the descriptions of quality, &c., there given from many different soils and formations. Good, bad, and indifferent samples appear to have come from all sorts of soils and formations with little to choose between any of them, except be- tween such as were poor and rich, or dry and wet, conditions depending entirely on culture and other circumstances within man's control. J. S. W. M. Correvon's book on alpine flowers. — Thanks for the notice of my book on alpine flowers, and permit me to reply in a few words to some of the questions raised in regard to it. Do not forget that the book has been written for Switzerland, where we live in climatic conditions very different from yours, where the air is very dry that for us the Alpes Maritimes are often Alpes THE GAEDEN [Jan. 3, 1885. Oocidentalea (this is with respect to Saxifraga lantosoana), Sec. As for the localities o£ the Eastern Alps, which you correct, allow me to say- that I have never travelled over them, and referred, as I have related at the commencement of the chapter, to the " Atlas of Alpine Flora," which is published in those countries. It is from the book of Dalla Torre that I have gathered my informa- tion. I think that Saxifraga Hosti (Tausch.) and S. rhictica (Kern.) are the same thing, but 1 can- not admit that S. elatior is not different. In cul- ture it is different. S. Hosti (rhfetica) occurs in Eastern Switzerland (canton Grisons). It is pos- sible that in England your climatic conditions permit you to change the chemical nature of the soil, and enable you to use other kinds of soils, but that is here more difficult (this refers to Andro- Faoes). This I know from experience. Polygala ChamiBbuxus succeeds very rarely with us. How is it, then, that you mention it as a species whose culture is easy 1 That is absolutely not the case in Switzerland. — H. Coekbvon. RECENT PLANT PORTRAITS. Ceeeus Engelmanni and Solanum lyco- PERSICUM VAR. Re Umberto (Regel's " Garten- flora," plate 117i).— The first named of the above is an extremely handsome and most fiercely thorny Cactus, with large and very showy flowers of a deep vinous red, somewhat resembling those of a semi-double Dahlia, as it has several rows of petals, which is unusual in flowers of this family. Of the second named plant, only the handsome fruit is given, which most resembles a deep orange- coloured hen-egg of the largest size. OsTEOCAKPU.S n'ASTEATUS AND TULIPA BOE- szczowi ( Kegel's " Gartenflora," plate 1175) —The first named of the above is a small and slender- habited member of the family of Solanacea3, which is a native of Chili, and produces ;bright blue Convolvulus-like flowers with apparent freedom all up its stem. The second named is a small Tulip introduced by Dr. Regel, and producing medium-sized flowers, which are of a deep orange- red colour, with a most distinctly marked, oviform black spot on the inside of the base of each petal. AlOCASIA GUTTATA VAE. IMPEKIALIS (Illus- tration Horticolc, plate 541). —A fine double plate of this handsome foliaged plant, which is a native of Borneo, whence it was introduced by Messrs. Linden, of Ghent. Its leaves are of the deepest shade of olive-green above and of a rich vinous shade of red underneath. Theinax geaminifolia {Illustration Horti- colc, plate 542). — An exceedingly beautiful and most graceful Palm of slender habit of growth, requiring the temperature of a moist stove for its successful cultivation in this country. SAGITTAEIA MONTEVIDENSI,S(/;?K.?^r«/iOM ITor- iiiiole, plate 513).— A beautiful portrait of this most lovely stove aquatic, which was fully described in The Garden when figured in the Jlotanical Muijaziiie, and which has since been almost continuously in flower planted out in the old Victoria Regia house at Kew. W. E. G. Poinsettlas in the open air. — I am glad to see attention directed to this way of growing Poinsettias, as I have seen it practised with the best results, the plants being in every wav superior to those kept under glass, where, unless well managed, we generally see them drawn and leggy, and often leafless below ; but in the open they are always the reverse of this, as they remain firm in the stem and are dwarfer and stocky, with foliage down to the pots. Some years ago I was shown hundreds of them in 4.|-inch pots at Bushey Grove, in Herts, where they were standing on a hard bottom in front of some pits, and none of them I should think were more than 1 2 inches high, but their strength showed what the heads might be expected to be. Culti- vators for market produce them in the same dwarf style, and no doubt their system of management is similar ; anyhow they are always well grown. Planting them out may be all very well to save labour in watering, but the lifting of them in the autumn must cause a check, and it is a question if they are as satisfactory as those established, which, from not being disturbed, ought to produce finer bracts. Instead of planting out, would it not be better to plunge the pots in Cocoa-nut fibre, half rotten leaves, or other non-conductive mate- rial to shelter them from the sun ? as then they would have all the advantages without being sub- jected to risk at the lifting, which Mr. Carlton says must be done with care, and shading has to be attended to, or the plants lose their leaves. — S. D. Kitchen Garden. RUNNER BEANS IN TRENCHES. The merits of these are so well known, that I have no need to insist upon them ; they are held in universal esteem, but I am inclined to think that they often fail to get all the cultural care they need. There are several points connected with their cul- ture which, if attended to, will largely increase their productiveness. In the first place, I would direct the attention of those of your readers who have light, porous soils to deal with to the advan- tages derivable from growing runners in trenches. Alter they have escaped the perils of frost in late spring runners have but one great enemy to con- tend with, viz., drought, and in light soils, unless some moans are taken to ensure moisture at the roots when they come into bearing, the crop in dry seasons is likely to be a light one. Thoroughly breaking the ground and mulching constitute one way of avoiding the evil consequences of a parch- ing summer ; but there is no way so good as taking out trenches 15 inches deep and putting inagood layer of manure at the bottom and filling up with the soil to within a couple of inches or so of the surface. Everyone who has had anj thing to do with light soils knows how diflScult it is to make them thoroughly moist when once they have be- come quite dry to the depth of some inches ; the watering of soils which approach sand in character when in such a condition is like pouring water on a duck's back — scarcely any goes where it ought to ; but pouring it into a shallow trench, to which by reason of the presence of an enticing amount of nourishment the roots almost entirely confine themselves, is quite another affair. Enough being given to moisten the amount of soil therein, that soil is perforce wetted through, the roots get it all, time, labour, and material are economised, and the plants pass triumphantly through trying ordeals which must otherwise seriously impair their fer- tility. Manure is, of course, the best thing to use, but when scarce any organic partially decomposed matter will do. Straw, lawn sweepings, weeds, and such miscellaneous matter as forms the rub- bish heap in gardens will answer well, and if as much can be used as will leave only some 4 inches of soil for sowing in so much the better. In this way the welfare of the crop will be better assured and the soil will be permanently enriched and broken. The time of sowing is naturally in a mea- sure regulated by the nature of the soil, but in any case I see but little good in putting the seeds in before the middle of May, for if the plants appear before the end of the first week in June they are very liable to get frosted, and then you are later than if sowing had been deferred until this danger was no longer to be feared. Protection. — This of course may be resorted to for an early sowing, but gardeners in a general way have enough to do at that time of year without protecting Runner Beans from frost. All know how important is the successional sowing of Peas, and it therefore seems strange that so many should consider one sowing of Runner Beans enough, but as a fact there are more gardens where only one lot of seed is set than where a second sowing is made. The advantage of sow- ing again the latter end of June is that the secondary crop just escapes the most trying weather before coming into full bearing, and therefore experiences the greatest strain when the plants get the help of cooler nights and oc- casional refreshing rains. Sometimes the first crop is a partial or may be an almost complete failure ; thenhow gladly does the grower see an- other lot bursting into bloom. Moreover, how tender and juicy are these autumnal Beans, in a general way another vegetable than those per- fected under the cloudless sky and moistureless nights of July and August. In a kind autnmu and mild early winter we get plenty of good Beans from these late sowings until the days are approaching their shortest, and I have even known the time when in Surrey Runner Beans freshly gathered formed one of the vege- tables on Christmas Day. But such winters are like the rosarian's perfect spring — only one or two of them are seen in a lifetime ; and if we get Runners from August to the latter end of October, we may be thankful, and rest under the pleasing consciousness of having made the most of a wholesome and delicious vegetable. Because Runners naturally make many feet of bine in one season it has been the general practice to allow them to develop as much as practicable, thus seemingly, by following Nature, encouraging a maximum productiveness. Piean sticks 10 feet high with the Beans at the top and none at the bottom is the rule with many. But why climb up a ladder to gather Beans when we can do so with our feet on solid ground ? and if we top the plants 5 feet from the soil we make Bean gathering easy work. It is all very well to say you do not get a profitable crop this way ; but how about the market growers, about whose cultural method I shall have more to say further on, and who con- vert Runners into bush Beans by reason of per- sistently refusing to allow them to run from the time they first show the will so to do 1 Staking. — Runners require firm snppoit, and a good way to give them this is to put in the sticks when the seeds are sown. Rake the ground level, stretch the line, mark it down on the soil, and then cut on it with the spade, taking out a spit at a time and inserting the stakes as yon go on, pressing them against the firm side of the trench. This way of staking materially increases the stability of the Beans, as there is no need to point the sticks, and they consequently are more firmly fixed in the soil. Then sow the seeds and the job is complete, and the Beans when they come up find the supports in readiness for them, and, what is perhaps of some little importance, they get a slight shelter from the time they come through the soil ; indeed, if sown earlier than here advised some branches of Evergreens stuck in on the north or east side would do much to keep them from harm, and would certainly favour their develop- ment. Anothee detail connected with the desire to secure an average yield is the sowing of the red, white, and Painted Lady varieties indiscriminately and in about equal proportions, as it is found that seasons more or less favour or otherwise the development of the three kinds in a dispropor- tionate manner, and to the extent at times that one of them scarcely grows, whilst the others thrive fairly well. Very attractive indeed v^ith a kind of cheerful picturesque beauty are these liean fields when in full bloom, the pure white and scarlet flowers thrown out into bold relief by the rich green of the foliage. A large Bean field showing perfection of development, when the first gatherings, as is often the case, realise Ifis. per bushel, is a sight to gladden the heart of the grower for market. A moist summer, by increasing the amount of all kinds of green crops, reduces the value of Runners, and a parch- ing July sends up the prices to a height which renders them a prohibited luxury to the poor in towns. A large grower here gathered in one week last August over 160 bushels, and not one was sold for less than 10s. This was a good hit, and would bring up the average to a good figure. By September, when Runner Beans are no longer favoured by the rich, they drop to 3s. per bushel, a price which puts them within reach of all. The market growers here sow about 3 feet apart, which allows of running the horse-hoe between them. As soon as they begin to grow they are frequently gone over and topped, so that they never become more than 2 feet high. J. C. Jan, 3 18S5.] THE GARDEN THE MOST PROFITABLE PEAS. It is surprising to note how soon the rage for large-podded Peas has subsided. For exhibition purposes a few such sorts are still in the ascen- dant, but even exhibitors are beginning to find that Judges do not now inyariably decide in favour of large-podded sorts, and for my part I wish they would still further discourage the production of coarse vegetables. Not that the large-podded sorts do not, as a rale, fill well ; on the contrary, such popular varieties as Telegraph, Telephone, Stratagem, and Culverwell's Giant Marrow rarely fail in this respect ; but I hold they are less pro- fitable than other sorts I shall name. When Stratagem and Pride of the Market were first sent out, I, in common with a fewother writers, hastily expressed an opinion that they would inevitably become most popular with market growers, but a friend, who is both a grower and a market sales- man, soon convinced me that t was wrong. He said buyers in the markets " wanted Peas, not pods," and the pods of all the above-mentioned sorts were much too thick to please him. Neither do these thick-podded sorts please the cooks at the town house. The thinner the pod^ and the closer they are filled the greater will be the quan- tity of Peas produced by a given number of pods. Thick-podded sorts, then, are neither good for the market nor for hamper carriage. I admit that Telegraph, Telephone, Stratagem, and Pride of the Market are all good second early sorts, but to grow them, except, as I have said, for exhibition pur- poses, would be a mistake. Those who prefer tall and sweet Peas should grow Telephone, Telegraph differing only in being greener and less sweet. Stratagem is a sturdy branching form of Tele- phone, and Pride oE the Market is a dwarf Tele- graph. Of these, again, only one is wanted by those who either prefer dwarf sorts or are unable to procure tall stakes. All are good for the second early sowings only; at any rate they cannot be depended upon in hot weather. Culverwell's Giant Marrow is a tall growing mid-season variety, branches well, is a good cropper, and the extra fine pods seldom fail to fill well. It is, how- ever, very thick podded, is much liable to mildew, and on the whole not so valuable as we were at one time inclined to think it ; at any rate I have done with it. Th? Baron was to have caused a sensation, but unfortunately the pods refused to fill, being veritable " wind bags," and the variety will soon be forgotten. Evolution, by the same raiser, is of a very different stamp and is a very promising sort, especially for exhibition purposes. It is a main crop variety, of medium height, very branching, and prolific, and tie long handsome pods are generally well filled with Green Peas, though these are not so sweet as I should like them. I can also speak favourably of the large- podded Reading Giant. With us it attains" a height of from 5 feet to 6 feet, is branching and sturdy, and produces a fairly heavy crop of broad, green, well-filled pods. It evidently owes some part of its parentage to Ne Plus Ultra, and, like that good old favourite, is good for main and late crops and does not mildew badly. There are several Long narrow - podded sorts that I am incUned to strongly recommend, and none more so than Wordsley Wonder. This was grown here for the first time during the past season, and proved one of the best novelties of the year. It is second early, grows to about 30 inches in height, and yields a remarkably heavy crop of long, nar- row pods, closely packed with very sweet white Marrow Peas. Owners of smiU gardens especially should endeavour to procure this useful variety. Gladiator, another comparatively new sort, is good for main crops. AVith us it grew from 3 feet to i feet in height, branched moderately well, and produced a very heavy crop of long, carved, and well-filled pods, but the Peas are scarcely sweet enough to please me. Magnet apparently pos- sesses a weakly constitution and refuses to do well here. Sturdy, again, proved most profitable, and is one of the few sorts that really answers to the deicription given of them by the vendors. It is rightly named Sturdy, and is one of the bast main and late crop sorts in cultivation. It attains a height of 3 feet, is very branching and prolific, and the moderate-sized pods are closely packed with large green and sweet Peas. This, again, is another good sort for small gardens. Marvel is now well known, and where it does well is a great favourite, but on our heavy soil it fails, and Dr. JIcLean also only does indifferently well. Both are suitable for light and medium soils, the pre- ference being given to Marvel, the long, narrow pods of which yield surprisingly well, and the Peas are very sweet. Dr. McLean is one of the best sorts for field culture, and rarely fails to sell readily. John Bull is a complete failure, no variety that I am acquainted with possessing such a weakly constitution. Latest of All is undoubtedly a use- ful addition to our list of varieties, and is strongly recommended by me for main and late crops. With us it attains a height of about 4 feet, is fairly branching, very prolific, and the pods are well filled with green, sweet Peas. It proves fairly mildew-resisting. To make these remarks complete I may perhaps be allowed to briefly sum up the merits of a few Other sorts of Peas. For sowing in frames under walls and on warm borders the dwarf American Wonder is invaluable. Unfortunately, it spoils the palate for the round-seeded sorts, which have still to be grown for the principal early crops. Of these Veitch's Extra Early is one of the best, though Earliest of All is quite as early, only not so robust. William I. follows them closely, and will not easily be supplanted by any novelty. The earliest wrinkled Marrow oE real service is Day's Sunrise, and this maintains the supply till one of the Telegraph family is fit for use. Both Huntingdonian and Criterion form ad- mirable successions to the last mentioned, and both are worthy of culture where tall sorts are favourer!. The former is an early form of the old Champion of England, while Criterion, which sel- dom attains a height of 6 feet, may be correctly described as an early form of Ne Plus Ultra, and no stronger recommendation is needed. G. F. Wilson is in the way of Veitch's Perfection, but is earlier and the Peas are larger, the quality being very good. Walker's Perpetual Bearer also re- sembles Veitch's Perfection, but is more branch- ing, and is in every respect a most desirable late sort. Ne Plus Dltra is an invaluable tall late sort, and the good old British Queen, also very tall growing, is still worthy of a place where tall stakes are procurable. Emperor of the Marrows was to supersede the latter, but I fail to see where it proves superior to it. Vf. I. M. FORCING RHUBARB. Rhubarb is easily forced ; it only needs a tem- perature ranging from 55° to 60°, and nothing can be more acceptable for making tarts and for similar purposes. The stools when dug up may be placed underneath the stage of a stove or that of a warm greenhouse, and covered with ordinary garden soil, keeping them well watered to make the young leaves crisp and tender. If found to be more convenient, the stools may be placed in pots or boxes, when they can be moved from one place to another as may be desirable. When filled the pots or boxes may be set in a vinery or Peach house, and when forcing commences the Rhubarb plants will soon show signs of growth ; they will then need frequent watering in order to keep the soil moist, for if watering is neglected the stalks will be tough and stringy instead of solid and crisp. If space can be spared in a Mushroom house for Rhubarb, that will be found to be one of the best structures in which to grow it. If it should be desirable to get the crop quickly after being placed in the house, put a few barrow- loads of hot stable manure and leaves under the roots, so as to form a hotbed about 2 feet in depth. On this place a layer of soil 6 inches in thickness, and pack the roots of Rhubarb closely together upon that, covering them with fine soil and finish- ing off nearly level with the crowns of the plants. For succession crops the roots may be laid upon the floor of the house, covering them over in the usual way. In order to keep up a constant supply from December'till the out-door crops come in a few stools should be put in the house to force about every third or fourth week, (.c, if a large supply is requisite. Those who have not the advantage of a Mushroom house or hothouses may be able to get a few dishes earlier than they would be able to do out-of-doors by placing a few stools in a dark cellar, watering them with tepid water as often as may be required. Even if a few stools in pots or boxes are placed in an empty stall in a stable the crop will be ready for use a long time before it comes in out-of-doors, especially if there are numbers of horses standing in the stable. Rhu- barb may also be forced in the open ground by covering it with earthenware pots, which are sold for the purpose, or wooden boxes furnished with lids will answer the same purpose ; sometimes, too, the stools are covered with old baskets and old barrels sawn asunder in the middle, employing pieces of board to cover the top with. When covered embed them in hot stable manure and leaves, more of which will be required early in the season than later, when less warmth in this way will be required. Care must, however, be taken to see that the heat does not get too fierce, or the crowns of the plants and the young leaves will become scorched. Old stools which have been lifted and forced are not as a rule retained for planting again ; on the contrary a new plantation should be made annually. Wm. Christison. Midsummer- so'wn Oarrots.— The main crop of Carrots in this locality was a failure this season, owins' to the intense drought; consequently many sowed extra breadths in July to meet the demand, and they are now sending to market beautiful clean roots tied in bunches that sell readily. The sorts that appear to find most favour are James's Scarlet, or Scarlet Intermediate, kinds that have well nigh superseded Long Surrey and Altringham, being of better quality and altogether more desirable for table use. They are excellent in colour, more tender, and better flavoured than the larger kinds, and in the light sandy soil of this locality late sown crops are perfectly safe left in the ground and pulled as required for use. Their green tops, too, insure for them a readier sale than if denuded of top growth in the ordinary way. This plan of sowing in July will be found to pro- duce young Carrots superior to fully grown roots. The routine of culture is simple ; a well pulverised soil or seed bed is the main point. Draw drills a foot apart, and sow moderately thick in the row, as they can be drawn out for use as soon as large enough, and by a little attention to successional sowing, young tender Carrots may be had in abun- dance during the greater part of the year.— James Groom, Gosport. SHORT NOTES.— KITCHEN. Celery caterpl]lara(.tnon.).— Your Celery is at'acked by the caterpillar of a moth, but the latter was too fir de- composed to name. lean suggest no other remedy than digging up any roots which appear to flag and destroying the caterpillars. This may prevent a similar attack next year,-G. f. S. Animal manures In gardens.— In reply to your correspondents who have written on this subject, I may say thit it is the principle I contend for that deep trenching and manuring with leaves, soot, burnt ash, and lime pro- duce sweeter, more healthy, and better vegetables than when foul animal manures are used.— X. Y. Celery fly. — Allow me to inform "J. C. C " that Celery fly may be caught by smearing twine with bird-lime and stretching it over the Celery plants. Blisters on the leaves should be crushed, as they contain larvic. When full grown the small green grubs descend into the earth, where they remain in the chrysalis state until the following spring. — CHAKLE3 E. ilAGiLL, Datguise, Monkstown, Dublin. The failure of Carrots appears to be quite general this season. Oui- main crop was a total failure, but h *ving some seed left and a vacant piece of ground at command, we sowed again on July 1 Short Horn. Altringham, and Long Surrey, and a good crop is the result. We are still pulling some really fine Carrots. The drills we-e well soakei with water previous to sowing. It appears to me that we sow our main crop of Carrots much too early.^ ! GEORGi! Carpenter, Rydms, Walton-on-Thmnes. THE GARDEN [J.Ax. 3, 188j. SEAKALE. The time for Seatale forcing having arrived, a few words on the different methods of forcing and also growing it may not be out of place. The method of forcing it year after year on the ground where it is grown in the old way, by covering with pots under a bed of leaves or other fermenting matter, like some other antiquated practices, is still followed by more people than might have been supposed would have clung to a way that has so many disadvantages as compared with that of growing a fresh lot of crowns each year and taking up and forcing them, as can be done with a fractional amount of labour compared with the old roundabout manner of doing the work, with its indifferent results; the disadvantage of the covering-up method not only means so much addi- tional labour, but the produce of old plants is much inferior to that of good one-year-old crowns that have been well managed. Good land, well prepared with plenty of manureand kept clean from weeds, will grow Seakale from seed in one season, so as to produce a considerable number of good- sized crowns, but under the best conditions of soil and management there will always be a large percentage of small ones too weak for forcing ; whereas, when the plants are grown from selected pieces of the roots, with ordinary attention a crop of single-crowned plants may be depended on, few of which will be deficient in size. That this is correct is so well known, that it seems strange any one should stick to the old practice of forcing Seakale in the ground where it is grown often year after year, especially when it is taken into account the quantity of small inferior stuff pro- duced by this method and the drawn condition that much of even the best is reduced to. At this season, when the crop of roots is dug up, the work should be carried out in a systematic way, similarly to that followed by the large growers for sale, who, as the taking up proceeds, have the bits of thong-like roots collected and heeled in for planting in spring. Few people who have had anything to do with growing this vegetable can fail to have noticed that there are distinct forms of the plant — some that are of a more or less purple colour in the leaf-stalks as well as in the crowns, others that are devoid of this colour, being quite green in both the leaf-stalks and the crowns. Most people prefer the last-named va- riety, as in addition to the light coloured crowns forcing quicker, the produce is somewhat milder in flavour. A packet of seed as usually obtainable will yield both the purple-shaded and the white forms, but it is a very easy matter to keep the two separate when the plants are grown from root cuttingsby simply taking the trouble to mai'c them before taking up ; this is best done previous to the leaves coming off. T. B. Veitoh's Autumn-protecting Broccoli. — I have grown this variety from the time it was first sent out, but never has it been so good as during this season. It forms an admirable succes- sion to the lat« planted Antumn Giant Cauliflower, and keeps up the supply till Snow's Winter White is plentiful, that is, if not cut down by frost. It more nearly approaches a Cauliflower with regard to quality, and, I am sorry to add, in tenderness, than any other Broccoli with which I am ac- quainted, a? only a moderately severe frost de- stroys it. We plant on firm undug ground as much as possible, and generally in the highest part of the garden, and this in a measure prevents grossness, and is therefore to some extent a safe- guard against frosts. — I. Rockerlea. — How often do we see plants re- commended for these that will grow well and hide the stones ; but what can be the use of a rockery if the stones forming it are to be hidden ? The value of a rockery lies in its boldness and dis- tinctness, but allow it to become overgrown, and its effect is lost. Instead of a wilderness of foliage, trailing plants like the Cotoneaster should be chosen, and for certain positions the Pampas Grass and others of similar character that stand out have a striking appearance, and all such plants should be brought to the front or project- ing parts, so that the eye may catch them at once. Bamboos are suitable for such purposes, and Chamsrops Fortunei in a sheltered spot has a noble look, as have also Castor-oils, Solanums, and others of kindred type that may be planted and grown on out-of-doors during the summer. — S. D. Garden Flora. PLATE i7S. THE SAGITTARIAS. (WITH AC0I,OUEEDPLATE0FS..\(ONTEVIDEKSIS.*) The Sagittarias (Arrowheads) are marsh or aquatic herbs with perennial rootstocks and leaves of only might have been written before the introduction of the Montevidian Arrowhead represented in the accompanying plate. The conditions under which Sagittarias are found growing wild and their wide distribution are such as would not fail to cause much variation in the size and habit of the several species. That such is the case has been well shown by the plants of S. montevidensis which have been grown both last year and this at Kew, In 1883 seeds of this plant were forwarded to Kew by Mr. J. Bill, F.R.S., who collected them in Buenos Ayres when on a botanising tour through Brazil. In June of the same year the p'aats thus obtained flowered at Kew, and from one of these Saglttaria monteyideosis, showing habit of growth, in November. Sketched at Kew annual duration. The species, of which about a dozen are described, are widely di^tributed over the tropical and temperate regions, more especially in the latter. They are closely related to the Water Plantains, with which and about half-a- dozen other genera they form the order Alismace^. If we except our own common Arrowhead, which is a frequent ornament to the margins of rivers, pools, and ditches throughout England and Ireland, and is sometimes admitted into gardens, none of i the plants belonging to this order are possessed of any ornamental characters such as would render them desirable as garden plants — at least, so much I • Drawn at Kew in July. ' our plate, as well as that in the Botanical Maga- zine, vieTe frefaxeA. This plant was supposed to be unusually large as compared with descriptions and specimens of it in the herbarium. This year, however, plants of much larger dimensions have been grown at Kew — so large, indeed, as to cause some botanists to doubt their identity with the plants of the year previous. Three extreme forms were thus represented at Kew, the first with small lance-shaped leaves and slender flower-stalks, and measuring less than a foot high ; the second form, with leaves and fi.'wer-stalks 2 feet high, and with a hastate leaf-blade : the third had the leaf-stalks 6 feet high, as thick as a msn's arm at the base, and a The Garden Jan. 3, 1885.] THE GAEDEN blade which measured 2 feet in length, each basal lobe being quite a foot long. The flower-stalk - was 5 feet high, very stout, branching, and bore numerous whorls of flowers almost as large again as those represented in our plate. These wide differences in size were owing to cultural differ- ences, but there was nothing in the health or appearance of either specimen that suggested im- proper treatment ; it was only by a comparison of the one with the other that this could be seen. Judged by the first or small form, S. monteviden- eis would be voted as little better than our native Arrowhead ; by the second form it would have found a welcome ; but when seen in the third and largest condition it was universally admired as a grand plant. The moral of this is easily seen. New introductions should be well tested before being condemned. It would be easy to mention several instances of serious mistakes resulting from too hasty conclusions in matters of this kind. The following is worth recording : Whilst looking through a well-known botanical garden the writer's attention was drawn by the curator to a poor weakly specimen of S. montevidensis flowering freely, but weedy-looking enough. " There is the much-lauded new tropical Arrowhead, a worthless weed ; I have ordered my foreman to throw it away." The reply was such as anyone, to whom the Kew specimen was known, would have made. Sir Joseph Hooker, writing of S. montevidensis> says : " One of the most beautiful water plants other than Water Lilies that have been introduced into the tropical aquarium at Kew since its esta- blishment, and a very free grower and flowerer. Nothing can exceed the snowy whiteness of the flowers, which are produced in succession, relieved as they are, by the rich maroon blotches, bordered with pale gold at the base of each petal." In general appearance S. montevidensis is like S. sagittfefolia, surpassing it in size and strength when favour- ably situated. The rootstock is stout and tuberous, and from its lower portion develops stoloniferous tubers, much in the same way as Potatoes are de- veloped. The leaves are very herbaceous, and are produced in quick succession ; from their axils spring the flower-stalks, which are stout and grow rapidly. The upper half of each stalk is clothed with whorls of flowers, the lower whorls being female, the upper ones male. They begin to ex- pand before the flower-stalk has reached its full height, continuing to open several whorls together till the summit of the stalk is reached, by which time the female flowers will have become fertilised and full of ripe seeds. These seeds germinate freely if sown in pots of mud and kept warm. The seedling leaves are long and strap-shaped, and unless the plants are grown on and treated liber- ally the foliage never assumes a hastate character, but remains either strap-shaped or lanceolate. When well managed a large-flowering plant is ob- tainable in about three months from the time of sowing. A strong loamy soil with a small por- tion of cow manure added is a suitable mixture for this plant. All the sunlight possible is preferred by it. The seeds should be sown in February. As soon as the plants are large enough to be handled 'hey should be potted singly in small pots, which may be stood in pans of water, or, if available, in a warm-water tank, the pots to be about half sub- merged. Where a collection of Nymphfeas is grown a suitable position for this Sagittaria may be provided by building up in the tank a rouf h mound by means of stones and soil, so that the top of the mound is above the water. In this the Sagittaria may be planted. Where pots must be used they should be large, half filled with drain- age, and the soil placed in loosely, not pressed down firmly. The most satisfactory results are obtained with this plant only when it is treated as a distinctly tropical plant. The large plant at Kew, described above, was grown in a mud bed, similar to what is used for the Nelumbium.?. As is stated above, none of the Sagittarias, other than S. montevidensis and our native species, are of known horticultural merit. For S. sagittajfolia we may have a word of com- mendation, because of its usefulness as a plant for the margins of lakes, rivers, and the ornamen- tal water in our gardens out-of-doors. It is one of the best-natured of our native aquatics, but, owing to its frequent occurrence in a wild state, it is not considered select enough to have a place in many gardens; and yet there are many stiff, ugly banks and water edges which would be immensely im- proved by a few clumps of this noble Arrowhead and its relative, the Water Plantain. A double- flowered variety of S. sagittsetolia is known under the name of flore-plena. W. W. SEASONABLE WORK. FLORAL DECORATIONS. About this season a somewhat heavy strain will be put upon the cut-flower supply, especially in gardens where the conveniences for bringing plants into flower are not nearly equal to the de- mand. It is, therefore, essential to economise to the utmost in such cases, and those who have the arrangement of the decorations can greatly aid in this direction in more ways than one. In the first place, a judicious use must be made of the ma- terial at command (both flowers and foliage), bearing in mind that an artistic effect is not pro- duced by excessive crowding, nor by indiscrimi- nate mixing of various varieties of flowers or colours. We have seen arrangements which would have looked much better when finished if half, and in some cases two-thirds, of the flowers had been removed and a trifle more foliage used instead. In the second place, it frequently hap- pens that large parties are held in quick succes- sion, and where only a day or two intervenes, some at least of the flowers used can be kept over from one to the other by removing them to a cooler place, and where possible immersing the stems deeper in water. This should be seen to as quickly as possible after the festivities are brought to a close, for if left for a few hours longer than is necessary in a heated room some will be past recovery, especially if they have been arranged without either water, wet Moss, or sand. The fashion prevailing in some places of laying or grouping them on the table-cloths for dinner parties is, to say the least, most wasteful and un- natural. Foliage of fair persistency may be kept in a good condition for future use, and where a large quantity is in request we would recom- mend the dwarf and compact-growing Davallias to be cultivated in quantity as one would the Maiden-hair Fern. In the third place, if any con- siderable space intervenes between the time when the flowers are cut and when arranged, caused either by having to be packed for transit or other unforeseen occurrences, they should all have the ends of the stems cut afresh. This is frequently overlooked, but is of more importance than many imagine. Lastly, but certainly not least, is the fact that those who have charge of decorations should also have a knowledge of the natural growth of the flowers which they are called upon to arrange. Work of this kind is often performed by persons who have no knowledge of or taste for arrangement. Gardeners have to produce the material, but we know that when this has been done in many cases to the utmost possible extent, an utter disregard has been paid to the quantity used and the decorations have been carried out without taste or skill. The producer, in short, often gets blamed when he least deserves to be. Where gardeners are allowed to perform such work themselves, they are able to do it with much less waste of material than when it is entrusted to others. FLOWER GARDEN. This being a slack time of year in the flower garden, a good opportunity is afforded for looking thoroughly through shrubberies to see what re- quires thinning, for although Evergreens should not be moved now, it generally happens that the commoner kinds encroach on others, and if not looked to and cut away, soon damage them in such a manner as to permanently injure them and quite spoil their beauty. To show off as they ought, each plant should stand clear of the other, and if there is any bare ground between, the space may easily be furnished and beautified by planting any of the hardy kinds of bulbs, such as Snowdrops, Daffodils, &o., and the more open parts near walks with Crocuses, Hyacinths, Primroses, Aubrietias, Wallflowers, or anything of that kind that will stand and take care of themselves. The mistake that is generally made in the formation of shrub- beries is in following the higgledy-piggledy sys- tem of planting instead of making a proper selec- tion of suitable subjects, and arranging them according to their habit and character, giving them plenty of room to grow to their natural size with- out encroaching on each other, a plan that should always be adopted, as then the filling in between may be done with any common material, such as Laurels, which can be gradually cut away as the others extend. By pursuing this course, much after trouble in regulating and re-arranging is saved, as the plants being put in suitable posi- tions at first there is no occasion to interfere with or molest them again. The pruning requisite for deciduous trees and shrubs consists mainly in thinning out of the branches where they are crowded by crossing and intersecting each other, and beyond this and the removal of dead and de- caying wood, the less of the knife the better. Whatever cuts are made should always be close to a bud or shoot, as then there is no dying back and the wound quickly heals over. Although it is not desirable to prune established plants, a shortening in the reduction of the head is often a great help to large trees freshly transplanted, especially if they are not well rooted, as it strikes a more equal balance as it were between the two, and gives the tops a chance of receiving what sap they require to keep the bark fresh and plump. What interferes with newly-moved trees and shrubs more than anything else and prevents their taking fresh hold is the want of proper sup- port, without which they are ever on the move and the sport of every wind that blows, which sways them to and fro, and chafes off the tender fibres as they form by the straining and friction of the roots as they are pulled and pushed backwards and forwards in the ground. This being so, it will be seen how important it is that they be securely staked and tied to hold them fast in their places, which, if the plants are large, can easiest be done by using three poles tripod fashion and bringing the upper ends so as to catch the stem of the tree at about two-thirds its height. To prevent any chafing of the bark the stem should be well pro- tected by a good packing of hay under the supports, or by the use of old pieces of carpet, which are perhaps the better of the two. For trees on lawns where neatness is a consideration, stout galvanised wire may be used instead of stakes, and if the lower ends are made fast to stubbs driven into the earth, such supports answer the purpose well, and, besides being neat, they have another advantage, inasmuch as they last a long time and never re- quire renewal. INDOOR PLANTS. Ipom.eas. — The distinct-flowered I. Hors- falliaj is a plant that deserves a place in every warm stove. The limited amount of growth whioh it makes in many cases renders it preferable to 10 THE GARDEN [Jan. 3, 1885. many stronger growing climbers. It is seen to the best advantage where allowed to twine round strings or wires placed longitudinally over a path. Its season of blooming varies considerably with the amount of heat kept up. Where a high tempe- rature is maintained and the flowering is now over a portion of the strongest shoots should be well cut back towards the collar of the plant. If the strongest are not treated in thi.s way annually the plant is liable to get naked at the bottom and it is much better to effect this shortening in as soon as the flowering is over than to defer it until some growth is made. I. Leari is suitable for a large house where there is much roof to furnish. Under a high temperature this kind begins to grow early, and to keep it in bounds it should be well cut in or headed back completely each winter. Where there is enough heat to start it early into growth and it is thus headed in at once, it will bloom con- siderably sooner in the season than if the shorten- ing back was deferred until later. Passifloras and Tacsonias. — The strong growing kinds of these, such as P. quadran- gularis and others of the like warm tection, should have their heads well reduced each season, otherwise there is no proportion between the amount of shoot growth they make and the quan- tity of flowers produced. With a view to keep the old plants from their base upwards continually furnished with healthy leaves, it is well to sever the shoots at different points ; the strongest may be reduced to as near the base of the plant as it will permit, cutting in the others at various lengths, which is far better than shortening all back to one point, as it keeps the entire plant annually re- newed. As a matter of course the shoot reduc- tion now necessary with almost all the family de- pends upon their season of blooming, still further regulated by the heat they are subjected to, as on this their late or early flowering much depends. All the late summer or autumn blooming kinds should at once receive all the cutting in they re- quire, as if allowed to make growths before their heads are so reduced it is manifestly a double loss both in wasting time and the energies of the plants In houses where there is plenty of room T. mani- cata, T. mollissima, T. pubesoens, and T. san- guinea are all worthy of a place. Hexacentris. — Although H. mysorensis and II. lutea (the former the handsomer) are some- times grown in a hot stove, still, like a good many other climbers that come under the head of warm stove plants, they do better in an intermediate temperature, as when so treated the flowers they produce are greater in proportion to the shoot growth. The time of these plants blooming is in a great measure regulated by the treatment they receive ; when not kept very warm they flower much later and freer. At this season they should be kept much drier at the roots than many things ; no more water should be given than will just keep the foliage from drooping. Thunbergias. — Autumn bloomers, such as T. Harrisi and T. laurifolia, which are strong, vigorous growers, should have a great portion of their tops removed as soon as the flowering is over. If these are not cut in closer than plants that make less annual growth, they get into a wild, straggling, bare-stemmed condition, un- sightly in appearance, with a disposition to en- croach upon and overgrow other things, and do not m themselves give a corresponding return of flowers for the head-room they occupy. LACHENALiAa. — Where a good stock of these exists they may be had in bloom for a con- siderable time. If some of the strongest are pat in an intermediate temperature, their flowering will be accelerated, but it is not advisable to subject them to heat until their foliage is all but fully grown and there are signs of the flower- stems making their appearance. If hurried too early, the amount of bloom forthcoming will be reduced. These along with some other species of plants are influenced considerably in their time of flowering by the way in which they have been treated in previous years. Those that have been forced before will naturally come on with less heat than examples that have bloomed with only the aid of a greenhouse or cold pit. HyAciNTHs, Narcissi, Tulips. — It is not good practice to begin forcing the lirge varieties of Hyacinths too soon, for though when well furnished with roots they will bear a fair amount of heat, yet when started and pushed on so as at all to hurry them, they usually bloom in- differently. Along with the last batch of Roman varieties some of the large-flowered kinds should be put in heat, as they take considerably longer to bring into flower than the Roman, and if a sup- ply is to be kept up, no time must be lost. Later sorts of Tulips should be put in heat to succeed the varieties of Van Thol,and the Paper- white Nar- cissus must be regularly started. It is much better to put in heat only as many of the different kinds of these bulbs as will meet the detraud than to bring them on in larger numbers, which generally results in more flowers than are wanted at a time, with a corresponding deficiency at other times. Simple as the treatment of these plants is to induce them to flower satisfactorily with stout, short bloom-stems and healthy foliage, yet if at all hurried or stood too far from the glass the flowers will be so deficient in substance as not to last their full length of time. Cyclamens. — Plants of these raised from seed sown late in summer, if not .already pricked off into pots or pans, must be so treated before they get matted together, or they will receive a check. Keep them in a temperature of about 50° in the night, examining them from time to time to see that they are free from aphides, insects which are much more injurious to Cyclamens than to most other plants; concealing themselves on the under- side of the leaves, they often do much harm before discovered. liarger plants that are in a condition to flower should have a few degrees more warmth than is required for ordinary greenhouse plants, but on no account must they be kept warm in an insuSioiently light house or pit, or their flower- stems become drawn and weak, which spoils the effects of the plants, and makes the flowers of little use for catting. Acacias and Callas — Most of the Acacias bear a moderate amount of forcing, such as the temperature of an intermediate house ; A. armata and A. Drummondi, naturally coming into bloom early, are amongst the best for forcing. There is the additional advantage attached to free-growing plants of this description, that if required, they will bear the whole crop of flowers being cut, the shortening back of the shoots being beneficial to the plants rather than otherwise. More Callas should be placed in heat, still selecting strong, well-established examples. These Callas or Richardias are all but water plants, and should have the soil kept wetter than most things ; with them also it is an advantage if they can be placed with their leaves almost touching the glass, by which means they will be kept as dwarf as they are generally seen when flowering in summer. Brugmansias. — Where these are planted out in conservatories that are kept somewhat warm, they are liable to get thin of branches and un- sightly unless the plants are yearly subjected to a free use of the knife ; it required they will bear the shoots shortening moderately close in. If in houses where some lieat is kept up through the winter, they should at once be pruned. Where a considerable space has to be covered with their branches, such as a back wall in a large house, the roots ought to have plenty of room. They do best where access is to be had to an outside border, similar to Vines ; so situated, they will occupy a greater space than most things, and will flower to an extent not possible where the roots are cramped. ORCHIDS. East India house. — Those who have to grow collections of Orchids must understand something of the old saying, " Taking time by the forelock." There are, of course, some gardens where collec- tions of Orchids are grown the owners of which know it to be their interest to provide a liberal staff of men to do the work ; plants are cleaned, attended to, and potted when they require it in season or out of season. In most gardens this is not so, and those in charge have to do their best to make one class of work dovetail into another. This month's work is not usually so press- ing as it is next, and if it is yet too soon to begin to report or surface-dress Orchids, it is not too early to prepare for it. Besides getting the pot- ting material ready, viz., clean potsherds, charcoal, Sphagnum, peat, clean pots and pans with teak baskets, the plants may also be looked over. It any of them require to be dipped to free them from insect pests, that must be effectually done before repotting them, because it is not pos- sible to dip any of the plants after they have been repotted— not until the fresh potting material has become firmer on the surface. The nodules of charcoal and crocks fall off into the water when the pot or pan is inverted, but in every case it is best to have the plants clean before starting to pot them, and every opportunity should be seized between now and February to get the plants and the house thoroughly cleaned. The small white thrips are most insidious in their attacks, and the mischief done by them is often discernible before they are. In writing last week of the great value of the deciduous winter flower- ing Calanthes at this season, we said nothing of the arrangement of the plants. As they lose their leaves before the flowers open, it is necessary to place the plants amongst small- Ferns or foliage plants. Mr. Swan, of Fallowfield, stated some time ago that by far the best plant for this purpose is Gesnera zebrina exoniensis. The spikes of the Calanthes have a fine effect rising above the leafage of these foliage plants ; just in such a way would the spikes hang droopingly over the wild herbage of their native wilds. It is best to let the spikes grow and drop over the plants without any support ; tying them closely up to sticks is not gardening. Cattleta house.— The same remarks as to making preparations for potting apply here as also for the cool house. Mr. Ward, when head gardener to the late Mr. F. G. Wilkins, of Leyton, a well-known and able cultivator, told ns that he usually began to pot his East India Orchids soon after the new year ; when that house was done, he went on with those in the Cattleya or Mexican house, finishing off with the cool house section. Of course, not anything like the whole are potted, but all are potted or surface-dressed. Besides the Orchids mentioned some time ago as being in flower in this house, there are numerous others easily grown and to be obtained at a cheap rate, and not the least valuable are the Dendrobiums. If, as is sometimes desirable, they have been pushed forward in a warmer house, they had better be placed here just as the flowers begin to open. D. nobile should be in flower if it had been sufiiciently rested. Do not omit to keep up a succession of flowers of this species by placing plants in heat at intervals. Those at rest may be kept in the greenhouse quite dry up to the shrivel- ling point. D. Ainsworthi is even yet too expen- sive to be much grown, except by those who may be termed Orchid fanciers and have plenty of money ; but as it grows freely it may yet become common. It can also be raised from seeds by crossing D. nobile and E. heterocarpum. This last named species is also in flower at this season ; it is a very desirable plant to grow, not so much for its beauty as for its sweet perfume. D. moni- liforme may also be found in flower at the present time. Vet another Dendrobe, and a charming hybrid it is, should be in every collection for flowering now— D. endocharis : it has been raised by Mr. Seden in the Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, by crossing D. japonicum with D. heterocarpum. It has many of the characteristics of the seed parent with the perfume of D. heterocarpum. The evergreen Dendrobes, such as D. Farmeri, D . thyrsiflorum, D. Dalhousianum, D. densiflorum , and others of this type have been with us very late in completing their growth ; indeed, it was quite the middle of November before they had done so. Now they should be kept in a much lower Jan. 3, 1885.] THE GARDEN 11 temperature, and be comparatively dry at the roots" and there need not be much moisture in the atmo- sphere. Some of the small-growing Cattleyas of the marginata type form pretty objects at this sea3on grown in small pans suspended near the glass. The treatment, as we are now approaching the depth of winter, must be kept at the lowest minimum point. We do not care to have the tempe- rature above 55° at night, and if it falls to 50° on very cold nights, that would be a very good mini- mum. Higher than that unduly excites the plants. If the pipes require lo be only slightly heated to keep up the temperature, then the plants are not likely to be injured by an arid atmosphere, but either way it is better not to have any water in the trough ; rather trust to sprinkling the paths and stage?. Cool house. — We have noticed in many even well managed houses that green or yellow aphis is by far too common, especially on Masdevallias. It is very desirable indeed to free the plants from it, and as it is dangerous to fumigate, washing or dipping must be resorted to. This pest increases fast during severe weather, when much artificial heat ba5 to be employed. A good plan where the collection is comparatively clean is to have a vessel at hand containing Tobacco or soapy water with a brush, and as soon as any fly is seen, remove it with the brush dipped in the mixture. A week or two ago we potted some cool house Orchids that had been received from a nursery and they are rooting away most vigorously in the fresh compost. In a week or two we will com- mence repotting all the plants that require it. We would again urge the importance of getting the compost ready, and the pots washed quite clean with warm water. The principal requisites for cool house Orchid culture are clean pots and potsherds, charcoal, good fibrous peat, dried and fresh Sphagnum. The pots should be well drained in all cases, because the larger proportion of cool Orchids require so much water, and if there is a large body of potting material, the organic matter decays and becomes sour, with the result that the roots of Orchids will either not grow into it, or will die if they did. Those who have been accus- tomed to repot Orchids will have noticed that they never do really well unless the roots have taken firm hold of the sides of the pots, and that all the most active and useful rootlets are there. How very necessary it is, then, to have the pots washed perfectly clean, or if they are new pofiS they should be well soaked in clean water for a few hours before using them. When the plants have to be turned out of the pots in which they have been growing, it is often better to take a ham- mer and carefully break the pots in pieces rather than risk the injury to the plants by tearing off the roots when they have been turned out in the usual way. In all collections, even the best man aged, there are some plants which have not grown well, owing to the roots and compost decaying. In that case, have some rain water rather warm in which to wash every particle of compost from the roots before re-potting in smaller pots and good sweet fibrous material. PROPAGATING. Gardenias — These plants are readily increased by means of cuttings taken when the young growth is in a half-ripened state. No more leaves should be removed than is actually necessary for the purposes of insertion, and after putting them in, place them in a close case with bottom-heat, at first setting them on the surface, and in about a fortnight, when slightly callnsed, plunging them. The extra heat thus given will hasten the forma- tion of roots. When rooted, they must be inured to the air by degrees. IlABKOTHAMNUSES. — There is no difficulty in ftriking these at any time, but it put in early in the year, they will make good plants by winter, and many of them will flower the first season. Cuttings mav be taken and treated the same as one would Fuchsias and similar subjects, i.e., they should be placed in a close case in a warm house ; but as Habrothamnuses are when in he=)t very liable to the attacks of thrips and red spider, they must when rooted be soon removed to cooler quarters. Their near ally, the beautiful Cestrnm aurantiacum, is also increased in the same way. Hydrangeas.— Those little plants with enor- mous heads of flower so freely sent into Covent Garden Market during the season are all raised from cuttings, many of which consist of young shoots taken from the flowering specimens before sending them away. They are put singly into small pots, kept close till rooted, and when that takes place, exposed as much as possible, the object being to ensure plump, sturdy growth. Another method is to grow large plants in an open spot for the purpose of furnishing cuttings, which should be taken about the early part of August, at which time the embryo flowers will be already formed. LucULiA GBATissiMA.— Many complaints are made of the difficulty experienced in striking cuttings of this fine sweet-scented shrub, but for our own part we have always found it to root freely. Our method is to take the cuttings in the spring, consisting of the tops of the young growth, and insert them singly in small, well-drained pots in a soil composed of a mixture of peat, loam, and sand in equal parts. They should be put in as soon as possible after being severed from the parent plant, as if allowed in any way to flag, it will seriously militate against their chances of success. The after treatment consists simply in watering if necessary, in drying the lights every morning, and in removing decaying leaves. Labiandkas. — These are propagated in the fol- lowing manner : When they have finished flower- ing cut them back a little ; then start them in heat, when they will break freely. For cuttings select the young growths as soon as they commence to harden, and take them off at a length of about 4 inches. The pots should be well drained ; half fill them with broken crocks, and over these place some fibrous peat; then fill up with soil consisting of two-thirds peat and one of loam, with a liberal admixture of sand, and after pressing it down moderately firm, place a layer of sand on the top. The cuttings may then be inserted not too thickly, and when watered thoroughly placed in a close case kept at a stove temperature. The lights should be kept off for a little time to dry the foliage, otherwise moisture collects on the hairs thereon and speedily induces decay. When neces- sary to water them at any time, the same rule must be observed of allowing ths foliage to dry somewhat before closing the case entirely. FKUIT. Pines. — Directions contained in the last paper will still apply to plants in this department, but if any alteration is found necessary it will be on the side of lower temperatures in the succession pits when the weather is dark or unusually severe. Late starters now swelling off fruit, which will be found invaluable in the spring, will require a steady bottom heat of 85° to 90°, and a top-heat ranging from 68° at night to 78° by day, with a rise of a few degrees from sun-heat when bright, clear days succeed frosty nights. If the plants are plunged in near proximity to the hot-water pipes, see that the moisture is not abstracted from the roots by the material becoming too dry, but in- stead of giving copious supplies of water to the soil partially draw the tan away from the pots and give the bed an occasional watering with diluted liquid at a temperature of 9C°. Keep the atmo- sphere in a moist, growing state by damping all available surf aces when the day temperature begins to rise, and again when the chink of air which it is possible to give is taken off about 1 p.m. ; also keep the stem roots moistened with the syringe as often as they show signs of becoming dry. If not already done, get the pit intended for spring fruiters cleared out, scalded, and cleansed ready for use. Meantime prepare the tan or leaves by fer- mentation and frequent turning to prevent burn- ing ; then place it in the pit, and allow the heat to decline to 90° before the plants are introduced. Look we' to succession plants and autumn-potted suckers, and give enough water to the roots and plunging material, if over hot-water pipes, to pre- vent a check from drought followed by premature starting in the spring. Give strong successions which were shifted late the benefit of a light span- roofed pit if at command. Plunge them with their heads well up to the glass, let the minimum temperature range about 60°, and give sufficient atmospheric moisture to keep them steadily pro- gressing thioughout the winter. Peaches. — Early house. — When the buds begin to show colour a slight rise by day may be indulged in on bright, fine days ; but a gradual fall back to 45° or thereabouts at night will be advisable until the flowers are perfected and begin to unfold, when more air and gentle fire heat will be necessary. Look well to the fermenting leaves on the internal border, as the humid warmth from these is so much better than that obtained from the hot-water pipes, and, further, the necessity for constant syringing is greatly reduced, no small advantage in the dark, dull month of December, when complete saturation of the buds is not al- ways desirable. If the roots have the run of an external border, this must be well covered with Fern or litter to keep out the frost, and tarpaulin may be used for throwing off snow and rain ; but in these high feeding days an outside border at- tached to an early house is looked upon as a super- fluity, the main points in the management of the roots of Peaches being good drainage, sound cal- careous loam, frequently changed, and plenty of water at all times. If Strawberry plants, the forerunners of confusion in forcing houses, must be introduced, let them be well dipped in sulphur water to cleanse them from spider before they are taken in, then clear off the surface soil, ram well, and top-dress with stiff loam and old cow manure. When the most forward trees approach the flower- ing stage, fumigate the house once or twice with Tobacco paper. At this stage it is just possible that no enemy may have appeared in sight ; but so destructive is green fly when smoking is omitted, that an operation so simple and inexpensive should never be neglected. Succession house. — Prune, cleanse, and tie in the trees as opportunity offers, and keep the house well ventilated until the time arrives for starting. The first week in January is a good time to close the second house, as the earliest varieties form a close succession to the latest in the early house, and as Peaches cannot be kept for any length of time after they are ripe, a careful selection of kinds that will follow each other in their order of ripening should be made for every house. Assuming that the second house has been stripped and the lights properly repaired and painted, there will be no fear of the buds drop- ping for want of water ; but where the roof is a fixture, copious waterings will be necessary, and immediately after the fall of the leaf will be the best time for internal painting. Keep the latest houses as cool and airy as possible to prevent the buds from getting forward in mild weather, and avoid using them for tender plants which cannot stand a few degrees of frost. When all planting is finished, re-arrange the reserve wall, without which a set of forcing houses cannot be kept going, and fill up all available spaces with young trees from the nursery. Vines. — Examine inside borders in the early house as soon as the buds are fairly on the move, and, if necessary, give old Vines which cannot be over-stimulated a good soaking with warm diluted liquid ; also mulch the roots with rotten manure, renovate the fermenting material, and let the temperature range from 50° to 56° at night, and 65° to 70° by day. As old Vines generally break well, direct syringing may be moderated on dull days, but young ones which have not been forced early will require more careful management, as it not unfrequently hap- pens that the most prominent buds take the lead, and unless timely attention is devoted to bending down and sometimes rubbing out the terminal buds, unsightly blanks wUl be sure to mar the appearance of the house. When this stage of growth has been reached, strip the outside borders 12 THE GARDEN [Jan. 3, 1885. of Fern aid shutters, and cover to the depth of 18 inches with fermenting Oii'i leaves. Make them very firm to keep in the heat, and replace the shutters above, but at the same time clear of the leaves. Late houses.— Look over hanging Grapes two or three times a, week, as this intensely damp weather is very bad for Alioantes, Gros Colmar, and Muscats, and one neglected berry soon mars the beauty of a bunch. Get rid of the foliage little by little, as it parts freely from the Vine, but do not take off any more laterals, at least where the Grapes are to be bottled, otherwise the wounds will give off moisture and colour when the bunches are taken to the dry atmosphere of the Grape room. Ventilate freely with gentle warmth on fine mornings. Keep the house quite close in foggy weather, and let the temperature range from .".5° by day to 4 5° at night. Make a good selection of eyes from early prunings, and if young pUnting canes are wanted early in sping, insert them in sods or small 3-inch pots before February. Keep them in a cold frame for three weeks ; then place them in or over bottom-heat. Cat back to the required length or quite down to the pots yearling Vines inteudel for planting. Dress the cuts with styptic and keep them in a cold house until the time arrives for encouraging growth. If any lifting or border making in late houses is baing put off until the Grapes are cut, take advantage of fine days for firing the Grape room and cut as soon as the leaves fall from the Vines ; meantime get the compost properly mixed, ready for use, and protect from the weather. Prune mid-season houses, cleanse, paint, and put everything in working order ; then throw open the ventilators at all times when the weather is not unusually severe. Str.^wberries in P0T3.— Where a proper Strawberry house does not e.xist, and the forcing of this fruit is obliged to be carried on in early Peach houses and vinerie?, January is a good time to get in the first batcli of plants. Those, of course, will be selected from the most forward plants in the smallest pots, as the crowns are sure to be ripe, and the pots being quite full of roots, their throwing up tiower-scapes will be reduced to a certainty. When the plants have been dipped and top-dressed, place them on shelves close to the glass, syringe regularly, and give them suffi- cient water to keep the roots cons^tantly moist, as anything approaching drought, independently of its fostering spider, will produce a check which may prove fatal to the crop. It is a common practice to fill the shelves in these houses when they are closed for forcing, and although the tem- perature of the vinery may be somewhat high, that of the I'eaoh house suits them admirably. To keep up a succession it is a good plan to fit up an ordinary Cucumber or Melon pit with shelves some 12 inches or 1.5 inches from the glass for the reception of the remainder of the early batch, and to place some fermenting mate- rial beneath, but not touching them. In mild weather the humid heat will be found quite suffi- cient, bat when very cold, gentle fire-heat may be needed to prevent the temperature from falling below 10- at night, and air must be given when it is likely to rise above .")0° by day. Where the general stock is wintered in cold pits, throw the lights off by night, and by day when the weather is fine and settled. Close and tilt them to protect from heavy rain or snow If well plunged over the rims, sharp, dry frost will do them no harm. KITCHEN GARDEN. We have a suitable place in which to force Aspara- gus—an old Pine stove, so that by not covering the roots above an inch deep in soil the light greens; the tops with little trouble. We lift the roots from old beds, and plant young beds yearly containing about the quantity we lift for forcing ; therefore, we have always a stock for that purpose! As to E,hubarb, we force Hawk's Champagne— the best variety to oar knowledge— in the same pit ; but we cover the crowns a foot deep with dry Oak eaves, and the Rhubarb comes up a fine crimson colour. Where Apples are short, Rhubarb will be wanted in large quantities. Seakale we force in the beds in which it grows in the old-fashioned way, covering the crowns with boxes with lids to them. We use leaves only for this crop, with the exception of a bit of long manure over the leaves to keep them in their places. Sharp frost here last night rather caught us napping. To-day we are busily engaged protecting Lettuces and Broccoli of the earlier varieties. We have a large qiarter of Broccoli laid on their sides on the prin- ciple that small heads are better than none ; still,. we like covering np with Bracken better, as in that way the size is not diminished, and unless the thermometer falls below zero we are generally safe. We also cover our Spinach with Bracken. It keeps the leaves green. Sharp frosts and sharp Eor'-easters brown all before them. Outside Jlush- room beds are doing well Keep the beds well covered, and if a mat be placed over all it will be found to be a great assistance. During cold weather we only open them once a fortnight, and gather all non-broilers — cups and buttons. Having a large Mushroom house, the daily supply is well maintained; but these indoor-grown Mushrooms, parasols in miniature, are in no way equal to those grown outside. Keep a good supply of all small salads for use during the winter. WORK DONE IN WEEK ENDING DEC. 30, 1881. December 24. Finished staking newly-planled shrubs, also standard Roses. RsTOmmenced trenching Pear ani Rose borders, the Roses bting lifted and heeled in as the work proceeds, and the roots of Pears shortened back, and such as have a tendency to go deep are raised as near the surface as may be without injuring the prospects of next season's fruit crop by shaking the soil too freely from the roots. The manure given to Roses is well decayed stable manure, and to Pears the refuse soil of Vine and P '^rh borders, wood ashes, and a small percentage of ciushcd bones. Swept all walks and roads. Indoor work has been church decoration and a little extra brush up for Christmas. Plants being trimmed up andrearranged to look their best. In previous years we have not had the convenience for flowering plants that we now possess, and though it is still somewhat limited, it is ample to show the great variety and gaiety in the way of flowers and foliage that is possible at Christmas time. Our Strawberry house is filled with zonal Pelalgoniums (double and single) in grand flower. Primulas, Begonia Knowsleyana, and Bouvardias; but unfortunately this arrangement cannot long continue, as Strawberries are more highly prized than flowering plants, and the house must be wholly devoted to their culture a fortnight hence. Meanwhile Strawberry plants are started in frames and on shelves in vineries and Melon houses. In a new plant stove we have arranged Poinsettias in small groups of three each, and dotted here and there Calanthe Veitchi and vestita, Plumbago rosea, Eucharis amazonica, andEuphorbiajacquiniiefiora, the whole, as it were, resting on a groundwork of Ferns in pots. Other Christmas flowers in vineries at rest are Camellias, Tree Carnations, hardy Primroses, Christmas Roses, and Chrysanthemum Meg Merrilies and grandi- florum. December 2(). Today has been about as dull and cold as any day could possibly be, apart from fog or keen frost, hence the work was suited to the weather- straightforward trenching in kitchen garden and excavating and wheeling, necessitated by the making of a new walk ; and here it may be ob- served that in all walk making or repairing we economise the use of gravel very much by making the foundation of ashes and chnkers, than which, all things considered, no tetter foundation is possible, for, not to mention the convenience of getting rid of the ash heap, the walks more quickly dry up than when all gravel is used, and it is very rare indeed (only under the shade of trees) that they ever get green or Moss- grown. The roots grubbed out of the line of walk and wood that was useless as fuel are beirg burnt for the manufacture of potash, an ingredient that in our light sandy and gravelly soil is a most excellent manure for either hardy fruits or vege- tables. Looked over roots and tubers that were lifted and packed closely together in a cool shed, Cannas had their decayed leaves cnt tff to prevent decay descending to the crowns. Marvel of Peru, Salvia patens, and Dahlias had a sprinkle of water, as the leaf-soil and Cocoa fibre in which they are packed had got too dry. Tuberou.s Begonias being extra closely packed in boxes were in good orJer. Fuchsias are starting to grow and need a check, which they will get when potted, as they will be shortly, and afterwards be stood in the coldest place we can find clear of frost. Potted a few tuberous Begonias for eaily flowering in pots and placed them in the Peach house. A few more Hyacinths and Tulips have been taken from the plunging pit and placed for flowering on early vinery shelves, and another batch of Roses, Spirieis, and Rhododendrons has been placed for forcing on the floor of the same house. The syringing once a day which the Vines still have is of great benefit to forcing plants generally, as too is the moisture arising from the bed of leaves and litter on the floor of the house. December 27. Being warmer and very dry, extra ar.d heavy work was deferred in favour of proceeding with trenching up Rose and fruit tree borders, though little of this has been done, for clearing up always takes up the greater portion of Saturday, and to- day has not been an exception. As it was so dry, and therefore easy to sweep, a great part of the lawn was done, and, as a matter of course, walk) too, the looser parts of gravel being rolled. When time can be spared kitchen garden and frame ground also share in the weekly round of tidying up, and to-day both had their turn. Decayed vegetable refuse, the trimmings of Celery, Turnip?, Leeks, prunings from Currant and Gooseberry bushes, and the like all were taken to the rubbish heap, and the walks swept and rolled. Woik in the houses, besides the usual Saturday cleaning, has been the looking over Grapes to cut out bad berries — those still hanging on the Vines as well as those in Grape room. Watered Pines; a few that have been kept extra dry are now showing fruit, and these had sufii- cient to moisten the soil throughout. E arly Peach border (inside) was also given a surface watering ; not more was needed, as only the top dressing of fresh soil— which as yet has not got well consoli- dated— was dry. The trees are syringed at 2 p.m., but this will be discontinued a week hence, as by then the buds will be bursting, and my experience is not favourable to a continuance of syringing when in flower. December 29. Another fine day; made good progress with trenching Rose and fruit tree borders and the pruning of Currants, Gooseberries, and Apples. Cut turf for forming the verges of new walk and carted ashes and gravel for the same. Being mild and very dry, the lights of cold pits containing bedding plants, A'lolets, and Cauliflowers were drawn entirely oflP, ani the opportunity taken to weed, clear the surface soil of Moss, and pick off decaying foliage, and water such as needed it. Strawberry plants on beds of leaves in pits were gone over, and the bot- tom of the pots rubbed with the hand to remove any roots that might be protruding to prevent them rooting into the leaves, which, if allowed, the check from removal of the plants to the Straw- berry house shelves would be considerable, and probably end in a bad "set "of fruit. A few of the forwardest were— till the Strawberry house is available — put on the shelves in the Pine stove and their places filled with others from outside. The plants in flower are gone over daily with a camel's- hair pencil to distribute the pollen. As the sun gets more power and the atmosphere drier, artificial fertilisation is best let alone ; at present it is a necessary part of cultivation. Made a second sowing of Melons. To prevent a lanky growth Jan. 3, 1885.] THE GARDEN 13 the plants from the 6rst sowing are k'ept as near to the glass as is practicable with aflEording them bottom beat at the same time. Also made a sowing of Tomatoes and Cucumbers ; the winter plants of the latter are about done for, and therefore this new sowing must be pushed on rapidly. December 30. Pruning Currants and Gooseberries, a few of the cleanest shoots being saved for cuttings, and for the present they have been heeled in at the foot of a north wall. Trenching in kitchen garden, lajing turf verges for new walk in plea- sure grounds, carting ashes and gravel for the same, dug up and potted more Seakale and put others in heat to force. Was-hed lights of fruiting Pine pit ; being movable, a mat can be tacked over as each light is taken off ; they can thus have a more thorough washing than it done on the house. The syringe being plied with full force whilst the light rests sideways, every particle of dirt can be got out of the laps. Washing plants. Gardenias and Stephanotis, has been our principal indoor work to-day. Hants. Indoor Garden. WINTER WORK FOR FLORISTS. Those who have glasshouses will be sure to find plenty to do in winter, but there are others who have only glass frames in which they shelter the more tender of their flowers. Auriculas are suffi- ciently hardy to re>ist frosts, but the changeable- ness of our climate does them harm. Sleet, snow, rain, and frost often succeed each other in the course of a week, and the delicate organisms of the plants are thereby sorely tried. What we require to ensure the health of the plants in winter and the perfect development of their tissues in spring is light and dryness. There are amply provided for in a cold fiame. Auriculas should now be arranged on a stage near the glass, and the plants should be peifectly free from insect pests. Green fly must be removed by fumigating. The woolly aphis, which is to be found attached to the roots, can only be destroyed by turn- ing the plants out of their pots, and washing it off the roots with soft soapy water. It is not desirable to do this in winter, but I fancy if the plants are left out in the frames to be frozen through and through, it is possible that the aphis will not be able to resist the influence of the frost. Surely such insects cannot live after being frozen. They evidently do not like frost, as they retire under ground on its first appearance. Carnations and Picotees are alo wintered in cold frames ; they do not sustain injury from the most intense frosts, but it is necessary to have the plants well established and in a healthy condition. They were potted, say, in the first week of October. Placed in cold frames at that time, they soon be- came established under close treatment. Except to attend to watering them as they require it, no other attention will be needed until December ; then look over the plants, remove dead and decay- ing leaves, stir up the soil, and if they receive the ordinary attention of removing the lights in fine weather and watering only when water is required, they may remain quiet unlil potting time, which is about the end of February or the beginning of March. In bad weather the plants can be carried into the potting shed or any spare room where the work may be performed leisurely. It does not answer to be in a hurry, as valuable specimens may snap over with rough handling. The frames containing Auriculas and Carna- tions may also include the stock of laced Polyan- thuses. The«e old-fashioned favourites seem to batfle the skill of the most careful cultivators. Except at Manchester, I have never seen them so well grown anywhere as near Newcastle-on-Tyne. Mr. Henry Saunderson, of Whalton, used to be passionately fond of them, and I have never seen such wonderful examples of culture as he exhibited at one of the Newcastle exhibitions ; George IV. (Back) was of surpassing excellence. His p'an was tc grow two sets of plants, one in pots and another in the open ground ; he considered that pot culture, even for part of the year, was injurious. The late Mr. Tom Mellor, a Manchester grower, used to grow them well planted out in a frame The lights could be removed night and day if ne- cessary, but they could also be placed over the plants at a moment's notice. This system of culture is also practised by Mr. Brockbank at Didsbury, and he seems to have improved on Mellor's culture. The plants are grown in ordinary frames, planted out in rich soil, and are possessed of extraordinary vigour. If it is intended to exhibit any of the plants, they are taken up and carefully potted when in bloom. Seedlings grow with greater vigour than named varieties, and it is always interesting to have a small quantity of them . They will flower out-of-doors, and can be selected from the beds on which they were planted the previous summer. Chrysanthemums may also be included in the class of hardy florists' flowers. I do not intend to say much about their culture out-of-doors, but it is certain that, with good cultivation and careful training and disbudding at the right time, the results will be very satisfactory. This year I noticed in the middle of November a good show of Chrysanthemum blooms out-of-doors, and the sight was all the more remarkable because a small collection of Dahlias was flowering in conjunction with them. They are too easily grown; therefore they are allowed to take their chanpe in borders, remaining in the same position year after year; under such conditions the flowers are very poor indeed, The plants exhaust the ground the firot season, owing to the large masses of roots which are formed by them, and require renewal by means of cuttings annually, and here we arrive at winter work in frames. The cuttings should be put in some time during December, root suckers being the best. Each cutting should be inserted in a small pot, and they ought all to be plunged in a frame until the end of .lanuary ; any of them not rooted by that time should be plunged in a hotbed, where they will soon form roots. It is often diiEcult to obtain cuttings of some varieties owing to their shyness in forming root suckers. Those that do not start into growth should be placed in a hotbed, which will accele- rate the production of cuttings. It is necessary to keep the frames rather close where the cutting pots are placed, and this favours the production of mould and decay of portions of the leaves; these decaying spots should be removed before they quite destroy the young plant or cutting. J. Douglas. SHORT NOTES.— INDOOR. IJnum trltrynum, grown in a cold pit all the SBminer and brought ou in an intermeniate temperature during November, is now flowering freely. Its goUltn flowers are very acccDtable at this time of year. Its greatest fault is that the flowers do not hang long on the plants.— J. C. C. Double flower on Lapegerla.— Planted outin the corridor here is a large plant « f Lapageria ro^ea which has been flowering in abunilance, throwing out several triplet blooms, also one large double flower. Will someone kindly tell me if the latter is an uncommon occurrence, or if the plant is likely to do the same next year?-S. ,S , Waitham dali, Griffisby. F ippeastrumf Ama'-ylUs) auUcum.— Mr, Douglas (p, 472) says this is the wrong lime of the year for Amaryl- lises to flower. Surely he does not include H. aulicum, which with us only flowers at this season. We have three bulbs in a 6-)uch pot that have three spikes in flower. I'os ibly "Enquirer's" Ama'ylli^es have never betn pro- perly ripened, hence their imperfection. — Constant Reader. 6293 Zlcc potp,— In leply to " Inquirer " (p. 612), I should wash out the zinc pots with strong hot soda water, as zinc when new often ha-s a greasy surface. We have here a Cissus discolcr growing in a zinc pot a little plant potted ahout eiahleon months since and now it runs up a pillar 15 feet high and extends 15 feet more each way. It would have gone much further but for the ends of ttie house. It was very iretly all last summer. - Robert Feisbt, Warden Hall, Preston. Potting Lilies.— Like others, I have fount that food for the stem ri ots might as well be given at first as sub- sequently, but then I pot Lilies twice, so to tpeak. When the stems are about 3 inches high, I drop the pots into oihTs two or three sizes larger. I fill in between the pots with a compost of loam, peat, and bones, let'ing it get well up the stems. This new comp^ st becomes filled with toots which give increased vigour to the plants.— CHARLE3 E, Magill, DaUjuise, Monkstown, Dublin. Gesnera macrantha. — This is now con- spicuous even among the showy class to which it belongs, owing to the brightness of its blossoms. It forms a large fleshy tuber, which, if rested after flowering, starts into growth about Novem- ber and pushes up stout succulent stems, the latter furnished with pale green foliage and ter- minated by a cluster of bright velvety, vermilion- coloured flowers. The whole plant ii densely covered with hairs. It is easily grown, and from the fact of its flowering at this time of the year is especially valuable. — T, 5295.— Vlolets.-In reply to •' V. M." (Vol. XXVI,, p. 512), allow me to say that I admit air freely whenever possible during the day, but keep the frames closed at night. T have both Marie Louise and Neapolitan flowering profusely at the present time, and my plants are very healthy and free from mildew. I keep these plants quite close to the glass, and feel convinced they do better thus than at a distance from it. The great diffi- culty which I experience in growing Violets is caused by slugs eating the blossoms, and if any reader of The Garden would kindly give me any information as to the best way to prevent this, I should feel greatly obliged. — Waltir P. In answer to "V. M.'s " inquiry, permit me to say that Marie Louise Violets should have all the air possible by drawing off the lights whenever the outdoor thermometer indicates 40° or upwards, except during heavy rains, when the lights should be tilted at the back. They should always be arranged close to the glass, and in severe weather they must be securely protected from frost. If in a sunny position mildew will not affect them, and they will continue to bloom freely from autumn to spring.— W. C. T. Centropogon Lucyanus. — As a persistent winter-flowering stove plant but few equal this; some specimens here that commenced to open their showy carmine-coloured blossoms in October have flowered continuously ever since and appear likely to last good for another couple of months. Besides its value as a flowering specimen, it is also useful for cutting from, as its clusters of blossoms can be readily secured with a good length of stem, which for the decoration of vases and such purposes is greatly in its favour. As this Centropogon is of easy culture, it should certainly be grown wherever winter flowers are in demand.— H. P. "White Lauruetinus under glass.— This is a variety of liaurustinus in which the flowers, when grown under glass, are entirely devoid of that reddish tinge which is common in the ordi- nary form. It is a very desirable plant for green- house decoration in winter; the only thing needed is protection from frost to have it in bloom for several months, and when no longer required it can be placed outside, care being taken during the summer to keep it supplied with water. Though but little seen in this country, this white varitty of Laurustinus is grown on the Continent for flowering under glass, and imported from there to a limited extent generally in the shape of small standards, which, though pretty when in full flower, have a somewhat formal appearance. They, however, look well when judiciously intermixed with other plants. — Alpha. Rubus roesefoUus ooronarlue.— Though several times mentioned in The Garden as a desirable winter- flowering plant, this Bramble nevertheless seems to be grown in but limited numbers. Its cultivation would, however, be greatly extended were it better known, as in the shape of small bushes studded with miniature double Rose-like pure white blossoms, it is at once singled out as a plant of especial merit. This Bramble differs from the generality of Brambles, inasmuch as it forms a small upright bush or rather clump, owing to the profusion in which suckers are produced. The stems are thickly studded with spines, and clothed with pale green Rose-like foliage, while the flowers are borne in great profusion. It is nearly if not quite hardy in this country, but as it blooms at this season, it is, of course, seen to greatest advantage when 14 THE GARDEN [Jan. 3, 1885. grown under glass ; indeed, a temperature above that of an ordinary greenhouse is most conducive to its full development. During summer it can be grown out-of-doors (either planted out or con- fined to pots), the principal thing to guard against then being red spider, to which it is liable. It is readily increased either by means of rooted suckers, or, where required in quantity, by cuttings made of the roots.— T. Justiclaspeoiosa.— " II P." (p. 471) praises this Justicia for its decorative value, and no doubt it is a useful plant, but in no way equal to Cyr- tanthera magnifioa, which is very like it, but of a better habit and foliage, besides which it may be had in bloom at any time of the year. The treat- ment necessary to flower it during the winter is to strike cuttings late in summer or autumn, and grow them on in heat, and if bigger plants are required, the old cut-back ones should be saved, and, after having a short rest, shaken out and re- potted again. If "H. P." has not made the acquaintance of this Cyrtanthera, I would advise him to get it, and I think, if he does, he will be quite willing to discard the Justicia. — S. D. Spiraea palmata for forcing.—" W," (p. 409) associates this with S. japonica, and states that they are two of the most useful plants for forcing, but that, though the one is well adapted for bringing on early, to attempt to force S. palmata much would spoil it, as it is very im- patient of heat. This " W.' seems aware of, for after making the above assertion he goes on to remark that if S. japonica is placed in a warm house, leaves and flowers are soon produced in abundance, but if S. palmata be subjected to the same treatment, it is almost certain to prove un- satisfactory. The only way I have ever found this lovely plant to do really well is by taking it up early and potting without disturbing the ball or roots any more than could be helped, and after that, stan&ing it in a cold frame with a covering of half-rotten leaves over the crowns. Under this treatment they come on slowly and almost naturally, as all the warmth they get is that from keeping the lights close till the young leaves begin to show through, after which the plants will gradually bear a little more heat till they come into bloom. — S. Double Violets — Everyone possessing a garden of any ordinary size should certainly make a point of growing one or more of the following kinds, viz, : King of Violets, Queen of Violets (double white), Venice, Marie Louise, and Nea- politan. Their culture is simple and ine.xpensive, and nothing suspasses them for a button-hole bouquet resting on a leaf of the scented Crow's- foot Geranium. Good strong plants can be ob- tained in 5-inch pots at any large nursery. All last year's plants should be replanted and divided in May in deeply dug manured soil, choosing a north border, or, failing that, any damp shady position will do. Never allow them to want for water, or they will soon be infested with red spider, their worst enemy. Plant them about a foot apart each way, and allow them to remain undisturbed till October. By that time Cucumber and Melon frames and pits will be at liberty, and from these remove the old soil and substitute a fibrous yellow loam, laying the rough pieces or turves in first as drainage. The plants should then be lifted from the border with as much soil adhering to them as possible, and planted 9 inches or a foot apart in these pits or frames, bearing in mind that the nearer the glass they are planted the better. Therefore the frames must be filled with soil to within 4 inches from the top. If the weather is bright they must be kept close and shaded till they get established, which they will be in two or three days provided they are well watered when planted and syringed early each morning. When once established the lights had better remain off during mild weather in the day- time, as they require all the air they can get, but on no acct'unt must they be allowed to suiier from frost, and the way to prevent this is to keep the sides of the frames lined with manure, leaves, or other litter. The glass must be kept covered with mats, and on these should be put a coat of litter. As soon as a thaw sets in these mats mast be removed and a little air given to the plants. Runners may be allowed to remain, as they flower a little later on, as well as the parent plants. Watering must be attended to carefully to keep them in a growing condition, and they should not be allowed to become dust dry.— E. Lincoln. Fruit Garden. PRUNING OUr-DOOR VINES. OuT-DOOK Vines, as a rule, are sadly neglected, especially in regard to pruning; well managed there can be no doubt as to the possibility of ripening good crops of tlie hardiest kinds of Grapes on south walls every year, and duringsuch summers as the last they are ripened in perfec- tion, but it would be unreasonable to expect out- door Vines to produce anything more than leaves and unripened fruit if sun heat never gets to the wall on account of a crowd of useless foliage. Winter pruning, instead of being simply removing the summer growth, ought to te a tho- rough pruning out of all exhausted wood and the retention of the best ripened canes of the current year for replacing those cut out. This is a good time to get such work done. If mild weather pre- vails with the lengthening days, the sap gets ex- cited and bleeding follows, thus weakening the Vines considerably. The best course to afic pt is to always prune as soon after the fall of the leaf as possible. The best mode of training out-door Vines is to lead a main shoot right and left about 1 foot from the ground, and from this to train up young shoots about 2 feet apart for bearing; this will allow space for the fruiting shoots to lie close to the wall, which will, moreover, not be so densely covered with foliage as to exclude the sun's rays from warming the bricks. On this depends much of the success attendirg the undertaking, as it is the latent heat absorbed by the bricks during sunshine and given off again at night tbat helps the crop to ripen. Dis- budding should also receive attention. This should be done directly the buds swell sufficiently to see which are the most promising ; it is sheer waste of force to allow more shoots to grow, even for a short time, than are really needed ; one shoot to a spur is plenty, and one bunch to a shoot ought to be the rule. Remove the others directly they are visible, then stop the growing point of all the bearing shoots at one joint beyond the bunch, ex- cept the leading shoots that may be allowed to extend to the top of the wall. Fasten the shoots by tying if the wall is wired, or by nails and shreds if not. As soon as the fruit is set and swelling thin out the berries according to the variety. Small-berried Sweetwaters do not need so much thinning as Black Hamburghs and similar kinds, but it iswrcng to leave them so thick as they usually are. Keep all lateral shoots pinched in close ; it is the large leaves on the fruit-bearing shoots that are the ones to take care of. Keep them clean by washing them well with the garden engine or syringe after hot days, and give the roots plenty of liquid manure when the berries are swelling. It these simple rules are adhered to, fine bunches of at least 1 lb. each may be thoroughly ripened in our average summers of the following sorts — viz , White Sweetwater, Royal Muscadine, Black Hamburgh, Foster's Seedling, .Miller's Burgundy, Black Cluster, and Esperione. I have seen good crops of out-door Grapes year after year in old-fashioned gardens. Success is simply a question of attention to trifling details in the way of culture. J. G. Hants. Good Pears for late districts. We have a very unfavourable locality for Pears and Apples here in Yorkshire, very few of the later kinds of Pears ripening annually on bush or standard trees ; but when we have a crop, the va- riety named Beurre d'Amanlis is the best. This season it has been grand on low bushes, the fruit being much finer than any other sDrt and well ripened. It is in season here in October, and is then without doubt one of the most delicious Pears one can eat. I can strongly recommend it for cul- ture in late districts as being a dependable sort. Our examples are above the average size, being quite as large as some of the finest examples of Jersey Pears, notwithstanding that the tree was root-pruned in February last. Beurre d'Amanli.", Napoleon, Louise Bonne, Marie Louise, and Beurie Diel are the only kinds that have borne well here this season. The Marie Louise is, indeed, almost afail-me-never kind on old trees on walls facing the south. The number of useless varieties of Pears as well as Apples that are planted in mostly all gardens, and which rarely or never produce fruits which are fit to eat, is great. Many of the so-called hardy varieties are not hardy, and are useless for planting. Hence, no one should plant without first looking round the best fruit gardens near where they live, and making a note of those kinds which can be depended upon. A Pear congress should be our next consideration. — W. APPLE NOTES FROM ELVASTOX. One of the richest soils adapted for the growth of fruit trees is that of the shallow vale of the Derwent, and the best known name in the district as a fruit grower is that of Mr. Goodacre, of The Gardens, Elvaston Castle. His Grapes, which are always hard to beat, are grown with little or no manure compared with the copious feeding of other successful growers. But the greatest proof of the nutritious power of the soil that I saw was a Marie Louise Pear tree planted against a lofty wall, one of the four supporting a tank or reservoir of water. The height of this tree is out of all proportion to its breadth, being fully 50 feet high. Since it has only been planted five years, and was at the time of planting 5 feet high, the annual growth has averaged 9 feet per annum. The side branches are horizontally trained at a distance of a foot apart. And this year, although at its present alti- tude it ha< to bear all the cutting power and bitterness of the winds, six shoots on either side suitable for nailing have been produced. Mr. Goodacre was not an exhibitor at the Chiswick Apple Conference, albeit he has under his charge a collection of 200 varieties, and the majority of his trees are well established and at their best. The pyramidal growth of the standard Pear trees is symmetrical in the extreme ; however, there is no lack of young and vigorous wood, which shows that there is no need of a constant hacking into shape. Indeed, it is somewhat remarkable to notice how the young shoots in many cases take their places voluntarily as if they knew what was expected of them. This cur- sory mention of pruning recalls to my memory the method adopted with the Apricots. Some of the trees at Elvaston are cankered and others are as healthy as possible. The healthy trees are never winter pruned, but only have the growth checked by summer pinching. From this experiment it seems conclusive that in a rich soil with a cold climate Apricots should never be touched with a knife in the winter. If a dying shoot be bisected, the heart is always the most decayed and looks as if an icy chill had penetrated like a stab. That the climate is cold is proved by the tardy ripening of the Apples. Newtown Pippins on a south wall bear well, but the colour of the fruit is very dif- ferent from that of American grown specimens. Good late dessert fruits are Baron Ward, Wheeler's Kusset, Irish Crofton, and Cornish Aromatic. The last mentioned variety was better in quality from this soil than I have ever tasted it, and was one of the best flavoured Apples grown. Mr. Goodacre stated that it was a heavy and sure bearer, and kept well until the month of June. For this dis- trict it ought to be largely planted, as it is also a handsome and saleable Apple. Blenheims, on the other hand, although large and well coloured, are not so good in quality as in other districts. The Irish Crofton, although small, is another most desirable and very late dessert kind. Other sorts that are sure bearers in this district, and there- fore, perhaps, hardy varieties suitable for orchard Jan. 3, 1885.J THE GARDEN 15 culture, are Queen Caroline (Spencer's Favourite)' Caudwell, and Winter Pearmain. Lord Lennox is another fertile and late keeping dessert Apple of a very taking appearance. Although fair in quality, it is inferior to the Cornish Aromatic. C. A. JI. C. American Mother Apple. — Several growers with whom I am acquainted speak highly of this remarkably handsome dessert Apple. Some of the best examples of it I have seen were grown by Mr. J. Davey, gardener to Mr. Carver, Bridge- water, and it has figured conspicuously in several prize-winning collections of Apples this season. The fruits are of good medium size, conical in shape, very highly coloured, this season especially, and possess a peculiarly distinct and plea&iug flavour. Altogether it may be said to be one of the best flavoured and handsomest Apples in sea- son during October and November. I have seen it particularly good on pyramid trees, and it suc- ceeds well on a heavy soil — W. I. M. Walburton Admirable Peach,— A good late Peach is as much a desideratum with lovers of Peaches as a good early one. The fault of most late I'eaches is that they are dry, mealy, and flavourless. The old Walburton Admirable has none of these faults, and under glass it ripens with us at the end of September, and is in use in October ; outdoors it is of course considerably later. The fruit is large, pale coloured, juicy and rich. It is in fi.ct one of the best Peaches to eat that I know of. The tree is also a good grower and a wonderfully free bearer, considering the large size of the fruit. All late Peaches should be well exposed to the sun to promote colour and flavour, as late in the year the sun's power is on the wane, and unless the leaves are pushed back from the fruit, the flavour will not be goad. — S. Victoria Nectarine,— This Nectarine has been referred to more thau once in these pages for its general excellence. Its best point is that, whether forced early or grown in the late house, it is probably the most prolific of all Nectarines. A comparatively young tree here, about seven years from the graft, and not allowed to extend as much as it would have done had it had room, bore close upon twenty dozen fruit this autumn. An older tree of the same variety in the early house has borne during the past three years, in May and June, just about one hundred dozen, and good crops previous to that every season. The fruit is large and of first-rate quality. It is not a variety I recommend for very late cropping, as the fruit does not then ripen so well. For a crop any time between May and September, it is, howjver, to be depended on.— J. S. SHORT NOTES.— FRVJT. Fig Dauphlne d'Arg=>nteutl.— I was so much struck by the size and excellence of Lliis Fip:, as I saw it sliowii and grown at Paris, that I secured plants uf it, which I have now grown for sevenal years, and my opinion is that it is ona of the best vai'ieties for either early or late work. It is of large size, a most prolific bearer, and of exeellent fiavonr.— J. S. WronKly-named fruit, tress. -It is a fact that nurserymen do not pay sufficient attention to keeping their trees correctly named. I have had Bleidieim Orange from two different nurseries, but neither is the right sort. I o dered three trees of the Worcester Pearmain, and they have a 1 turned out to be wrong. Four years ago I ordered a tree of Doyenn^ d'Etd Pear; this season it fruited and proved to be Doyenn6 du Cornice. Under su<.h cii-cum- stances what are we to do ?— J. C. C. Gros Colman Grape.— When referred to lately in The Garden, this is called Gros Colmar. In the "I'ruit Manual " and in cafalng.ies it is Colmtn. On what autho- rity is the change made ?— R. P. Williams, Clon'arf, Dublin. *»* According tj Barron's "Vines and Vine Culture," Gros Colman is the correct spelling of the name of this variety, Gros Colmar and Gros Golman being synonyms, Gros Golmao Is the name given in Leroy's catalogue in 1860 ; Gros Colmar in that of Jacquerinet-Bonuefont, of Annonay, in 1853; while in tint of De Bavay for 1S52 it is called Gros Colman. In Germany it has been known for many years as Gros Kblner, and it is of this name that the French Gros Colman or Golman and Gros Colmar are cor- ruptions.— ED. Fertility of young Vines, —Amateurs and others now know that Vines one year old will pro- duce a good crop of fruit, but the idea still com- monly prevails that in the case of permanent Vines, several years, perhaps from four to six, must elapse before they can be brought into a full bearing state. This is a delusion. It is not un- common now to meet with vineries that have been filled with Vine rods the first year, cropped the next, and constantly in succe3ding years. This is accomplished by growing good canes the first season, ripening them well, leaving them the full length of the rafter at pruning time, and cropping them jadiciously their whole length from the first, never cutting them back. We have a number of Vines that have been bearing for years in this way, one in particular having a bearing length of cane of about 45 feet, the produce of two years, and now bearing equally as fine a crop as it did the first year. The Vine is six years old, and has pro- duced five full crops of fruit. Another Vine we have produced a cane of the length of 13 feet last year, and has this season torne close upon 20 lbs. of finely finished Grapes. Had the whole vinery, 50 feet long, been filled in the same way, a crop of some 400 lbs, would have been the result from Vines that were not in existence at the beginning of 188.S. Of late a good many examples of this kind have been brought forward. They serve to show those desirous of growing Grapes that, provided they start fair and in time the first year, they need not wait long for good crops of fruit. — S. J. OM Vines and young -wood —The ques- tion of how long a Vine will continue to yield good crops, or rather when it may be termed worn out, is not very easily settled ; we find many Vines healthy and prolific at fifty years of age, while others are grubbed up as useless at a much earlier date. The Vine, if it only gets rational treatment, is unquestionably long lived, and I feel sure that if two Vines were planted for experiment — one in an artificially prepared border and under glass, the other in the poorest soil out of doors — the one under glass kept closely pruned on the orthodox spur system and the outdoor one allowed to extend, that the latter would be hale and vigorous long after the other had been grubbed up as use- less ; yet the one under glass has had the advan- tage of more thoroughly perfected wood, but the close pruning without extension acts in- jariously on the roots, and new wood promotes root action to such an extent that I have no hesitation in saying that many a set of Vines cut out as useless would fill the house in half the time that young ones would do if care were taken to replace the old rods with young ones. I have lately been trying the plan of getting an entirely new set of roi3s on old Vines without any loss of crop. I simply cut oif all spurs at the lowest part of the old rods to make way for the young rod?, so that while the old rods furnish the top of the house and bear fruit the young rods occupy the base, and in about three seasons the old rods may be entirely removed. My own impression is that the best system of pruning is to remove a certain number of rods every year and start an equal number of young ones to replace them. — J. G. H. Pruning Peaches. — The Peach being accom- modating in habit has led to its being trained and pruned in a variety of ways. The tree bears on the wood of the previous year, and mainly along the sides of the young shoots, which run from 2 feet to 4 feet in length on healthy trees. Spurs are produced on the older wood, which are also fruit- tul, but the last year's shoots produce the main crop. The fertility of the Peach may be judged from the fact that a young tree, two or three years old, if it has been allowed to grow, will produce as many as ten or twenty thousand fruit buds, and leaf buds besides. It can easily be seen in the autumn previous whether fruit buds are present or not, and the prospects of a crop may be certainly ascertained then, provided the conditions are favourable when the flowers expand. In fairly vigorous trees, which are not gross nor yet weak, the fruit buds are produced in pairs, one on each side of every fruit bud, and sometimes in over- fertile trees the leaf buds are also converted into fruit buds. Some varieties are more addicted to the production of fruit buds than others, often not showing any leaf buds except at the bases and points of the shoots. Such shoots will not bear cutting back, because, unless the shoot is cut at a leaf bud, it will die back to where there is one. The same thing happens also when leaf buds have dropped prematurely from any cause, which often happens. Seeing, therefore, that the shoots of the current year are the shoots that bear the crop the year following, the cultivator should take care always to lay in a supply of these all over the tree, but no more than can be well matured by full exposure to light and air, and in pruning in winter the best of them should be left. In fact, the Peach and Nectarine are like the Morello Cherry in habit, and, when grown as a standard, need the same treatment, except that the shoots should be thinned out by disbudding at an early stage.— W. Grapes colouring best in shade.— The interesting account of Grape culture given by Mr. Allan (p. 491) would appear conclusive as to the best coloured Grapes being those grown in the deepest shade, for in the system of training adopted by Mr. Church it would be impossible for any direct sunlight to reach the lower portion of the Vines, on which the blackest Grapes were pro- duced ; the most imperfectly coloured bunches in the house were, Mr. Allan says, those on the tie rods that received most sunlight. The practice, therefore, of thinning out the foliage to admit light and air to assist colouring must be a doubt- ful experiment. It may do for Muscats and other yellow Grapes, but for black fruit I think it will be generally admitted that a good covering of foliage is the best to ensure high colour. Last season I took a long rod of a Black Hamburgh through a partition into a house with a north aspect. This was glazed with Hartley's rolled plate glass, and therefore the sun's rays were much broken before they reached the foliage, yet the Grapes coloured so well, that I should have no hesitation in planting Vines in north-aspect houses, except for the loss of the heating power of the sun. The instance given by Mr. Allan of the possibility of growing heavy crops of Grapes on what may be termed the vineyard system may, I should think, be turned to good account by growers for market.— J. G,, Hants. Crittenden Cluster Damson— Although this useful fruit is largely grown in Kentish or- chards, it is by no means so well known as its merits would lead one to expect, and as the plant- ing season has now arrived, this kind should be planted largely. It is not only one of the best of market kinds, but also invaluable for private gar- dens, as Damsons come into use at a time when the majority of fruits are over, and it is not of such a perishable character as the larger kinds of Plums. By careful management it may be made to extend the season for fresh fruits very considerably, for if the Damsons are gathered when they will no longer hang on the trees and spread out thinly in a dry, cool shed, they will keep plump and fresh for at least three weeks or a month. There is little trouble involved in growing this excellent fruit, for the trees will thrive in any fairly good soil, but they should be carefully pruned. In Kent, where heavy crops of this kind are grown, the young trees are gone over every winter; the long shoots of the current year's growth are shortened to at least half their length, and this induces the formation of dense clusters of fruitful spurs, that in due time produce such clusters of fruit that the branches look like solid lumps of Damsons, so tightly are they pressed together. Although I am no advocate for unne- cessary pruning, I must say that pruned Damsons are far more fruitful, take one year with another, than those allowed to grow unrestricted. I there- fore feel confident that anyone growing this kind and shortening the young growths as described will not have to wait long before they are con- vinced that Crittenden Damsons on the restrictive system are a decided acquisition. — J. Geoom Gos])ort, * IG THE GARDEN [Jan. 3, 1885. NOTES OF THE WEEK. Hose thow fixtures for 1885. -Canterbury, Jul;- £7 ■ irystal Palace, .July 4; National Rose society's show at 'south Kensington, July 7; Sutton, July 8; National Rose .Society,' Manchesttr, Ju'y 11. Rosewood trees are found in South Ame- rica and in the East Indies and neighbouring islands. There are, saya the Augh-American Times half a-dozen kinds. The name is not taljen from the colour of the wood, as is generally sup- posed, but by reason of a Rose-like fragrance which it possesses when first cut. Some of the trees grow so large, that planks 4 feet broad and 10 feet in length can be cut from them. The broad planks are principally used to make tops for pianofortes. The Rose-wood tree is remarkable for its beauty. Such is its value in manufactures as an ornamental wood, that some of the forests where it once grew abundantly have now scarcely a single specimen New plantations have been set out, so that the supply will not become ex- hausted. The exhibitions of the National Auricula Society and National Carnation and Picotee So- ciety (southern section) will be held by arrange- meiit with the council of the Royal Horticultural Society, in the gardens of the Society at S. Kensing- ton—the Auricula on April 2 1 , and the Carnation and Picotee on July 28 April 21 is not a committee day of the Royal Horticultural Society, and an effort was made to fix the exhibition for April 28, but failed owirg to that date having been pre- viously appropriated by the council of the Royal Botanic Society of Manchester. A meeting of the committee of both societies will be held by permission in the Conservatory, at South Kensing- ton, on Tuesday, January 13. Immediately after the various committees have completed their work the principal business will be to pass the rules for exhibitors, and to arrange and sanction the printing of Echedules for 1885. Bananas.— Much money, says the Anyh- Amcrican 'i'iiiiis.ie being invested by Americans in fruit culture outside the United States. One New York firm planted a large area in Jamaica with Bananas ; another, an estate in Boca del Toro; a third, the Honduras Tropic Fruit Plant- ing Co., at Tela, at a cost of iH.OuO Three hundred acres of Bananas are under cultivation, and this year there will be 700 acres more, which will yield 15,000 bunches a month, enough to keep a fair-sized steamer employed in transporting the fruit. Three other companies are planting by the Bluefielils River, inNicaiagua, and two companies have been formed in New Orleans to begin next February. All the land along the Bluefields is taken up, for Banana culture has been found very profitable. Royal Horticultural Society.— Below are the dates of the promenade, pUnt, and flower thows to be held in the conservatory during the present year; Tuesday, March 10, 24, and April 14, promenade show; April 21, National Auricula Society's show ; April 28 and May 12, promenacJe show ; May 2G, show of pot Roses, Azaleas, &(,'. ; Jane 9, show of Orchids, &c.; June 23, show of Pelargoniums, &c. ; Jnly 7, National Rose Society'* show— Roses; July 14, show of plants and flowers; Jnly 28, National Carnation and Picotee Society's show and show of Begonias, &c. ; August 11 and Wednesday, August 12, show of planti and flowers; Tuesday, September 8, and Wednes- day, September 9, show of Dahlias, Grapes, &c. ; Tuesday, October 13. Wednesday, October 14, and Thursday, October 15, show of fruitand vegetables. Fruit and floral meetings will be held on Tues- days.at 11 a m.— January 13, February 10, March 10 and 24, April 14 and 28, May 12 and 28. June 9 and 23, July 14 and 28, Anpust 11 and 25; September 8, October 13 and 27, November 10, December 8. As a complete protection from slugs it is thoroughly effective. The saucers were made for me in the spring by Mr. W. Allen, of the lienthall Potteries, near here, from a design made by my eldest son, and are identical with the design patented by Mr. Knight. I have also had in use for some years a double flowerpot. The space between the inner and outer pot being filled with water keeps the contents of the inner pot uni- formly moist, whilst drainage from the bottom is secured in the usual way. I believe that Mes.srs. Backhouse and Son, of York, were the first to use this form of flower-pot. For the culture of deli- cate alpines, which are liable to injury by hot sun and drought, I find the double water-cased pot very fuccessful. — Geobge Maw, Bentliall Ball, near BroseUy. PLANTS IN FLOWER; have been subjected, would greatly iojure them This practice is carii^d out in the case of all forced bulbs, which come in useful for permanent planting in borders, on the Grass, or in the many suitable spots that can be found for them. — H. P. Cattleya doloaa— A twin-flowered spike of this beautiful and rare Cattleya has been sent to us by Sir Alexander Ramsey, of Cheltenham. The flowers much resemble those of the better known and common C. bulbosa, or Walkeriana as it is a' so called, but they arc larger, more sweetly scented, and the colour, a rose-purple, is deeper and richer. Sir Alexander has had his plant three years, and consists of twenty-ot:e bulbs. It is indeed a most beautiful Orchid, and particularly desirable, inasmuch as it habitually flowers in winter and is dwarf and neat in growth. Lsella alblda bella.— Of this lovely Orchid a glorious spike, the finest we have seen, has been sent to us by Captain Hopegood from Ferniebank, Bridge of Allan. The plant from which the spike was cut bore three others, the whole carrying no fewer than 39 blossoms, which on the plant must have been a beautiful sight. This fine specimen is similar to those which we frequently receive from Captain Hopegood's neighbour. Dr. Paterson, who sent just before Christmas a beautiful gather- ing of choice Orchids, consisting of the follow- ing : Maxillaria lepidota, Cattleya maxima. Back- house's variety ; Vanda ccerulea. Sir Trevor Law- rence's variety ; Masdevallia tovarensis, Masdevallia ignea (Dr. Paterson's variety). Masdevallia ama- bilis, La!lia anceps Barkeri, Lailia ancepi Hillia- na, Coelogyne baibata, Odontoglossum Uro- Skinneri, a very fine dark variety ; a Zjgopetalum Mackayi, Dr. Patersons variety, with large highly- coloured flowers ; Oncidium pra^textnm. SclUas at Christmas. — It does not jeem to be generally known that the beautiful little Scilla sibirica can be had in full bloom by Christ- mas as readily as the Due Van Thol Tulip, and under much the same treatment. Here it is greatly valued for early forcing, as it supplies a colour but little represented, the brilliant blue of its blossoms associating well with the scarlet flowers of the Tulip and the pure white bells of the Lily of the Valley. If removed from the forcing house as soon as the flowers open and placed in a green- bouse temperature, this Squill will remain a long time in flower, provided the atmosphere is not too moist. In button-hole bouquets its spikes of blue bells are much appreciated Bulbs of this Scilla are received from Holland along with our annual consignments of Dutch bulbs. I hey are potted pretty thickly together in C-inch pots, the soil used being of a rich loamy character. After pot- ting they are set on a sheltered spot, given a tho- rough watering, and then covered with coal ashes, in which condition they remain till the roots get into active operation. About the middle of No- vember the first batch is removed into tlie forcing house, in which flowers are quickly developed. In common with most bulbs forced early into bloom, this Scilla often fails to push up its flower-spikes sufficiently for the lower blossoms to show them- selves. Should such a thing appear likely to happen, invert a pot over them for a few days, thus keeping them in darkness, or nearly so, and under this treatment the flower-stems will become sufiiciently elongated. When done blooming we 5291.— Double Tuberoses.— In rep'y to " W. C," we would say that Tuberoses may be had in succession by potting the tubers in February, March, and April, and plunging them in a cold frame, covering them 4 inches deep with Cocoa- nut fibre refuse, but they start a little more quickly and with greater certainty in a gentle bottom-heat. Loam and well-decayed manure in about equal parts, with a little coarse river sand, is the most suitable compost in which to grow them. The pots may be taken out of the framo as soon as the flower-stems appear above the leaves, removed to a greenhouse, and taken into the forcing pit as required, to be in perfection in October and November.— Carter, Bigli Bolbom. LATE NOTES. CEnoiheraDrummondi. — In ailisus'd hol'owon the lElaud of Trt-sco this (E' otliera has spre-^d (f itsoan ac- cord and laused an unattractive spot to pi tw with colour. By means of a screen * f trees such fiips in the ground can be adequately sh;lte:ed — C. A. M. C. Odontoa'losBuin cri^pum.- 1 have a plant of thi benring a spike nearly 3 ft et long, having niue br.inches and nof:wer than seventy blossom'. 1 hive also several others hearing branching spiltes having from twenty to thirty blooms. Has anyone had a greater number than seventy bkoma on a spike? — EY. AIcCrowe, Bell vu , Coik. Chou da Burghley Cabbage.-If Gilbe-t's Inl- versal Savoy is anyihing like his Chou de Burghley Cab- bage, the sooner he seinls it out the better. We think the Chou de Burghley the best Cabbage grown, and nothing else is Usei here as long as it lasts. We shall make several si>wini!8 of it next season, fo as to prolong the season durirg which it can be used. — X. H. T. Conifer insects (/•'. K ).— Your C'onif-i-s are not attacked by a fungu«, but by one of the Aphididte, or pla'.t lice, probably rh vines pini, but the insects are dead ani so driet up, that I cannot name them with certaiuty If your trees are not too l-lge. syrin.e the affected sh- ots with soft soap and tobacco water, or soft soap two wine- glassfuls and pa'affln oil one wineglassful to one gallon tf water — G. S. S. Fungus (./. P., Ltyi^olentX—The fur.gus is dry rot (Merulius lacrymans). It only grows in damp, unventilated places. Dryni ss is death to it ; if you can keep out thj d >lnp, you will not have the fungus. Dilate c tibolic acid, creo ote, end corrosive sublimate have been recommended as washes, but they are expensive, dilti:;ult of application, and dangerous. Th^ lietter plan is to keep the pUc t dry if possible ; fuogi cannot spread in a dry h use — W. G. S On going out early this morning (Decembrr 21) I found part of the lawn covered with lumps of a white gelatinous substance, of wliich I have sent you specimens Can you or any of y. nr corretpandeiUs give me any information reap cting its nsture an 1 origin ?-— J. ASUBURN- HAM, Shtrnfold Fark, Frant, S«as x. *„* The white gelatinous lumps, resembling masses of co'ourless jelly or blainvmang.^, belong to one of the gela- ti'ious Alg.T named Dasygkra amorpha It is one of the t»sci latoriaceie (confervoid Algje). and your plant is, we believe, the only species of the genus- Judging fmm our experience, the plant is. we think, as rare as it is curious. Kxamples miglit possibly be preserved in spirit. The authorities of^the department 01 botany, B it-sh Museum, South Keusington, would possibly like to have it.— W. G. S. Heat'nar ( '. iT.).- Fox's "Comoactum" hot-water apparatus would probably suit yon. It is cheap, ueeds no br.ckwork, and is said to do its work well. Water saucers and double flower- pots I can strongly recommend the water saucer recently pate led by Mr. Knight and figured and place them i described in Thk Gabden (Vol. XXVI , p. 548). frost, which, owing to the forcing to which they Naming plant3.— Four kinU of pIiBf'' Sr/Ioic^rs oiily can be navted at one time, and thip^ttniAM^^^ yo-''^ n^ecimens are sent. Names of plants.— B P.— l, Oocidi- m tOrljesi ; 2, O. crispum; 3, U. pi-fetextum. — yorth VtV'.n.—}, Dendro- biuni aduucum ; ■/, D. chrysanthura ; 3, Calanthe veralri- folia. Amateur.— Coninwa Helleborus niger, no; the aliifolius variety. Naming fruit. — Readers ivho desire our help m naviii j fruit will kiiidli/ bear in mind that several specimens •/ different sta'jes ot colour and size of the same kind grea'ly assist in its determination. Local varieties should be named by local gravers, and are often only known to them. We can only undertake to name Jour varieties at a time, and these only when the above condition iw observed. Un- paid parcels not received. fJavce^ of fi-ul\j —Subs:riber.—i, B'enhelm Oraiga ; 2, Cox's Urange Pippin C. M.—l, Wellington ; 2, Court of Wick; 3, Cox's Orange Pippin. Others next week. THE GARDEN 17 Ho. 686. SATURDAY, Jan. 10, J885 Vol. XXVII. " This is an Art Which does mend Nafnre ; chanpre it rather : hut The aet itself is Nature."— SSaiespeare. WINTER ORCHIDS. A morning among the n-'inter Orchids at Messrs. Baclfhovse's Kursery, York. Maky of the La3lias are in lovely bloom in the winter months. They have their name from Koman mythology. Lselia was a vestal virgin, whose office it was to keep alive the sacred fire iiTthe temple of Vesta. They are singularly ele- gant flowers, and as they sport freely we find among them exquisite and delicate forms of flower-life. Laslia anceps is a noble plant, and cultivation has done much for it. It is doubtful why it is called anceps. Some think the name given because the flowers appeared originally in pairs; others look to the bulb, so-called, that differs so essentially from that of L. autumnalis; others again look for explanation of the name an- ceps to the two-edged spathe that enwraps the flower. But, whatever be the true explanation, it is a noble flower, and placed side by side with its near ally, L. autumnalis, especially the matchless variety vennsta, what two plants can look more conspicuous for winter display 1 Both, I believe, are natives of Mexico, and of comparatively recent introduction. Many of the forms obtained from Lajlia albida — more especially rosea — are exceed- ingly graceful and elegant in contour and colour, and they are fragrant too. The Gypripediums, as a group, are wonderfully attractive. No fewer than seven species were in flower. C. Spiceria- num, a native of the East Indies, is, to my fancy, the most attractive of the group. It is a native of the East Indies, as I said, and its blooms white, green, red — contrast most effectively. Then we have Mr. Seden's hybrid, first introduced by Mr. Yeitch, formerly of Exeter— rosy in colour; the parentage, we are told, is not difficult to trace. The Coraparettias, as a genus, are decidedly diflii- cult of- cultivation. They grow on the twigs of trees, which are thus clothed with a beauty not their own. Hence arises, doubtless, the difljiculty of adapting our cultivation to their requirements. They lack the rocking of the tropical breeze. C rosea and C. macroplectron were flowering, though shyly, the colours respectively rosy and white. They are mostly natives of Colombia. The deli- ciously fragrant Oncidium ornithorhynchum, from Mexico, was in full drooping lilac flower. The specific name implies similitude to a bird's bill, if you call imagination to your help. It is a very conspicuous spike of bloom. The Odontoglossums are always favourites. 0. crispum and 0. gloriosum were in ex 'site flower. The tooth-like processes on the la^ a of the flower characterise, more or less, t,... r-bole genus. I would especially mention _. IJescatorei, an Orchid from New Grenada, with its white and pink blooms. The forms vary from white flowers to those exquisitely spotted. Other Odontoglossums in flower were 0. membranaceum and 0. nebulosum. The Masde- vallias are most attractive in form. They are chiefly from South America. A pure white species, white as the whitest porcelain, occurs in Colombia. I refer to M. tovarensis, introduced in 1865, and first named, if I mistake not, Candida. Trichopilia tortilis is a lovely Orchid. The petals and sepals are twisted, as the name implies. It is from Mexico- I must not omit Cypripedium Schlimi, white and crimson-spotted, that was introduced from New Grenada in 1867. The flowers are more compact than usual in the Slipper-worts. The Ccelogynes, as the generic name suggests, are characterised by their inflated pistils. C. cristata was in full flower. The bloom is white and yellow. It is a native of Nepaul. A rare Orchid from Colombia, Restrepia antennifera, was in flower and bud. The appropri- ateness of the specific name is readily noticed. The lip of the flower is yellow, closely spotted and freckled with purple. Nature's mimicry is, pro- bably, nowhere more conspicuous than in this genus. The Angrfeoums are chiefly natives of South Africa. The giant of the group comes from Madagascar. It has white flowers and a spur a foot and a half long; indeed, A. sesquipedale should have a place in a collection, if only in a contrastive point of view. Manilla, in the Spice Islands, gives us an assimilative flower in the lovely PhaliEUopsis amabilis, which looks like a white moth at rest on a flower. Though intro- duced in 1836, it never fails to attract the eye and win our hearty admiration. Saccolabium giganteum, a Burmese Orchid, the bud of which tells you of its name, had opened a spike of purple- white flowers, the bagged labellum being nearly as conspicuous as the bud itself. Odontoglos- sum Eossi majus had developed largely-swollen buds, ready to open with the first gleam of sun- shine in the new year. It is a charming dwarf- growing species. Three more Orchids I should wish to add, and I have done. Lselia ele- gans should surely occupy a foremost place. It was introduced in 1865, and its lovely blooms — amethyst-purple — cannot fail to attract even a careless eye. Lycaste Skinneri, with its many charming varieties, is a noble flower. It is a na- tive of Central America, introduced long ago, I believe in 18-42, but it continues to hold its own, though one of an extensive genus. The last to which I would draw attention is an old favourite, introduced from Ecuador in 1814. I allude to Cattleya maxima ; it is one of the largest of the group when well grown and very showy. Peter Inchbald, F.L.S. The Moniit, York, Dec., 188i. Oalanthes are wonderfully well grown at Powderham Castle, and the way in which they are rested may be worth recording. As soon as they go out of flower they are removed from the soil and laid in a box ; the box is then taken to a shed from which frost is excluded, and this is their winter quarters. At the proper time they are brought out and potted in the usual way, and the large bulbs and ample foliage which the plants weie making when I saw them early in autumn left nothing more to be desired. Plants in such robust health could not fail to produce good flower-spikes. It is evident that cool treatment while at rest suits them, although directly opposite to the baking process to which they are often sub- jected. Now is the time to act on this suggestion by such as care to do so. — J. C. C. Gdontoglossum Alexandrae. — The flower-spike of Odontoglossum Alexandria with nine ramifications and 70 blooms, referred to in last week's queries (p. 16), is certainly remarkable and well worth special notice. I may state, how- ever, that plants with both more flowers on one spike and with spikes longer than that which he men- tions are not so rare as he imagines. A spike only twice branched measuring 54 inches has borne 83 flowers. It occurs in M. le Comte de Germiny's collection at Gouville, near Dieppe, where it is admitted on all sides, and as your readers will be able to judge by the following figures, Orchids are grown in perfection by the gardener, M. Rondeau. The above is no sohtary instance, for there are several others which measure from 3 feet to 3 feet 10 inches in length, though not yet quite fully developed, and which all bear between 54 and 62 flower-buds ; it must be borne in mind, too, that these are single spikes without any ramifica- tions ; the flowers are also of good substance and large size. I may add that at Gouville there are over 800 spikes of Odontoglossums now in course of development. — S. IRIS PUMILA AND ITS ALLIES. A GEEAT many persons give the name I. pumila to any low-growing dwarf-bearded Iris with a very short stalk bearing one or at most two flowers of somewhat small size. But anyone can see that the various forms thus indiscriminately called I. pu- mila differ a good deal from each other ; and in- deed this is recognised by the numerous names used in gardens to denote many so-called varieties of I. pumila ; and when we come to consult the botanists we find that many of these forms are considered by them as distinct species clearly separable from pumila. Of all these dwarf Irises perhaps the least common in our gardens is the real typical pumila, most of the plants called pumila belonging properly to one or other of the other species. The tendency of botanical study has been, in fact, to restrict more and more the application of the term pumila. Thus, while according to some of the older writers, I. pumila occurs abundantly over a very wide area, stretch- ing from the south of France, through Southern Europe, along the Caucasus, to North-central Asia, and even reaching to Siberia, successive authors have limited its range. In the south of France, for instance, what was once called pumila is now recognised as either I. Champeiris or [. olbiensis. In Italy it has been supplemented by I. italica, I. pseudo-pumila, and I. panomitana, and it is exceedingly probable that many of the plants in Central and Eastern Asia which have been called pumila are in reality specifically dif- ferent. It would be hardly worth while to discuss here the characters distinguishing them and other forms from pumila. But I may mention that the plant most commonly confounded in this country with I. pumila is I. Chamaiiris, and that among the points of difference between the two insisted upon by Spach perhaps the most striking is that whereas in I. pumila there is no stalk at all, or one so short and covered by leaves as not to be visible naturally, ChamiBiris has a distinct stalk carried above the sheathing leaves, and hence naked and visible. A curious physiological difference exists also between the two ; I. Chamajiris seeds freely, but I. pumila very rarely goes to seed ; and hence by seeding, the former has, on the one hand, be- come more common as a cultivated plant, and on the other has broken out into several varieties. The relations of I. pumila are not uninteresting. On the one hand, it passes almost insensibly through I. Chamcciris, I. olbiensis, &c., into the bifiora group, and then to the ordinary tall bearded Irises. On the other hand, it may be traced through such forms as the I. melitta of the Balkans and the closely allied I. rubro-marginata of Asia Minor into the fugacious arenaria group, several members of which show curious afl3nities with some of the dwarf forms of beardless Irises. As a garden plant I. pumila in its several varie- ties is of value on account of its early and profuse blooming. A good large clump, or, better stUl, a whole bed of it, in full flower on some bright, warm April morning, the fresh, bright green, short foliage almost covered with blue or purple flowers, affords a very pleasing sight. Unfortunately, each bloom is soon gone, and though this is partly made up for by the number of successive flowers, the whole period of beauty lasts a comparatively short time. But there is this to be said that when out of flower the plant is not ugly ; the short swords of the foliage have a beauty ,vf their own, lasting well nigh throughout the year. 18 THE GARDEN [Jan. 10, 1885. As regards their culture, little need be said save that they must have, if they are to flower well, some warm, dry, sunny spot. Coming from the sunny south, they need all the sun they can get in our dull clime. While growing fast in spring water is very acceptable to them, but it is death to them to be waterlogged in winter ; and their fleshy rhizomes tell us that a good baking in sum- mer will turn the energy, which might otherwise be wasted in leaf, into bloom buds for the coming year. A place on the rockery or some clear spot in the border, where the sun can always reach and whence surplus water can readily flow away, is their proper home. As to soil, they do not seem to me to be very fastidious, though they appear to do best in a sandy loam, enriched by leaf-mould, rotten manure, or peat, so as to increase the humus constituents of the ground. But their food must be in proportion to the sunlight which they catch. In a dull damp spot, rich food will only furnish leaf and rapidly lead growth on to decay. In a bright warm corner in some happy place, and where the sun shines and burns in summer, their extra food will be turned into fuller bloom. One word more ; if a plant has found its right place, never move it. Like other Irises, I. pumila dislikes being divided and transplanted ; constant med- dling with it is the best way to ensure its never blooming. M. F. GREENHOUSE FLORISTS' FLOWERS. Amaryllises. — The resting period of these handsome flowering plants is during the months of November, December, and part of January. About the second or third week in January the bulbs should be shaken out from the pots in which they had grown the previous year and repotted in good soil. I do not think the Amaryllis is very parti- cular as to the character of the soil in which it is potted. We grew our plants one season in good substantial loam with a little decayed manure and sand, and in this they succeeded very well. During the last few years we have used a lighter compost formed of a third part of peat with suBicient sand to keep the compost open. Various sized pots are required. The largest bulbs are potted in S-inch pots, and the smaller ones in 7-inch, Ginch, 5-inch, and 4 -inch ones. In repotting do not plant the bulbs too deep, and press the soil firmly round them. After they are potted, pi urge them in a gentle bottom heat, but do not give any water to the roots until they have made some start in growth. It is not desirable to have too great heat in the house at first; 1.5^ is quite enough, and this should not be increased until the plants have shown some signs of growth. Everyone does not possess the convenience of a house entirely devoted to these plants. In that case, if tlie use of an early vinery that has been started about the middle of January can be obtained, that would be the next best arrangement for them. It is a good plan to form a hotbed inside the earliest vineries. In country places, where plenty of tree leaves can be raked up, a heap of these can be formed and mixed up with some manure from the stable yard ; the heat from this mixture is very lasting, and a bed of this kind does well to start the Amaryllis bulbs upon. The Cyclamen is one of our finest winter- flowering greenhouse plants, and, judging by what one reads about it, its culture is not at all sufficiently understood. Some of the growers for Covent Garden Market turn out magnificent exam- ples. They sow the seeds about the first week in July, and as soon as the first leaf or two is formed the small phmts are pricked out i-ingly into small pots ; they will do well in cold frames until the end of September, when they should be placed on shelves near the glass in a L^reenhouse for the winter. It ought to be a warmer place than an ordinary greenhouse ; a temperature of 45° to 50° will answer best it a choice can be had. The small plants should be kept growing during the winter. The large plants are now flowering freely in a temperature of about 50% with a rather dry atmosphere. The Dowers are useful to gather for bouquets or house decoration. The stems ought not to be cut ; it is better to pull the flowers out from the crown of the corms. If the stems are cut, the portions left on the plants will decay, doing con- siderable damage. Azaleas — By December all the older leaves will have dropped off, the early flowering va- rieties having arrived at the same stage a month or more previously. These early varieties are now ready for forcing, and may be placed in a house where they have a gentle heat, Thrips and red spider both do much mischief to the plants. The best way is to destroy them to- gether by dipping the plants in soft, soapy water in which some Tobacco liquor has been mixed. The soapy water will of itself destroy green fly, but not thrips or red spider. Some persons make a grave mistake by keeping their plants too dry at the roots during the winter season; they certainly do not require a great deal of water, but what they do need should be given in a way that the whole mass of roots may be thoroughly wetted. If such plants become thoroughly dry at the root, it is not easy to wet the entire ball of roots. Some cultivators are constantly rapping the pots with their knuckles to ascertain their state of drj'ness, but in many cases this is deceiving, and when plants are so dry that the pots give forth a ringing sound when rapped, they are likely to sutler. The reason they do ring is because the compost and the roots shrink by reason of dryness ; they separate from the sides of the pot, leaving a small space ; it may be but a hair's breadth, but it is sufficient to cause the water to pass down between the ball and sides of the pot instead of wetting the roots in the centre, as it ought to do. The Pelargonium requires considerable thought in winter. The admission of air is of considerable importance, and the plants should be placed where they are fully exposed to the light, that is as near as possible to the glass. The rea- son of this care is because the plants are in growth all through the darkest days of winter, and light as well as air is necessary to the perfect develop- ment of the growths. Much water will not be required, but the plants must not become dust dry. Let the soil become fairly dry before water- ing, and then give plenty. If the plants were not all in their flowering pots during October and November, they should be potted at the earliest opportunity. It is best to fumigate the house during the winter about once a month. This will keep the plants clean, which is far better than killing the insects after they are present. The zonal I'elargoniums have become the most useful of winterfloweringplants; the house where they are growing should be heated to 50° at night, but to do them well there should be a constant circulation of air through the house. It will not do to let a current of ice-cold air blow directly upon them ; a very small opening at the highest part of the roof has the desired effect. Roof heating, as practised in Messrs. Cannell's nursery at Swanley and in our own garden here, is the best arrange- ment. The roof glass is kept comparatively dry, the air also being dry and in motion over the flowers. At this season the plants have a ten- dency to run up into growth, carrying off the vigour that ought to be thrown into the flower trusses. This is avoided by pinching out the points where a flower-truss is forming. The Fuchsia is a deciduous plant, and does not require much attention in winter. After the leaves drop the plants may be removed anywhere provided ihey are secure against frosts. Verbenas and Petunias pass the winter on a shelf near the glass in a vinery or Peach house. The first named are very liable to be attacked by green fly and mil- dew, but they are easily destroyed, or if early pre- cautions are taken they would not be attacked. Cinerarias and Calceolarias require very similar treatment. The last named are rather more impatient of a warm, dry atmosphere, and are not liable to be injured, even if the temperature of the house falls to the freezing point. See that the plants are kept quite clean ; no other plants suffer so much from the attacks of green fly. If good specimen plants of either are required, they ought to be carefully attended to, and the growths of the Cinerarias should be tied down to the rim of the pots. Scarcely any other plants suffer so much from over-dryness at the roots, and the Cal- ceolarias are also most liable to be injured from this cause. J. Douglas. CHRYSANTHEMUM NAMES. In a catalogue of Chrysanthemams recently issued by Mr. Davis, of Camberwell, a list is given of kinds that are known by two or more names ; purchasers need not, therefore, be disappointed through receiving the same variety under different names, as often happens; for instance, I have been supplied with Mr. R. Ballantine, said to be a new variety, but it turned out to be the same as Source Japonnaise, obtained from the raiser, M. Dclaux. Again, for L'Enfant d'Espagne I re- ceived Soleil Levant ; for Miquillon, Delphine Caboche; for F. A. Davis, Jeanne Dclaux ; for Christmas Number, Princess Teck, and others in like manner. The practice of changing recognised names and sending out old kinds as new varieties is strongly to be condemned, and that such is done to a considerable extent is shown by Mr. Davis's list, in which the following names and their syno- nyms are given : — Proper Names. Sijnmyms. All)ert lie Nurios Albert .Angelina President Sanderson lioule d'.4rgent Silver Ball Christine (wliite) Mrs. Forsjth Conite de Morny Purple Pimpone Delitliine Caboche Miquillon tlaine Mrs. Marsham Elise Eliza Empress of India .Snowball, Mr.". Cnnningham Knipress of India White Queen of England, Lady St. Clair Emperor of China Webb's Queen Flarnme de I uneli Punch Guillen Empress of India Bruce Findlay Gtililen George Gleniiy Mrs. Dixon, Mrs. Glover Golden Mile. .Mar h6 Miss Oubridge Golden Queen of Eug'and EmilyDale Jeanne lielau.\ John Salter La Frisure L'Africaine Le Chinois L'Or du llhin La Bienvenuc Little Bob Jlabel Ward .Mile. Augustine Gauthert Mnie. Bertier hendatler Mnie. C. Desgrange M. Deveille Mi's. Hufliugtou Mrs .Shaip jNliss Marcheaux Miss Mary filorgMn Jlargnerite de Coi Nanura Princess Imperiul Princess Teck Princess of Wales President Queen of England St Mary Source Japonnaise Soleil Levant Striatum St. Crouts Tricolor F. A. Davis Mr. Howe Early Rose Queen George Gordon ('hinanian Golden Rhine J. Hillier Scarlet Gem, Dr. Dubois licndigo Augustine Curiosity Maize E. C. Jukes Alderley Incognito Miss Thurza P.nk Perfection Defiance Sistou Lord .\lce5ter Christmas Number Beauty of St. .tohn's Wood Mr. Mm ray Blush and Striped Queen of England Souvenir d'un Ami Mr. R. Ballantine L'Enfant d'Espagne Album Striatum Baddington, Pollion Mr. J. Starlirg H. P. QUESTIONS. .'■)304 —Mossy la'wns —What is the best way of bring- insT a lawn round that has got mossy, short of re-sowing it? Plantain can be killed liy a drop of carbolic acid, I believe, but will some of your readers tell me how to get rid of Mofs?— K Fkeii. Waiui. ■MO.-. — Balslng seedling Alstroemerias. — Will someone be good enough to inform me how to raise Alstnc- merias from' seed ? I have seed, which seems to be per- fectly sound, sent me frjm Ireland. I have tried every way i can think of to make it germinate, but it will not do so. is Alstra-meria seed slow in germinating ?— G. C. 6;iiXi. -■Woodlice.— Will some reader of Tub G.\r.i>EN be kind enough to supply some information with regard to the destrnctiiui of wooillice 1 Two vineries and a .Melon house are badly infested by them. Sever.al things have been tried to eradicate them, but all have failed. Boiling water has been recommended, but feai-s are entertained tliat it might have a bad effect on the roots of the Vines.— W. .1307.— Ice and Icehouses —Could any of the readere of THE G.^KiiEN inform me if ice is better preserved when stored in a perfectly dry condition, resulting from a clear, hard frost, or whether it is liest to wait until a slight thaw reduces it to a softer condition? and if a lining of Reeds, straw, or other material is necessary for its longer preser- vation ? also if from e.vperience they can suggest an ice- house which might bo considered perfect ?— K. D. Jan. 10, 1884.] THE GARDEN 19 IGHTHAM. Thebe are few places in EnglaucI which bring us back five hundred years in such a vivid way as this. The beautiful old house, simple in its lines, surrounded by water — in fact, built in water — brings the requirements of old times before us more clearly than do many large castles with like defensive surroundings. Flowers cluster over the old walls, and Ferns, even in moist places high up, creep about. The little Fumitory is luxuriant on some of the walls of the fosse, and creeps about here and there with its Fern-like grace and many flowers. Much, liowever, as one may be pleased by the external aspect and ancient air of the place, it is only when we step across the little bridge and enter the courtyard that we are charmed with the beautiful aspect of the old house, for someone, acquainted with all the graceful climbing and garlanding plants that we have, has grown them and trained them in a most careful way all over the interior of the courtyard, without, how- trained to walls were allowed to grow freely above them on a series of light bent arches made of long slender stakes. In one narrow wall border an occasional plant of the Japanese Bamboo (B. Metake) broke up tlie continuity of surface and gracefully varied the border. On the top of a rising grassy slope a long fringe of Yuccas and fine hardy plants has a very good effect and pret- tily conceals a walk. There are very fine hardy Firs and other trees. Less interesting to us than the flowers and trees of the present is, perhaps, the history of the old place, but that we cannot wholly ignore even in The Garden, and so far as it is known it is as follows : — The family of De Haute, or Haut, came over with William the Conqueror. Ivo de Haute lived here in the reign of Henry 11., and his descendants appear to have had the property in possession (except during a part of the fourteenth cen- tury) till the year 1520, when it was sold to Sir Mote to his adherent's family. The date of the hall and crypt is supposed to be about 1310 — whether built by a Cawne or a De Haute is not known ; other portions of the building are pro- bably older. The chapel (from seeing Sir Kichard Clement's arms on a " Poppy-head " on the right immediately beyond the screen in the chancel seats, and his arms empaled with those of his first wife, who died in 1528, on another Poppy- head opposite) may be supposed to have been built by him about 1521. The devices on the painted ceiling are the different badges in connec- tion with the Tudor family and Henry VIII.'s queens, viz., tlie Red Rose for Lancaster, the White Rose for York, the Portcullis the 'Tudor family, in allusion to their descent from the family of Beauforte ; the Fleurde-lis for France, the Pomegranate for Arragon, also a sheaf of arrows. The instrument at the east end of the chapel is the date 1579. The coat of arms with sixteen quarterings is Carey, made Lord Hunsdon The Mote, Ightham, Kent. ever, hiding the lines of the building or in any way interfering with its beauty. On the contrary, that is very much heightened by the exquisite wreaths of the Nasturtium, Jasmine, Vine, Vir- ginian Creeper, and many other similar plants which throw their graceful leaves and flowers over the old timbers of the walls. Without, there is an air of severity in the look of things, ancient and beautiful as they are, but the moment one enters the courtyard the highest grace and charm of which gardening is capable is felt at once. We never remember to have experienced greater pleasure in a garden than in entering this one day in last September. Among the ordinary sweet and graceful creepers well known to all we ob- served a brilliant wreath of the common black Bryony, shooting many feet high up one corner ; near it were large trusses of the always tender and elegant Jasmine-like Solanum. In the gardens without there are many pretty hardy flowers prettily arranged, and though it was late in the year, they had a very graceful effect in some cases, owing to the freedom of habit things were allowed to assume. For instance, Clematises Richard Clement, who came from Milton, in North- amptonshire ; he dying without heirs male, it went to his sisters. It then passed into the hands of Sir Christopher Alley ne, or Allen, who was Lord Mayor of London, and his son sold the property about 1590 to Sir William Selby, of Branston, in Northumberland, warden of the Marches and governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The property has been in the possession of the family of Selby ever since, the present possessor being Mrs. Luard Selby. daughter of Prideaux John Selby, of Twi- zell House, in Northumberland. Sir Thomas Cawne, whose mailed effigy lies in the north side of the chancel of Ightham Church, appears to have been in possession about the year of his death — 1374, but there is no record to show how it came into his hands or when it returned to the family of De Haute. The De Hautes, who had large properties also in Kent, es- poused the cause of the Red Rose, and were attainted by Richard III., who gave the property to Sir Richard Brankesbury. He was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field, and one of Henry VII.'s first acts was to restore The by Queen Elizabeth ; also the Carey crest. The principal part of the entrance tower across the mote (or moat) is of the date of Henry VIII.'s reign. The Selby arms are seen in the hall and on the tower — barring of 8, or and sable ; crest, a Saracen's head ; motto. Fort et loyal. The moat washes the walls of the house all round and has three bridges over it. Hardiness of Camellias.— Against a west wall at Kew the old C, japonica has stood unpro- tected for at least a dozen years, and has now reached a height of from 12 feet to 14 feet. It flowers abundantly every year from December until February, but its flowers are not of much value, though welcome at that season. In the wood garden at Wislej' some of the better sorts are also growing successfully without protection, and their vigour and the thick leathery feel of their large leaves show clearly that they are quite at home. At Kew the situation is open and exposed, but in very severe weather a slight covering at top keeps the frost from falling directly on the plants. At Chiswick large bnshe 20 THE GARDEN [Jan. 10, 1885. have grown against a north wall for years and they bloom well, bat the flowers get injured by early frosts. — K. GAEDEN IN THE HOUSE. EXCESSIVE CHURCH DECORATIONS. EvEKT year these increase in profusion and ex- tent, so that one dare hardly speculate where they will end. I heard one of the best and most en- lightened of vicars say, not long since, that when a curate his pulpit was so shrouded in wreaths and Evergreens at this season, that he " used to feel like an owl looking out of an Ivy bash." He condemned in strong terms the burying of most of the architectural beauties of many churches under senselessly disposed "decorations," as is often done. To prevent this without offending the sus- ceptibilities of those parishioners who liked to contribute in that way about this season, he pro- hibited the driving in of nails or supports of that . „ . 1 i: a: • n t kind anywhere on the walls or woodwork, small though not profusely bloomed, yet sufficiently to of the work that is considered so much as the quantity, and as a rule not one in ten has know- ledge or good taste in such matters. I am not a high churchman, nor a low churchman, nor yet a dissenter, but I must give our high church friends the credit of showing most taste in decorative art. In the houses of worship of some denominations the burden of the decorations can hardly be borne at times. The demand has given rise to the vocation of Holly stealers, who go about previous to Christ- mas catting branches, which they sell in the towns. We have to employ a number of men doing nothing else but watching such miscreants during December. Noethebnee. Hanging basket plants —In a cottager's window I noticed the other day three Cocoa-nut shells suspended from the ceiling ; the centre one contained a golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia Nummularia aurea) and was a little higher than the two side ones, each of which contained a beau ■ tiful trailing specimen of Viola gracilis, and al- pins only being allowed, and in that way he pre vented the pillars with their carved capitals and the pulpit, desk, windows, and altar, &o., from being smothered with Evergreens. I would com- mend this idea to others, for I have an impression that not a few good-natured parsons are a good deal worried about Christmas and Eastertide by would- be church decorators who, if allowed their own way, would soon make the interior of the house of worship look hideous. I am told that the extent to which neighbouring woods and gardens are now run upon for Holly and Laurel for the decoration of churches and schools is so great, and the injury to trees so serious, that in many places proprietors have been compelled to discon- tinue the practice of giving Evergreens for such purposes. Some of the descriptions of church decoration suggest the suspicion that the arrangements have been copied from a ball- room. Here is an example : " The first thing which attracts attention is the font. • This is mostly decorated at the base with Ferns, Lyco- pods, and dwarf foliage plants plunged in green Moss, the other ornamentations being some bril- liant-berried Solanums, white and red Tulips, and the early Roman Hyacinth. The windows are generally festooned with Ivy, and on the window- sills a bed of fresh green Moss makes a capital groundwork for cut flowers, &c. The columns or arches are lightly wreathed with long sprays of Ivy, as are also the candelabra and various devices in variegated Holly, and other handsome foliage surround the texts that are placed on the walls. The pulpit and desk are prettily decorated with wreaths made of the very finest Conifers, Box, or Ivy, associated with dried Cape flowers or Everlastings, and designs in brilliant Holly berries. At the base, plants of dwarf habit are used with good effect, notably Ferns and other fine- foliaged plants, intermixed with red and white flowering plants, &c. One would have thought a smother like this would have been enough to satisfy the most prodigal, but the writer continues to describe how the best efliorts were concentrated upon the altar and reredos, where ' the most lavish display of flowers was found.' Here the decora- tions consisted of Moss, Lilies, Ferns, Chrysan- themums, Poinsettias, Amaryllises, Palms, Christ- mas Roses, &c." Now, what is any rational person to think of a d isplay of this description? Clearly some good-natared persons must have nearly emptied their conservatories for the purpose, and that at the most inclement season of the year, when flowers are scarcest, and one can imagine the maledictions, not loud, but deep, of the gardener at " such pro- digal waste " of his stock. There is not the least necessity for such profusion ; it is vulgar and in bad taste and indefensible from any pointer view. The decoration mania spreads by example, and one church outvies another. As a rule, when the vicar or his curate controls the arrangements there is not much to complain of, but it is a deli- cate business when several lady parishioners in- sist on contributing, and each on doing their own part of ths work. It is then not the quality make a lively and pleasant picture. Thus treated these plants flower more or less all the year round. In summer they are taken down and thoroughly watered every day ; in winter they only receive occasional sprinklings. Campanula garganica and its variety hirsuta are both pretty plants for win- dow decoration. Substituting pots for Cocoa-nut and introducing saucers would doubtless be an improvement, and also lessen the attention needed, and all of them being qiiick growers, the saucers would soon be hidden. — K. than otherwise by the change. The tops left last May to grow up reached as high as 8 feet. I never injure the beds by too long cutting. If re- quired earlier than these pits are started, a hot- water pipe as a flow from an adjacent boiler could be carried along under the span-root of the frame, and a return pipe in the bottom of the trench of leaves would meet any difiiculty as regards severe weather, and where expense is no object, this would be found by far the cheapest arrangement in the end, to say nothing of the fine quality of the Asparagus. G- BOKD. lAjdhv/ry North, SliropsJiire. Kitchen Garden. ASPARAGUS FORCING AT WALCOT. This can be done as follows without destroying the beds or incurring the labour of making fresh plantations. When at Walcot I forced the same roots for forty-six years, and had, if anything, finer heads every year. The plan is not my own, but that of the late Mr. Geo. Mills, of Gunnersbury, whom I had the pleasure of knowing over sixty years back. He published a useful treatise on the forcing of Asparagus In brick pits .3 feet wide, with trenches between them 2 feet wide for the heating material. The depth was 3 feet and all were pigeon-holed. The beds were filled with suitable compost and planted, two rows being in each bed, 10 inches apart from plant to plant. The trenches were filled with leaves and a little stable-yard manure, and during the first two years they were kept filled up as the material sank, and likewise the soil in the beds. The second and third season after planting they were liberally supplied with liquid manure, and the third season after planting the Asparagus was excellent. Where the first expense is no object this is the best way in which to get good Asparagus, and it soon pays for the first outlay. Where two beds and trenches are made together they are much more handy in the way of working and covering up than any other arrangement. There is a kerb round the beds, with a framework to carry glass on the front or south side, and wooden shutters on the back. These in very severe weather are pro- tected with asphalte and covered with litter. I am aware that early forced Asparagus is required in many places, but during all the years I have been a grower of it I could never find it worth sending to table, compared with that which I used to cut from these pits from February till outdoor Asparagus was ready for use. Our Asparagus beds require making 3 feet deep, with good material, as the soil about here is not like the fine sandy soil about Mortlake. Therefore destroying Asparagus beds for a little early forced Asparagus was a serious consideration where labour was short, to say nothing of the superiority of the pro- duce, which I have been told by those who par- took of it was equal to the best French Asparagus. The fine roots that work through the pigeon-holes into the manure in the trenches it is surprising to see, and when replanted with fresh material, the crowns, being already formed, are rather benefited GROWING AND FORCING SEAKALE. Forced Seakale fit for use can be had early in December, and by growing a suflicient number of plants a constant supply may be maintained till late in the spring. The crop of roots may either be grown from seed sown in the spring, or by selecting roots from plants lifted in the autumn to be prepared for forcing, which may be easily accomplished in any warm structure kept dark for blanching purposes. Seeds of Seakale may be sown in March or early in April in drills 9 inches apart, or broadcast upon beds 4 feet wide, cover- ing them with fine soil. When large enough the young plants should be thinned out to several inches apart to afford ample room for growth. The following spring they will be large enough to transplant into a piece of ground deeply trenched, and dressed with rotten farmyard manure. Some time in March lift the plants carefully with a fork and plant them in rows 12 inches asunder and 9 inches plant from plant, i.e., when grown for lifting in autumn for forcing. But if to be planted to make stools for forcing in the open air— which may be done by covering them with hot manure and leaves— plant the rows 3 feet apart and 2.} feet clump from clump. This will give plenty of room to cover the plants with heating material. Three or four plants may be planted in each clump, allowing 3 inches or 4 inches between each plant. Take care that the plants are 3 inches clear of the rims of the Seakale pots when placed over them when ready for forcing. Where the plants are grown from roots or thongs, when lifted in autumn for forcing, the strongest should be selected, but where the stock of roots is scarce, thongs may be used about the thickness of a quill pen, when they will be strong enough to force the following spring. Cut the roots 9 inches in length, leaving the top or thick end level, and the thin end slanting about half an inch, when it will emit a number of fibres. Tie the roots thus prepared in bundles, and lay them in some fine sandy soil, covering them 2 inches in thickness. Ground intended for Seakale should be deeply trenched during autumn, and enriched by several inches in thickness of rotten manure. If ridged as the trenching proceeds, the ridges must be levelled down in spring before planting. Early in April is a good time to plant the roots or thongs ; they will then be found to have formed crowns, and will be pushing out young fibres. Rake the ground level after levelling down the ridges, tread it firmly, and plant the sets in rows 12 inches asunder and 9 inches plant from plant. The ground will require to be frequently hoed between the plants during summer to keep down weeds and the surface open. Liquid manure will be found of great benefit to the plants during sum- mer, and if at hand, a dressing of artificial manure may be given, for by feeding well during the growing season fine strong roots will be the result. As soon as frost kills the leaves in autumn the plants intended to be lifted for forcing should be taken up and laid in some light soil. Open a trench at one end of the plantation and litt the plants, with as many roots attached to them as possible. After taking off the thongs for next year's crop, lay the roots in some light dry soil, covering their crowns over with some dry litter to keep frost from them. Thus a few roots may be had during winter lor forcing when required. From 55'= to 00° will be heat enough, and the roots may either be planted in large flower-pots or Jan. 10, 1885 ] THE GAEDEN 21 boxes. If in pots, invert another the same size over the one in which the roots are planted. Thus circumstanced and placed in the temperature just named, fine, crisp, well-blanched Kale will be produced. If required soon after being put in warmth, place a few barrowloads of hot manure in the house, and on that set the pots. The warmth induces quick growth and superior heads. If in boxes, they should be deep enough for the roots to stand upright, and there should be depth for the Kale to grow to its full length before it reaches the lid of the box. If more convenient, the roots may be planted in light soil in the JIushroom house, covering them over with some light material to keep the crowns in darkness. Fine crops may also be grown upon ordinary hotbeds covered with frames and wooden sashes ; if glass sashes are used, they must be covered with straw and double mats to exclude light and keep the temperature of the frames equable, i.e., about 60°. The roots may be planted in light soil or in pots placed upon the heated material, which should be covered with sifted ashes or some light material to keep down the rank steam. Where Kale is required in large quantities a CucumberorMelon house with bottom heat at command will be found to be one of the best structures in which to produce it. Put a few inches of soil over the slates or boards forming the bottom over the pipes or hot-water tank ; in this set the roots upright several inches apart, running some soil in between them and water well, and as Boon as the crowns show signs of growth, give another soaking, and cover the crowns to the depth of 9 inches or a foot with dry, sifted leaf mould or Cocoa-nut fibre; thus treated, in a very short time the tips of the leaves will appear above the covering, when the Kale will be fit for use. When forced in the open air Seakale pots or boxes having wooden covers must be placed over the clumps of plants, and the pots or boxes must be covered with fermenting material consisting of hot stable manure and leaves well mixed together. Care must be taken that the manure does not overheat, or the crowns will get scorched and the crop lost for the season. When planted in rows, if a covering of ashes or light, loose soil is placed over the crowns from 1) inches to a foot in depth just before the crowns start into growtli in spring, the heads of Kale will grow up through the cover- ing, and when uncovered the result is often a very superior crop, which being late is often very ac- ceptable, especially if, after a severe winter, other crops are scarce. Wir. Cheistison. White Plume Celery.— In the spring of 1884:, Mr. Peter Henderson, the well-known seeds- man of New York, sent me a packet of seed of this Celery, and as I had previously seen some favourable remarks on it in American papers, I was pleased to have the opportunity of giving it a trial. The seed was sown in a gentle heat in April. The plants came up freely, and were treated like other young Celery plants until they were ready for planting in their permanent quarters; then they were not put into trenches in the ordinary way, but planted on the level. As the stems, head.'', leaves, and everything were said to blanch without earthing up, trenches were superfluous. When planted out, just as they were about C inches high, they were quite green, and in August, when large plants, they were also quite green — so much so, indeed, that about that time I had greatdoubts respectingthe American " White" Plume blanching ; but in September the centre leaves and stems whitened, and by November the entire plant became perfectly white, and in every way agreed with the American representation of it. The stems are now as tender and the flavour as good as it possibly could be in earthed-up Celery of the ordinary type. The White Plume is, therefore, both novel and valuable. It is dis- tinct from any other Celery, and, in my opinion, a great acquisition, as the labour of making trenches for it and earthing it up is saved. These are two important points in its favour, and there is another which I must not forget to point out, viz., that it is never worm-eaten or destroyed by Celery pests. Worm-eaten Celery and rotten Celery, too, are produced in the majority of instances through the earth being put up around the stems ; but as this is unnecessary in the case of the White Plume, it is not in any way injured by grubs. I see most of the English seed firms are introducing it this year, and it deserves to find many cultivators. — J. MuiR. Marf/ain, Taibaeh, Glamorgan. Garden Destroyers. BIRDS AND BUDS. Many will have completed the pruning of their Gooseberry and Currant trees ere this, but some doubtless have not yet commenced. The weather having been so mild, the buds have not been so liable to the attacks of birds as they are when frost and snow prevail at this season of the year. Some defer pruning until spring, and allow the birds to help themselves. I have seen large Gooseberry trees completely spoiled for at least two years by birds. It is not only the crop of fruit for the ensuing year which they destroy, but the shoots also, which spoils the shape of the trees. Perhaps this matter is not taken into con- sideration ; still, a good shaped tree is better than one badly proportioned. It is not really neces- sary to allow birds to have any of the buds if the following instructions are attended to. All trees, whether Gooseberries or Currants, should stand on a single stem if only for appearance sake ; there- fore, all suckers springing from under the soil should be removed, clearing the soil away and cut- ting them clean off from where they grow, which will save much trouble afterwards. Ked and White Currants should have their main branches limited to grow from six to ten. In the case of trees so formed, more sun and air can get amongst the branches than when they are allowed to grow thickly and have many branches. The young wood made during summer should be cut in to one eye of the main stems, allowing the points of the leaders to advance about a foot each year until the desired height is attained, which may be 5 feet or 6 feet high. In pruning Gooseberry trees, young wood should be left wherever there is room for it ; if too thick cut out entirely some of the older branches, as the fruit produced on the young growth is larger and more in number and easier to gather than that from trees denuded of all their young growth and allowed to fruit on spurs. Of course the branches must be wide enough apart not to touch each other. Keep the middle of the trees fairly well open to admit sun and air freely ; the bottom branches must not be allowed to touch the ground, or the fruit will get spoiled by grit. Many are the ways and means taken to protect fruit buds from birds. Some syringe the trees and then sprinkle them with lime ; this rains soon wash off. Some weave cotton amongst the branches, but the birds soon disregard this. The best plan is to thoroughly paint the trees all over with the following mixture, which to a certain extent prevents the attacks of caterpillars in summer and keeps the trees free from Moss : Thoroughly mix together some lime, soot, and clay to about the thickness of paint, without being particular as to quantity of each sort ; with this we incorporate some fat or grease, which we pro- cure from the kitchen ; this we melt over a fire and thoroughly mix it with the other ingredients when hot, and with a small painter's brush apply it to the trees, thoroughly covering all parts of them with it. E. Moltnkdx, 5281.— Ants.— If " E. T. R." (p. 450) will get two or three toads and put them in the house in- fested with ant--, he will have but little more trouble with them or with wocdlice. I have fre- quently cleared houses of both these pests in little time in this way. — E. D., C'djig. Let your correspondent set the pots in- fested with ants on a level dry floor ; sprinkle dry sugar around them, choosing a fine morning for the purpose. When the ants get actively to work they can be readily destroyed by rubbing them hard with a roll of paper, repeating the operation until the house is cleared, which it will not take many days to do. After trying various remedies I found dry sugar to be the best.— Chaeles Kaffill, Lorn Wdl^ Bii^hbury, Wolverhavqiton. Cinerarias {G. L. fi^.).— The leaves of your Cinerarias are infested by the grubs of a small fly (Phytomyza affinis) which attiicks the leaver, as you suggest, in the same way as the Celery maggot doe'. There is no effective means of destroying this insect but by picking oil and burning the infected leaves, or pinching them where the grubs or chrysalides are, so as to kill them ; the sooner this is done after the commence- ment of the attack the better. — G. S. S. Rose Garden. HEDGEROWS AND WILD ROSES. Although I sympathise with the lady who in the last year's volume of The Garden (p. 539) deplores the destruction of the gigantic Brambles and wild Pvoses in her neighbouring hedgerows, I must at the same time inform her, though the information may hardly seem necessary, that hedges are generally planted for the purpose of separating fields from each other and from roadways, and that such hedges should always consist of plants which possess considerable powers of resistance, such as the common white Thorn and the Holly. Such plants submit readily to trimming, and in order to render them effective as fences, they should be kept wide at the bottom and narrowat the top, Le.,m the form of a wedge ; therefore, the " clodhopper's "idea of keeping them " neat and square ' was not far from being correct. High straggling hedges are justly considered as an indication of slovenly management and wasting of land, and such soon cease to act as fences ; they become weakand thin below, and form no barrier against stock of any kind. As to Brambles and wild Roses, they, of all plants, should never be allowed to come in contact with hedges, although, unfortunately, they too fre- quently do so, to the great detriment of the fence. The proper place for Brambles, wild Rose?, and similar plants is the covert, the wood, or the wild garden, where they may festoon and cling to the stems and branches of trees, and, in short, be allowed to ramble at will and to dis- play their wild beauty without restriction. As to the trimming— or mutilation, if the latter term be preferred — of shrubs in pleasure grounds and gardens, so far s.f my observation has gone, I should say that such plantations in most cases suffer more from the lack of trimming than from its application. The plants, which form groups or clumps in pleasure grounds, are too often left to fight the battle of life as they best can ; this might be well enough were they all of one kind and given a fair start in the race. This is, however, seldom or never the case. As it is generally desi- rable to form such plantations of various species of plants — some robust, others less so, although equally valuable or ornamental — they are, never- theless, allowed to be smothered or crowded out of existence by the stronger growing varieties ; therefore, judicious and timely pruning of such plants is very far from being a needless operation, nor need it be by any means a costly one. Many Evergreens, as well as deciduous trees and shrubs, are benefited by the removal of rival leaders and the foreshortening of strong lateral shoots or branches. A confirmation of the truth of this assertion may be seen at a short distance from where I now write. The plants to which I allude are mo tly common Yews which had been planted some five or six years ago. Some of them are G feet or 8 feet high, but many of them appeared inclined to unduly extend themselves laterally, while the upright or leading shoots were weak. Some three or four years ago all the side or lateral branches were cut back late in the spring, so as give the plants a pyramidal form, which they still retain, and they are all now very 22 THE GARDEN [Jan. 10, 1885. handsome, symmetrical j'oung trees, and did not appear to suffer in the least degree from the some- what severe trimming which they experienced four years ago ; indeed, they now contrast favourably with other groups of plants of the same species which have never been pruned. Whatever, there- fore, theorists may say to the contrary, it cannot be doubted that there are few, if any, species of trees or shrubs that during their early stages of growth are not greatly benefited by careful, timely, and judicious pruning.— P. G., Bnry St. JCdmunds. No doubt the tangled hedgerows consisting of wild Roses, Brambles, and Thorns, &c., are pretty and interesting, nor are there any objections to them, so far as I know, next to roadsides, com- mons and such-like places ; but elsewhere they are incompatible with good farming or forestry, and the surest marks of a neglected estate is the state of the fences. In the best cultivated districts of Scotland where farming is understood the fences are good, but too trim and straight for some, while in many parts of England where the farm- ing is poor the fences are miserable. The hedge that the lady who wrote in The Garden last year (p. 539) found trimmed to "a line of sharp stumps " was probably one of those neglected fences that had reached that stage at which it could be neglected no longer, and probably the only way was to cut it down or lay it. Hedges keiit in moderately good order should never get into such a condition, but there are thousands of miles of such, I suppose, all over the country. At the beginning Quicks are planted with the inten- tion of making a hedge ; years go by, and it is allowed to run to top, getting proportionately thin at the bottom. Then comes the laying process of mixing the hedge with riven stakes and twisting the tops among them. Eventually the Quick dis- appears altogether, and is superseded by bind- irgs to hold up the stakes, and which are cut out of the woods elsewhere. Such fences do well enough and look well enough, but must be kept in repair, and no little underwood is needed for that purpose. One thing is certain ; you cannot make fences of wild Koses and Lrambles, and when either come in a fence they are, as a rule, inter- lopers and have no business there. On the whole, as the editor remarks, it we keep our gardens in good order we need not trouble about the fences in our fields, as they will, I fear, always be sufficiently neglected to insure all that your lady correspondent desires. — S. W. EDSH ROSES. It has been often said, and truly, that the greater the extent to which a mistaken practice is carried the more decided the progress in the opposite direction will be when the change sets in, and the extent to which bush Roses are taking the place of standards goes to confirm the truth of the pro- verb. The fashion of growing Roses in standard form may be traced to two causes— a disposition to favour something fresh, as the standards un- doubtedly were from the old natural bush-shaped plants, and the facilities for propagation which the standards presented. It was an easy process to go into the hedgerows and woods to get stocks ready made by the thousand without the time and trouble and forethought required in raising stocks from cuttings or seed. Besides this it was a cheap way of proceeding, as those who got the stocks were often ordinary out-of-work labourers, who otherwise would have had no- thing to do, and would procure them at a nominal price. So the practice went on until people seemed to almost forget that a Rose could grow on its own roots, or could be so managed in its infancy by the use of a foster-parent as to ultimately get established on roots of its own. Yet although the fashion for standards was such that for a long time nearly everyone was content to grow Roses in that way, still there were always those who neither admired their appearance nor were oblivious of the defects from a cultural point of view which are inseparable from growing Roses in this way, and which are too well known to require repeating. There were not a few con- nected with Rose growing for sale who imagined that the preference for standards was so far a fixed principle with buyers, that nothing else would satisfy them. I well recollect a few years back one of the great growers telling me that I and others who were so far heretical on the sub- ject as to advise the adoption of the bush system of culture in preference to standards might say as much as we liked, but the public would always stick to the standards. Yet the outcome of fol- lowing this opinion by propagating nearly all standards, and few in bush form, has been that an immense number of the former have had to be got rid of at any price. To unlearn in such matters is always a slow process, and there will no doubt be a good many of the public who for a time will continue to grow standards, but the combined advantages, in both appearance and ^'-i^i^ beautiful deep rose. It is very impatient of damp or shade ; therefore it should be planted on raised beds and be exposed to full sunshine. It is a native of North Carolina, where it flowers in early summer. It is well named in English Pine Barren Beauty. — K. Ighthaiu. C'reeper-co . eicil gable in courtyird. iSee p. 19.) general results, attending the bush system of cul- tivation are such as to insure its ultimate general adoption. T. B. Pyxidanthera barbulata. — Although hitherto attempts to flower this little gem have ended in failure, some plants of it look so healthy now as to promise better results. A quantity of it has been received by one of our leadingnurserymen, and, being distributed, some, let us hope, may be successful with it. In peat mixed with plenty of fine sand its progress has been slow, but Pine leaves chopped up and mixed with the soil seem to suit it better, thus resembling the " Pine bar- rens," in which it grows naturally. It has a tufted procumbent habit, and creeps along the ground. It is rarely more than 2 inches to 3 inches in height. The stem leaves are alternate, oval, and of a beautiful green colour ; when in flower they are entirely covered with pretty white petals, with just a tinge of rose at the outer edges— not unlike some of the Gilias. In the bud state they are RECENT PLiNT PORTRAITS. Magnolia Campbelli {Botanical Magazine, plate G793). — A fine double plate of this most beautiful Indian Magnolia, which is a native of the Eastern Himalayas, and is found at altitudes of from 81)00 feet to 9000 feet on the hills about Darjeeling. The specimen here figured flowered in the month of March, 1884 (it is believed for the first time in Europe), in the shrubbery of Mr. W. 11. Crawford, at Lat elands, near Cork. This truly magnificent species is perfectly hardy in the south of Ireland, but as it unfortunately opens its lovely large rose-coloured flowers in the month of March and before the leaves appear, the delicate petals are apt to be much injured, if not destroyed, by bitter and cutting winds and late frosts, but should we be favoured with a mild and genial March in 188."), Mr. Crawford's specimens of this splendid tree, which are now set with numerous flower-buds, will be worth coming a long way to see. IDESIA POLYCABPA {Botanical Magazine, plate 6794). — A very handsome foliaged and perfectly hardy small tree, which is a native of Japan, and is named by Maximowicz, the learned Russian botanist and Japanese traveller, after Ides, a Dutch botanist. It has also been described under the synonyms of polycarpa Maximowiczi and Flaconrtia japonica, and its native Japanese name is Kara sendan. Fdchsia triphtlla (Botanical Magazine, plate (5795). — A most interesting plant, from being the type of the large genus of Fuchsia, which was founded upon it 180 years ago, and yet it has been almost unknown to science till the present year, when specimens of the plant were sent to Kew for naming by Messrs. Henderson. It is a native of St. Domingo, where it forms a small round bush of about 18 inches high, every shoot of which is terminated by a raceme of bright orange- scarlet, wax-like flowers. Dentaria polyphylla {Botanical Maf/azinc, plate 6790).— One of the most elegant of early spring-flowering plants, and admirably suited for the rock garden from the bright green of its leaves and the grace of its drooping corymbs of white or pale straw-coloured flowers, sent to Kew by Ilerr Froebel, of Zurich. Tobenia concolor and T. Fordi {Botanical Magazine, plate C797). — These are two pretty stove trailers, which are natives of China, whence seed of them was sent to Kew in 1883 by Mr. Ford, the superintendent of the Hong-Kong Botanic Gardens, and they bloomed in the Royal Gardens in June, 1884. The first named (which is also known under the synonyms of T. longi- flora, T. rubens var. grandiflora, and T. asiatica var. concolor) has comparatively large flowers of a pale purplish shade of colour faintly streaked with white. T. Fordi has much smaller flowers of a pale straw colour, with a small purple blotch on the inside of each of the two side petals. Abctilon Thompsoni i'lore-pleno {Revue dc FHoTticiilturc Beige for January, 188.")).— This is an exceedingly pretty and fully double flowered variety of the well-known A. Thompsoni, with the same golden variegated foliage. It is of American origin, and was sent out first early in 1884. Cypripedium Spicebianum {Bevnc de l' Horti- culture Beige for January, 1885).- A delicately coloured and pretty Lady's Slipper, which is a native of Assam, whence it was introduced by an amateur florist, Mr. Herbert Spicer. This plate shows two fully expanded flowers and a bud. W. E. G. Vaporised Tobacco juice.— I was on the point of writing to thank M. G. Lebeuf, through your columns, for his most useful article on the Jan. 10, 1885.J THE GARDEN 23 above subject (p. 372,Vol XXV.). bnt Mr. Mclnto&h has forestalled me on p. 539 of your last volume. After six months' trial, I can entirely confirm all that has been said in favour of vaporising v. smoking, or, indeed, any other process for keeping the houses free from all insect life. It is not only thoroughly efficacious, but involves a minimum expenditure of time and money. It ought to be universally adopted.— A. K. MATERIAL FOK GAKDEN WALKS. Much has been said on the necessity in a garden for good walks, but their presence is far from being general even in gardens of an impoitact description. Yet it cannot be denied that one of the first essen- tials in any department of a gar- den is good paths, that is paths so made that, after due allowance for weather influences, they may be depended on to keep firm and dry. In no part of the world is this so necessary as in our variable cli- mate, where, even during the summer season, the sky is so often bright and clear when the ground may be too wet to walk on with any degree of comfort. So far as appearance goes, nothing can surpass Grass walks where they occur in suitable places, such as in partially kept grounds somewhat distant from those that are in near proximity to a dwelling, and which fre- quently are not the least en- joyable part of a garden. The same may be said of the Grass walks now and then met with in old-fashioned kitchen gardens, and which have an old-world sort of charm about them that one cannot fail to linger over with pleasurable feelings. Still, they are only dry-weather walks, that in the case of the more utili- tarian department named have mncb inconvenience attending them, and wherever Grass walks are used in pleasure grounds of the character above spoken of every precaution should be taken in their formation to ensure their being as dry as possible, so that in wet wea- ther the water will pass off in a way to admit of the surface being firm. In the neighbourhood of towns AsPHALTE WALKS have in com- paratively recent times come into use. Something may be said in their favour, but very much more against them. The fact of their being hard and clean in wet weather and of their giving no trouble in rolling or weeding, and also, if well made, of their endurance, may be set down on the credit side ; against which there is the ever-present more or less stench from them when the sun is shining, their often slippery condition daring frost, and, above all, their unmitigated ugliness, despite the presence of spar, lime- stone, or other materials frequently added to the surface, which only to a small extent conceal the objectionable colour. In addition to the above objections, asphalte walks, as usually made, with gravel, broken clinkers, or cinders, mixed with coal-tar, are out of character with everything in a garden, acting as a continual reminder of the near presence of places and pursuits that in themselves are as injurious to gardening as they are opposed to feelings connected with it. In very hot wea- ther, too, they are so soft as to be disagreeable under the foot. Where a hard, solid walk is required at all times and during all weathers Concrete made of gravel, sand, and Portland cement possesses all the advantages with none of the defects inseparable from asphalte made with coal-tar. Concrete walks, when well made, in addition to their durability, are always hard and clean, and, so far as colour is concerned, this can be varied by mixing different materials with the cement, and which form the body of the concrete ; burnt ballast made of good clay, mixed in the proportion of equal parts to that of the gravel employed, will give a warm brown colour after a little wear, that will admit of the thin coating of cement which adheres to the particles of ballast getting worn off. In making walks of this kind it is necessary to be Ightham. In the com-tyard. (See p. 10. particularly careful that the under surface is made quite lirm and equal in solidity by thoroughly ramming in the material that is used for filling any hollows that may exist, otherwise it neces- sarily follows that when the under surface settles the cement breaks and settles similarly through want of support. Another matter of equal import- ance is to see that a sufficient body of the con- crete is used. For an ordinary path the material should not be less than 3 inches in thickness ; if less than this it will be liable to break through the action of severe frosts that strike deep into the ground. It is not advisable to make a walk of this kind close to the stems of trees, as their strong roots near the collar, in thickening, lift up and crack the concrete. Walks of this det cription can be used with advantage where, through the grcund descending quickly, gravel, or even the ordinary pebble pavement, gets washed up when heavy rainfalls occur, and through which cause gravel, where even the best means are used to prevent accumulations of surface water, gets pe- riodically washed up. Geavel walks.— For general utility and ap- pearance, combined with comparatively small cost as regards construction, gravel is not likely to be superseded for garden walks ; at the same time there are very great differences in the quality, as there are in the appearance, of this well known material, from the lively reddish brown colour obtainable in some parts of the kingdom to the fine yellowish white pea-like limestone to be had in some parts of the northern counties, and which pos- sesses all the properties required of binding and wearing well, yet it is somewhat objectionable on account of its too light colour. But to secure a firm, thoroughly dry walk, there are several mat- ters in the making that must be attended to. Unless the drainage is sufficient, even the best mate- rial will be found wanting ; it must be such that it will not only take off the water quickly that passes through the gravel, but the pipes that are laid in the bottom for the double purpose of taking this and of carrying away the surface water must be ample in size to take both even at the most exceptional times, such as in the heaviest thunder storms, which latter occurrences are very often not sufficiently provided for by having the pipes large enough, through which cause the water gets dammed up on the surface, leaving the earthy deposit, that dirties and spoils the appear- ance of the walk. With the like object of water at all times being carried off as fast as it comes there should be a sufficiency of gullies and grids to pass the top water down to the pipes without hin- drance. Through insufficiency in the size of the pipes and the grids being too far apart, many otherwise well - made walks are spoilt. In addition to ample drainage, the material of which the walk is composed must be sufficient in depth and of a clean open character, to let the water that soaks down from the surface pass wholly and quickly off. An ordinary path should consist of 10 inches of material; 6 inches or 7 inches of the bottom part ought to be perfectly free from any earthy matter that will hold water in the least. The ordinary directions given for making walks— of put- ting the coarse gravel at the bottom and fine at the top — may be suffi- cient, or may not; if the gravel put in the bottom, and which forms the principal body of the walk, contains any loamy or clayey matter, such as most of that which is obtained in districts where flint and little or no grit stone exist, unless all the earthy matter is sifted out of the bottom por- tion the walk will never dry during spells of wet weather as quickly as it should do. Even if the finer portion of the coarse gravel in the bottom is of a sandy nature, this is better absent ; clean shingle, such as is obtainable from the seashore, clinkers reduced small enough, broken rubble or burnt clay bal- last are all good materials for the bottom 24 THE GARDEN [Jan. 10, 1885. portion o! a walk, as, where used, the water as soon as it is through the fine portion of which the top is composed passes oS as qaickly as through a sieve into the drain and away. Walks so made, even if in the neighbour- hood of trees or buildings where little sun or air reaches them, will not grow mossy or green in the way often seen in such situations. The best posi- tion for the drain is under the centre of the walk, the bottom of which should slope a little from the sides to the middle. In all cases the pipes should be laid in a trench low enough to admit of their upper side being quite as low as the bottom of the walk ; and if the subsoil is wet and retentive, it will be better to lay them a foot deeper, filling the trench above them with clean, open material, such as the body of the walk is made of. Respecting the S inches or 4 inches of fine gravel which forms the top of the walk, this should be of the right binding description, that is, it should contain a sufficient quantity, but not more, of fine holding matter that, will set hard and firm without being sticky in wet weather. With- out this a perfect walk is not to be had, for although paths are occasionally met with that are surfaced with non-binding gravel that has a fresh appearance, yet such are never so agreeable to walk on as when the surface is smooth and hard. There is, however, one thing connected with walks of this description — they are easily kept free from weeds, as an occasional rake over keeps them clean. For woodland walks, or indeed anywhere where there is a difficulty in procaring good gravel, burnt clay ballast might with advantage be much more generally used than it has hitherto been. Where walks of this material are a good deal used, the surface soon gets hard, solid, and very agree- able to walk on, as when the drains are sufficient to carry off the water and enough thickness of the ballast is used, sifting it and putting the coarse at bottom and fine at top, the natural open character is such as to insure a thoroughly dry path. Where gravel of a binding nature is not plentiful, or where it cannot be had of the required warm colour, a mixture of one-half fine clay ballast will be found of much assistance in help- ing it to bind, as well as improving the colour. There is one advantage connected with these burnt clay walks, which is that weeds are much less troublesome on them than on those made of ordinary gravel ; the nature of the material is such that Grass in particular, which by the way is the worst of all plants to deal with on walks, does not vegetate and grow in it to near the extent that it does on gravel. T. E. sharp sand over the bnlbs ; this keeps them clean and healthy by stopping the soil from coming in immediate contact with them, and drains off any water that may lodge in the crowns. — S. D. Indoor Garden, Potting Lilies. — My experience of these quite agrees with that of Mr. W. J. Murphy as to the necessity of annually repotting Lilies, for when left without change of soil they become weakly, striking instances of which I have seen again and again. Our stock of L. speciosum being on several occasions more than we required, some have been left without being shifted, and in every case the pots of these have not been half so good as the others; the stems have been Ices strong and the blooms considerably smaller. Why people fail with Lilies, or form an opinion that fresh soil for pot plants of them is not necessary, is through leaving the repotting till late, instead of doing it as soon as the stems die down, which is the proper time ; then the roots sustain no injury, and all that form afterwards get to work, feeding and nourish- ing the bulbs and helping them to send up their young shoots. These I like to have about :! inches below the rim of the pots, and as they are grow- ing to place lumps of fresh loam and peat around them, which the rootlets at the base soon lay hold of and thread through and through with fibres. When potted, the best place for the plants is a cold frame, where they should be stood on a hard coal ash bottom to keep the worms from getting into the pots, as when they effect an entry they do much harm to the bulbs by working between the scales, which they pierce and cause to rot. To prevent decay from this or any other cause, it is a good plan when potting to throw some CULTURE OF VIOLETS. In reply to "V. M." (p. 521) and "C, York" (p. .532), of your last volume, I wonld say, as soon as the plants have done flowering, in the end of March or early in April, divide them, securing as much root as possible to each crown. These divi- sions should be planted 9 inches or 1 foot apart on a piece of ground that has previously been well manured and dug, and if the soil is at all dry give a good watering, which will settle it around them and prevent them from flagging. No more attention will be needed until the plants begin to grow and throw out runners. These should be pinched off as soon as they appear all through the summer, the object being to have one good strong crown. In the case of a new variety, or one of which a large stock is wanted, the rannerg may be made into cuttings and dibbled in under hand- lights, or put into pots and plunged in a hotbed. When rooted they may be pricked off into boxes, and they will make good material for planting out with the divided plants in the following spring. When they have begun to grow freely they will be greatly benefited by a liberal top- dressing of rotten manure, which answers the two-fold purpose of keeping the soil moist — an essential point in Violet culture— and stimulating the plants. The greatest enemy to Violets is red spider, particularly if the plants are grown near a sunny wall or on a south border. Its ravages must be kept in check by a free and constant use of the syringe, garden engine, or watering-can ; this should be done twice a day, if time will permit — early in the morning and again after sunset. This is absolutely necessary where the soil is of a hot, sandy character. By the end of August or early in September they will be ready for planting in their winter quarters. The best place is brick pits facing the south, but if these are not at hand, or- dinary garden boxes or frames will answer. The bottom of the pit or box should be filled with leaves and manure for bottom heat, but it is often diificult to procure leaves in sufficient quantities so early as the end of August, and in that case manure alone must be used ; but on no account should they be planted until its heat is en the decline, otherwise they wonld make weak growtli, which would only damp off on the approach of dull weather. On the manure should be placed G in. or S in. of rather light soil; the plants should then be lifted with good balls of earth and planted in this from 8 in. to 10 in. apart each way and as near the glass as possible. The whole should then have a good watering. IE the planting is done at the time mentioned the lights may remain off for a week or ten days, the night dews being very bene- ficial, but on the first approach of frost or cold rain they should at once be put on and remain on till spring. Before putting on the lights it is advisable to wash the glass, for plenty of light is indispensable to their well-doing. If water is wanted in winter, a fine bright day should be chosen in which to give it, and abundance of air should be given, weather permitting, every day I tilt the lights both top and bottom on all fine d.ays, and thus a circulation of air passes through the frames, which keeps the plants dwarf and strong. I should not recommend "V. M." to keep air on all night, particularly through the months of November and December, when fogs are preva- lent. If properly ventilated during the day, the foliage gets thoroughly dry, and the lights are better closed than open. I should think " V. M.'s " plants are too far from the glass, that being one cause, or perhaps the cause, of his failure. In severe weather they should be protected with mats. Although frost does not kill them, it makes the flower-stalks flabby, and also causes the foliage to damp, and if such foliage is allowed to remain it would soon spoil the whole. In very damp localities it is advisable to sprinkle a little powdered charcoal amongst the plants, charcoal being a good antiseptic. The single varieties should be divided every spring, and the ground should be manured and dug. They should be planted a foot apart in 4 -foot beds, off which the blooms can be readily picked from either side. If allowed to become matted together they degenerate so much as to be scarcely worth picking. The same liberal treat- ment recommended for double Violets holds good in the case of single varieties also, the only difference being their remaining in the beds in which they are grown instead of being planted under glass. They are quite hardy and will sur- vive any ordinary winter. The varieties grown here are : Doubles — Marie Louise, one of the best of rich lavender-blues, with white and red eye, but better in spring than in winter — my plants have thousands of buds on them ; De Parme, a good free-blooming kind, of a pale lavender colour ; New York, said to be better than Marie Louise, but I cannot say much about it, having only grown it one season ; Marguerite de Savoie. a large, deep blue, very good variety : King of Violets, very dark indigo-blue, does best out of doors ; Swanley White, a variety with which I am much disappointed, it is too much the colour of a Snowdrop — a greeny white; it may come better in the spring ; Comte Brazza's is, I believe, mnch better. Singles — Odoratissima, the largest of the blue singles; Victoria Regina, the best purple; Czar, purple; White Czar; and Argenteaflora, a reputed perpetual-flowering variety, silvery in colour and very fragrant. J. TtjRNEB. I'ierrejxDit Gardens, Farnham. CHRYSANTHEMUMS. While the Oak, Maple, and other trees are arrayed in crimson and gold, and the woodlands and hill- sides are glowing pictures of autumn foliage, our Chrysanthemums are only bursting the buds of their floral loveliness. The flowers of the fields and woods have passed, unless it be a stray Aster or Golden Rod, or the modest Witch Hazel in the thicket, yet the gayest of our garden treasures, the Chrysanthemum, is only being announced. It is the middle of October, and our Coleuses, Heliotropes, and Dahlias have been destroyed by frost : scarlet Pelargoniums appeal for protection ; the summer garden has been broken up, and litter and decaying stems, leaves, and plants cry for ' removal. But the end is not yet ; brighter and gayer than summer's gaudie.'-t masses are the Ghry santhemums. There are many Kinds of Chrysanthemums. For instance, the white weed of our hay fields, the Paris D.T.isies, white and yellow, so much grown now for winter flowers ; the annual tricolor varieties of our summer gardens an! others; but the most esteemed of all are the Indian or Chinese Chrysanthemums to which I now refer. The varieties of these are legion, and I shall endeavour to arrange them in classes or sections under the designations of Japanese, Chinese, Anemone-flowered, pompones, but there is no rigid line of separation. The Japanese have large, loose, ragged-looking, bunch-of-ribbons, or mop-of-shavings-like flowers, as we find in La Frisure, Ceres, and Julius Schaiff. The Chinese have large, symmetrical flowers, many of them being as full, regular, and double as those of the finest Dahlias, and the flower-leaves incurved, as in Mr. Gladstone, Golden Beverley, and Prince of Wales ; or they may be flat or reovirved, as in Mrs. Forsyth or refulgens. The Anemone-flowered may be .Japanese, Chinese, or pompone, and are beautiful, though peculiar flowers; the disc florets — those in the centre — are short, tubular, and toothed, while the outer, or ray florets, are broad, flat, and longer than those of the disc. Mrs. Bithers, Fleur de JIarie, and Marie Stuart repre- sent the three classes. Pompones have the smallest flowers, and though not very showy, are peculiarly neat and pretty, and, as a rule, have the fullest double and most perfect flowers ; the Jan. 10, 1885.] THE GARDEN 25 plants are stocky and extremely free flowering. St. Michael, Souvenir de Jersey, and Brilliant are fair example?. Propagation by seed. — Seeds advertised by all prominent seedsmen, sown in pots or boxes in the house or greenhouse in spring, or in frames or hotbeds, germinate freely, and with due care afford fair-sized flowering plants by next Novem- ber. But it is unlikely that one plant among a hundred will be worth perpetuating. The bulk of the Chryeanthemum seed upon the market is raised in the Channel Islands, the south of France, and Algiers, but of recent years many have devoted earnest attention to Chrysanthemum culture, saved seeds and raised multitudes of seedlings from their own plants, and produced some of the loveliest flowers in cultivation. Cultivation oltt-op-dooes. — As soon as Chry- santhemums are done blooming, cut them over for tidiness' sake ; see that they are securely labelled and cover them with leaves, evergreen branches, Fern, or other handy material. On the approach of spring uncover them, and after they have started to grow a little, lift and divide them, replant the healthiest pieces, and throw away the rest. Never preserve the old plants undisturbed, as young plants produce finer flowers ; indeed, single well-rooted sprouts make large specimens before autumn, and I much prefer them to pieces having several sprouts. The ground should be well enriched. In dry summer weather it will pay to give occasional heavy waterings to your Chry- santhemums. In order to secare nice stocky plants, their shoots should be shortened two or three times before the end of June ; after that let them grow unchecked ; and if you supply one stout stake to each plant and tie the shoots thereto as they grow, you will have nice, shapely plants in the autumn. Of course, you may let them blossom where they have been growing all summer, or lift and replant them elsewhere at your pleasure ; if carefully lifted and replanted and well watered then, and kept watered till the next rain comes, they will go ahead and grow and blossom as well as if they had been left undisturbed. During the summer months I grow my Chrysanthemums in plots by themselves in rows 3 feet apart each way, and as my Abutilons and other summer plants begin to appear shabby, I root them out and re- place them with Chrysanthemums. And in order to prolong the blossoming period, I transplant a lot in a sheltered nook, where I can protect them in the event of frosty weather. Cultivation in pots is mostly practised by those having greenhouse room. The plants are raised from cuttings or slips in spring, repotted as they require it, and kept moderately cool till the end of April, after which they are fully exposed till about the middle of May, when they are planted out, and cared for during the summer months as advised for out-of-door-grown plants. Between the 1st of September and October lift and pot them, water well, keep them faintly shaded, as under a tree, for a few days, stake firmly, and plunge out of doors till there is danger from frost, then remove them to a cool, light, airy greenhouse. When they begin to blossom, keep them dry overhead, but ■water abundantly at the root, and weak liquid manure will greatly assist them. Some growers say they get finer blooms from plants that have been grown all along in pots than they do from those planted out in summer and lifted and potted in ; but such is not my experience, and it is a notable fact that the best growers plant out all their Chrysanthemums in summer. Unusually large flowers may be had by disbudding, that is, by removing all the buds except the end ones on the shoots, as soon as they appear ; also by pinch- ing the lateral shoots of the main branches so as to throw the strength of the plant into the flower- buds at the ends of these branches. As cut flowers they are very useful, and last in perfection a week. Like Dahlias, Gladioli, and Lilies, they look better alone than when mixed up, bouquet fashion, with other flowers. All are pretty in day- light, and the golden-bronze colours particularly so by lamplight. The greatest improvement in Chrysanthe- mums in recent years has been the introduc- tion of many fine Japanese varieties. Among the Chinese sorts we cannot boast of better flowers than were grown several years ago, and, alas, many of the choicest sorts, as Golden Beverley, Souvenir de Mercedes, and Mrs. George Eundle, are very subject to mildew. But the Japanese are a sturdy, vigorous, hardy race ; so, too, are the many varieties of American origin. Early frosts.— Four or five degrees of frost, if of short duration, will not materially hurt either plants or flowers, but winds and drenching rains mar them considerably. There are some early- flowering ones, as Madame Desgrange and its yellow form, Red Dragon, Gloire Rayonnante, La Frisure, Mdlle. Mancey, Madame Bachoux, Anastasio, Petite Marie, Boig Duval, Precocity, Tresorier Lacoste, and Frederic Marronet, that come into blossom several weeks earlier than the general mass. Or the plants may be planted in pots, boxes, &c., and, in the event of frosty nights, taken indoors, put into a shed, or elsewhere over- night. Varieties. — These have now become very nu- merous. The fo. lowing is my selection : — Japanese. — Admiration, rosy lilac: Ben d'Or, yellow ; Boule d'Argent, rose-purple ; Bouquet Fait, rose and white ; Ceres, pale purple to white ; Comte de Germiny, brown and yellow ; Duchess ,of Albany, darker than the last ; Elaine, white ; Fair Maid of Guernsey, white ; F. Delaux, vel- vety crimson ; Gloire Rayonnante, satiny rose ; Golden Dragon, yellow ; Grandiflorum, yellow ; Julius Scharff, deep purple ; La Charmeuse, deep purple and silver; La Frisure, silvery purple; Madame G. Audiguier, rosy pink ; M. Planchenau, rose, purple, and white; Madame Desgrange, white; P. Delaux, crimson; Red Dragon, crimson and yellow ; Rubra striata, red and yellow ; Soleil Levant, yellow; Source d'Or, red and yellow; Striata perfecta, purple and white ; Triomphe de la rue du Chdtelet, buff and nankeen. Chinese. — Barbara, yellow ; Baron Beust, buff bronze ; Duchess of Connaught, pink-purple ; Felicity, white ; Golden Beverley, yellow ; Jardin des Plantes, yellow ; Gloria Mundi, yellow ; Mabel Ward, yellow ; Mrs. Forsyth, white ; Mrs. N. Hal- lock, yellowish white; Prince of Wales, deep purple ; Procure, bright amaranth ; Venus, rosy lilac' Some that I should regard as too small to be classed with the preceding and too large to be placed with the small pompones are as follows : Aimee Ferrifere, white, purple tipped ; Eluonore, crimson and yellow ; Madame Bachoux, lilac- purple; Mdlle. Marth(5, white; Golden Mdlle. Martha, yellow ; Mrs. CuUingford, white ; Perle des Beautijs, yellow tipped with crimson ; Prince.ss Jleletia, white and pale purple ; Webb's Queen, white. Pompones. — Amphilla, bright crimson ; Anas- tasio, pink-purple; Arbre de Noel, bronze and chrome; Fanny, crimson ; Inimitable, yellowish ; Lucr6ce,'crimson or yellow ; Mdlle. Mancey, pink- purple ; Salamon, cherry red ; Sanguineum, red ; Secretaire Daurel, chestnut and yellow ; Treso- rier Lacoste, yellow shaded chestnut. Single and semi-double. — America, white tinged purple ; Bonnie Rose, deep rose-purple ; Oassino, deep purple ; Cineraria, rich purple,white band around eye ; J. Y. Murckland, white ; Mari- gold, brown-red ; Mrs. C. L. Allen, deep rose- purple ; Mrs. Robertson, creamy white tinged with purple ; Peter Henderson, clear, bright yellow ; Zephyr, yellowish white. I have several other singles of more or less importance, and some, as Attraction, Rosalind, and Yellow Gem, that are not worth growing. — W. Falconer, in Rural New Yorlier. ■Winter-blooming' Pelargoniums. — We often read or hear of certain sorts of zonal Pelargoniums being the best or among the best for winter blooming, thus conveying the impres- sion that it is necessary to have such sorts if we wish to be successful. As it happens, we invari- ably have plenty of bloom at this time of the year, and that too on nearly all the varieties which we have. The secret lies in well preparing the plants and at the proper time giving them a light position in a warm greenhouse. Young plants are preferred, and they are not allowed to bloom till the first week in September, or when transferred to their winter quarters. During the winter they are carefully watered ; they are given air on dry warm days and fire heat almost con- stantly.— I. PLANTS ROOTING THROUGH THEIR POTS. After reading the note on naturally grown Chrysanthemums (p. 462) one is forced to the conclusion that the superiority of the plants in question was principally due to the fact that their roots ran out of the pots into good soil. What renders this the more interesting is that hitherto most good growers have considered it bad practice to allow the roots to issue from the pots, and em- phasised instructions have more than once been given to turn the pots round now and then when plunged, so as to check all tendency to do so. Whether by allowing the roots to go through and into the soil below the highest stage of Chry- santhemum development can be attained I can- not say, but it is evident that very excellent results are obtainable in that way. Such being the case, it follows that fine Chrysanthemums can be grown with much less labour in the matter of watering and shifting than by the ordinary rou- tine— an important consideration. It also follows that comparatively large plants can be obtained by pot culture — a great advantage where they are required for decorative purposes — and small pots with tolerably large plants in them are a deside- ratum. It seems paradoxical to assert that the cutting off roots which issue in some quantity from the pots increases the amount of fibres in the pots themselves, but I am inclined to think that that is frequently the case. At one time we used to grow a number of Strawberries, which remained several years in the same pots without fresh soil. Our plan was to set them on a piece of free soil and allow them to root through for two or three months. At the end of that time they had generally made quite a thick mass of fibrous roots outside of the pots, and one would have thought that by their destruc- tion the welfare of the plants would have been seriously endangered. Facts, however, pointed in the opposite direction, for if they were well at- tended to in the way of watering, they did not appear to suffer, and, what was curious, a fresh series of strong roots issued immediately from the crown, which, thick and wiry, soon found their way down round the outside of the pots. Not only was this the case, but the old roots at once began to throw out white fibres the whole of their length , so that the soil soon became filled with them . Naturally, too, the strong leaf -growth made by reason of the rooting through would have its effect on the rene wal of the roots, as with a large head of foliage plenty of water can be given. In this way we have kept Strawberries five years in the same pots with no decrease in their bearing power ; indeed, they were only turned out of the pots w'nen the crowns projected so far from the soil as to render the production of roots from them practically impossible. After breaking them off in September a good top-dressing of soot was given, which encouraged the formation of surface feeders, and gave the plants the food they needed. I do not say that it would answer to allow every kind of plant to root through, but there are many free-rooting ones that would be benefited thereby. Such things as berry-bearing Solanums, Ficus elastica, many Palms, zonal Pelargoniums, and similar things required in small pots for decora- tion could be more easily and better grown by plunging the pots in some light material for a couple of months or more than by shifting. I believe that most plant growers think too much of shifting and not enough of top-dressing or feeding in some way, the consequence being that 26 THE GARDEN [Jan. 10, 1885. plants often get into pots oat of proportion to their size. J. C. B. Salvia bollviana var. verticillata.— This beautiful variety of Salvia, now beginning to flower, forms .a useful succession to the majority of plants grown for winter decoration. It is one of the most vigorous of Sages in general habit, and is easily grown if potted in rich soil and given plenty of water at all times. Cuttings of it rooted in .spring, grown on, and finally shifted into 9-inch pots will form plants the following winter some 4 feet high and nearly as much in diameter. Such plants, with their deep green leathery leaves and dark scarlet flowers, are among the most attractive of greenhouse plants at that season, and form good substitutes for o>it-going Chrysanthemums. The variety just named is very distinct, and well worth e.xtended cultivation. — J. G. K. Erica melanthera — This is one of the most interesting of autumn and winter floweiing Heaths that bloom .at the same time as the better known and more largely grown E. hyemalis; although its flowers are very small, they are produced in great profusion on every little point of the preceding summer's growth. They are nearly white, but are rendered conspicuous on account of their exserted st.Tmens and dark coloured anthers. Young plants produce shoots nearly as long as other strong- growing Heaths, but when several years old this species forms a compact, bushy head, and generally grows evenly without pinching. The slender growths are very useful in a cut state, as they keep good for a long time in water, and a delicate per- fume is emitted by the flowers when fresh. With even a small stock of established plants and a little management by way of hastening and retard- ing some portion of them, the usefulness and general decorative value of E. melanthera may be extended over some three or four of the dullest winter months. — Beta. Vrlesla brachystachys.— Many Brome- liaceous plants are certainly worthy of more at- tention than has hitherto been bestowed upon them in this country, their requirements being easily satisfied, and in several cases the foliage is Jvery beautiful, while the flowers of many of them are showy and attractive. One of the most conspicuous in bloom now is Vriesia brachy- stachys, a smallish growing kind that iiowers freely in small pots. Tlie flower-scape is about a foot high, and the blossoms are arranged in two opposite rows on the upper part of it. Each bloom is subtended by a large keel-shaped bract, which forms the principal attractive feature of the inflorescence. These bracts at the base are intensely bright crimson, shaded more or less with purple, which gradually merges into the orange colour of the upper part. In some the orange is much tinged with green. The blossoms them- selves are yellow, but do not remain long in per- fection, and as they protrude but a short distance beyond the bracts, they are at no time very con- spicuous. Our plants are simply potted in fibrous peat (the pots being well drained) and kept on a shelf in the stove except when in bloom, when they are placed in a more conspicuous position. — H. P. Colouses in winter— Although Coleuses are usually seen to greatest advantage in summer and autumn, they may be successfully employed as winter decorative plants where a brisk growing temperature can be given them. On dark winter days the beautiful colouring of their foliage is even more attractive than in summer, from the fact that there is then little that is briUiant to compete with it. Small plants are most service- able where drawing-room and table decoration is carried out on a large scale, and as plants used for these purposes get rather rough usage, it is best to employ as far as possible such as can be rapidly increased and grown on to a useful size. I put my cuttings of Coleuses in September and October in Xi-inch pots, and as soon as rooted set them on a shelf near the glass in a stove tempera- ture. They soon acquire a serviceable size, and when seen under strong artificial light, are even more effective than many plants of greater value. The varieties sent out during the last fewyears have been great improvements on those cultivated a dozen years ago, and their lovely foliage is always admired. Where, indeed, cut flowers are scarce, even the tops of old plants of Coleuses that have got too large for decoration may be utilised for filling the cut-flower basket, which at Christmas- tide usually taxes the resources of even the largest establishments. — J. G., Uanis. Garden Flora. PLATE 174. BORDER CARNATIONS. (WITH A COLOURED FIG. OF BELLE HALLIDAY.*) Ip we were asked which is the most charming of our hardy summer border flowers, we should un- hesitatingly name, next to the Rose, the border Carnation, which is, moreover, one of the oldest of our border plants, for we read of the Carna tion — probably an improved form — having been introduced by Gerard from Poland in l."i',)7. That it was commonly grown about London in 1G29 may be inferred from the fact that as many as fifty sorts were cultivated by Parkinson. It must have been a general favourite in Shakespeare's time, for in " The Winter's Tale" he makes Perdita say : — The fairest flowers o' the season Are our Carnations and Stock Gilliflowers. Abercromby grew upwards of a dozen Clove or self-coloured Carnations. But it is with existing varieties we are now chiefly concerned. In colour these range from deep crimson, through glowing scarlet, to the purest white, and while yellow has not been altogether unrepresented, the examples of this colour have for the most part been of weak constitution, and unable to withstand the rigour of our winters. A notable exception in this respect is the beautiful Belle Halliday, the sub- ject of the annexed plate for this week. It has been sent out by Messrs. Dicksons, of the I'ilrig Park Nursery, Edinburgh, and is, as will be seen, of a lovely shade of lemon-yellow. In robust- ness of constitution it is equal to the old Clove, and that it is floriferous is sufficiently attested by the fact that as many as a hundred (lowers and bads have been counted on a one- year-old plant. Like the rest of the family, it begins to open its blossoms in July, and continues to bloom in the greatest profusion till pinching winter frosts set in ; and if the exacting cultivator is still dissatisfied, he has only to take up the plants, pot them, and place them in a cool green- house, where they will reward him for his trouble by continuing to open their unexpanded buds throughout the winter months. The culture of border Carnations is so simple as to bring them within the reach of the humblest cottiiger, and although, like all other flowers, their clear and beautiful colours will appear to most advantage in smokeless atmospheres, they are much less fastidious in this respect than most plants. There are, indeed, but few hardy border flowers that accommodate themselves so readily to unfavourable surroundings as the Carnation ; as an evidence of this we may mention that the flowers from which our drawing was made were grown virtually in the heart of Edinburgh, where all attempts to make the Rose feel at home have proved ineffectual. For a long period the Carna- tion has been, so to speak, the property of the ' Drawn from flowers sent by Messrs. Dicksons it Co., Pilrig Park Nursery, Etlinburgli, in first week of September. florist, our fine old Cloves, if tolerated at all, being relegated to any out-of-the-way corner; but, thanks to the reaction that has set in during these last few years. Carnations have been reinstated in the prominent position to grace which they are so well fitted, and from which, we venture to hope, they will not again be deposed. We have only to turn to Hogg's treatise on the Carnation, published in 1820, to see how much simple beauty was sacri- ficed at the shrine of the fashionable florist in those days. Any Carnation that did not exactly fit the then existmg conditions was ruthlessly thrown to the rubbish heap. The following are the properties which, according to florists, a Carnation should possess: " The stem should be strong, tall, and straight, not less than 30 inches nor more thf p 4.5 inches high ; the flower should be at least 3 inches in diameter, consisting of a great number of large well-formed petals, but neither so many as to give it too full and crowded an appearance, nor so few as to make it appear thin. The petals should be broad and substantial, particularly those of the lower or outer circle, commonly called guard leaves ; these should rise perpendicularly about half an inch above the calyx, and then turn off gracefully in a horizontal direction, supporting the interior petals, and altogether forming a con- vex and nearly hemispherical corolla. The in- terior petals should rather decrease in size as they approach the centre of the flower. The petals should be regularly disposed alike on every side, imbricating each other in such a manner that both their respective and united beauties may captivate the eye at the same instant ; they should be nearly flat ; however, a small degree of concavity or in- flection at the broad end is allowable, but their edges should be perfecty entire, that is to say, free from notches, fringe, or indenture. What- ever colours the flowers may be possessed of, they should be perfectly distinct, and disposed in stripes, broadest at the edge of the petals. Each petal should have a due proportion of white— !.<"., one half, or nearly so, which should be perfectly clear and free from spots." Most of these and other needless requirements are, we need hardly say, now disregarded. As we have already remarked, the culture of border Carnations is of the simplest kind, but at the same time we may add that Carnations well repay, in the quantity, quality, and duration of their bloom, good cultivation. To have them at their best, the ground should be deeply dug and enriched with well-rotted manure. In a sheltered situation they may be planted out in autumn, when the layers are taken off, or they may be wintered in a cold frame in free, rich, fibry soil, keeping the lights off always, except during heavy rain or hard frost. In either case they will be benefited by a mulching of Cocoa-nut fibre refuse or of short stable manure. Spring planting may be done in the end of March or beginning of April, and a top-dressing of cow manure will serve the double purpose of feeding the plants and counter- acting the effects of severe drouglit. Should the summer prove exceptionally dry, liberal waterings ought to be occasionally given. Treated in this way, they will send up strong flower-stems, which must be staked, in order to keep the flowers clean. If desired, the plants may be left undisturbed for two or three years, when they will form large masses and yield bloom in proportion. Young plants may be obtained either by layering or from pipings (cuttings) put in when the shoots are slightly flrm, which will be some time in July. THE GARDEN Jan. 10, 1885.] THE GARDEN 27 They shonld be put in pots in a light compost with plenty of drainage, placed in a spent hotbed, and shaded for ten days or so, when they will root freely. If it be desired to save seed, the plants should not be layered, as this is said to prevent seeding. The seed should be kept in the pods till the beginning of May, when it may be sown in pans in a light compost, and the seedlings should is a Fern-leaved variety, but more compact in growth than the ordinary strains in this section, and when the neat and pretty pale green leaves are surmounted by strong trusses of well formed delicate rose-coloured blooms it is certain to attract attention. In a cut state it is also ser- viceable, and looks very pretty on the dinner- table. Altogether I consider it to be one of the best Primulas in cultivation, and that is saying a good deal seeing how many varieties now exist. —W.I. Japanese Bamboos iu a border at Ightham. (See p. 19) be planted out when about 3 inches high ; they should be shaded, and iu September they may be planted where they are to flower, which they will do the following summer. As to varieties, the following are some of the best of their respective colours: White— lirides- maid, Duchess of Connaught, Gloire de Nancy, Miss Matthews, The Bride, The Governor, and the White Clove; scarlet— Coroner, Duke of Welling- ton, Fire-eater, Helton Hall, and Martial ; crim- son—Dominie Sampson, Hindoo, IVince of Wales, and The Nigger; purple -Gog, Neptune, Purple em. Royal Purple, and Sultan ; striped— Acis, Adonis, Eurydice, Lord Stamford, Miss Muir, Prince Hal, and Titania ; yellow— Andalusia, Beauty of Penshnrst, Belle Halliday, and Mrs. George Hawtrey ; Picotees— Prince of Orange, Pilrig Park, and Redbraes. With border Carnations ought to be associated their equally hardy and equally easily grown relatives, the border Pinks, to which many charming varieties have recently been added, both double and single ; these for the most part begin to flower quite a month earlier than the Carnations, and the two together furnish fragrant blooms during the whole of the summer and autumn. Primula Rosy Queen. -I am growing a considerable number of Chinese Primulas, and the collection proves quite as interesting as I anticipated it would be. One of the earliest bloomers and one of the best is Rosy Queen. It Fruit Garden. NEGLECTED FRUITS. There are three kinds of fruit which, it is my belief, have for years past been much neglected, viz.. Medlars, Mulberries, and Walnuts. They were extensively planted by our forefather?, but, ac- cording to my experience, the present generation of proprietorsof gardens, as well as gardeners, very rarely think of planting trees of any of them. There may be some slight excuse for not planting Walnuts, as these take many years, perhaps not less than half a century, to attain a profitable size, but neither Medlars nor Mulberries are many years before they commence to fruit, and those who plant them, in addition to the satisfaction of feel ing that they are making some slight provision for their heirs, may reasonably anticipate some re- turn for their trouble. I believe I may safely assert that Medlars are only to be found in about 2.5 per cent, of medium-sized and large gardens, and very rarely indeed in small ones. The Medlar season, it is true, is not a long one, but Medlars are available during the latter part of November and December, a time at which des- sert fruits are very limited. I do not say Medlars are appreciated by all who have an opportunity of tasting them, but, as it often happens with other comparatively uncommon fruits, there are some MULBEBBIES, in Spite of their longevity, are getting scarcer every year; they are liable to be destroyed by heavy gales, especially when in full leaf. When once a principal branch is blown off the rest of the tree soon shares the same fate, and all who possess a fine old tree will do well to anticipate this much-to-be-regretted destruction by simply chaining the principal branches to each other, in such a manner as to insure their mutual support. The Mulberry is essentially a lawn tree. Here Mulberries are of imposing appearance ; the isolation causes a sturdy, fruitful growth, and the clean turf preserves the fruits as they fall. It is only in the southern counties, however, that lawn Mulberry trees may be depended upon for perfecting a crop of fruit ; in the more northern counties Mulberries, however, succeed surprisingly well when planted against a wall and rather closely nailed in, the fruit being produced on spurs as well as at the points of short-jointed young growth, or the trees may be allowed to grow in a semi-restricted state, such as so well suits Figs when grown in similar positions. For lawns stan- dard trees are the best, and these when properly staked up require no further attention. A rather light loamy soil suits them, and little or no manure should be given young trees, or they will grow much too strongly to be fruitful. When well established they rarely fail to ripen good crops, and some healthy old trees yield bushels of fine fruit, considerable quantities of which are bought up and converted into a syrup by wholesale drug- gists. During the hot summer months the fruits are very refreshing, though rather too acid to suit all tastes ; they are also rather too juicy for tarts, and are therefore best mixed with Apples. The black Mulberry is the variety cultivated for its fruit ; when ripe the fruit should be quite black, and when fully grown 1| inches in length. Walnuts are too well known to need any comment, though, as it happens, very few people grow their own. At a farmhouse near here there is a fine row of trees, which in some sea- sons produce heavy crops, and I have often won- who acquire a very strong liking for them. The only variety we have here is the Nottingham, this being the smallest fruited, but the best in point [ dered' why more trees have not been planted in of flavour. The broad-leaved Datch Medlar pro- i similar positions, or that avenues have not been duces much finer fruit and of very good flavour. I more frequently formed with them. As park A strong loam appears to suit Medlars well, but i trees. Walnuts are quite as ornamental as any as a rule they will succeed with Apple trees wherever these may be grown. They are usually grown as standards, and require but little pruning beyond an occasional thinning out of the branches where these are at all crowded. The fruits should not be gathered till early in November, as if gathered earlier they are liable to shrivel. They other deciduous tree, young trees especially pro- ducing very fine foliage, and I should think that their timber is as valuable as any grown in this country. If planted in fairly good soil they are not at all slow growing, though in rather low positions both the delicate young growths and fruit are liable to injury from late .spring frosts. '^"^jr "^Mrim > »'. ^ L.j*,>i"Nlii ^\ 't.-^ - ^^^jSBft P'^v*!^ Mr '' ' wH^^'^w^ Jf^Ullti, ■^f. ■ %'j^ ^m m 1 f\ Yuccas by walk on top o£ slope at Ightham. (See p. 19.) may be stored on a cool shelf in the fruit room with the open side downward. Part of the crop, if placed at once in a box, covered with glass, and set near some hot-water pipes, may be ripened by the middle of November, an acceptable dish of fruit being thus provided for any special purpose, and its season is also lengthened. The very large- fruited sorts are rarely of any use ; the best for planting are Highflyer, Thin-shelled, and Dwarf Prolific. W. I. M. Lifting fruit trees. — This practice may be necessary occasionally, but it is not one that need be put in operation annually anywhere. Yet there 28 THE GARDEN [Jan. 10, 1885. are gardeners who persistently advocate the an- nual lif t4pg of their Peach trees, even under glass, and who adopt the practice regularly, or at least profess to do so, as the pages of some of your contemporaries testify. For my part I think one need hardly distinguish between lifting and root- pruning — the difference is merely one of degree and not of principle, but it is certainly not need- ful to do either every year. If you lift a Peach tree, or any other fruit tree, and replant it again, the consequences are a severe checli to growth, the risk at least of loss of crop the following year or partial loss, and a general check to the tree, root and top. The second or third year after lifting are the most fruitful, and after that the cperation may be repeated, but not any oftener. Ptoot-pruning and lifting are not beneficial in them- selves except in so far as they check over-luxuri- ance, but when practised too often the cure is worse than the disease, for the result is the en- feeblement of the trees and poor crops of fruit of inferior quality. Koot-pruning and lifting might, however, be obviated in many cases by planting in properly prepared borders at the outset. 8o far as I have noticed, no tree, whether it belongs to the garden or the forest, ever grows too vigorously in a poor, well-drained, or shallow soil. The de- gree of vigour and maturity may be measured e.factly by these conditions, and numerous ex- amples of the kind come under the gardener's observation every day. No one could produce an over-vigorous Pear tree, for example, by growing it in a poor or very shallow soil out of which the roots could not get. Not only does poverty check growth, but so also does a shallow soil, however rich, and much of one's labour in lifting and root-pruning might be done away with by a realisation of this fact.— S. W. SUPERNUMERARY VINES. In forming new vineries a great saving is effected by planting supernumerary Vines. In lean-to houses of good width— say, 1.5 feet or 18 feet- much valuable space may be utilised by them tor from four to six years which would otherwise be lost. Jlore Grapes can be cut from such Vines in a much shorter space of time than from per- manent rods, which under the circumstances need not be cropped quite so heavily for the first few years, thus giving them time to gain strength, when they will last longer in good condition than if cropped heavily from the commencement. I have had many good crops of Grapes from supernumerary Vines ; therefore I can speak with confidence as to their value. Bunches produced by them have been awarded first prizes more than once. Our vineries, three in number, 18 feet wide and about H feet high at the back, where there is a light about .S feet 0 inches in length, are well adapted for super- numerary canes. When planting them five years ago we had many Vines to spare, and the idea struck me to plant them in the way indicated. The permanent Vines are planted about a foot from the front wall, and the supernumeraries about 8 feet from it. The border was made 8 feet in width at first, and it has been added to since as the roots extended. When planted the Vines were cut down to two eyes ; the most promising shoot was left and the other rubbed off. They grew rapidly, reaching the top of the house the first year; at pruning time they were cut in to three eyes on the wires-/ ,-., a pair of side shoots and a leader. These the same season bore three bunches, or one on each shoot. The lower buds which broke from the stem below the wires were rubbed off, leaving a clean stem fi feet high. They were quite like standard Vines. After the first two seasons of bearing the lower spurs were cut away to give more room and light to the permanent Vmes. The supernumerary ones were allowed to have a longer length of leader to frnit from in consequence of the loss of spurs at the bottom At present we have a good crop of Ali- cantes and Lady Downes hanging on Vines thus treated. In the early house some rods of Hamburghs are still left to carry one more crop of Grapes preparatory to cutting them out altogether. In the fame house we have cut out this season rods of Foster's Seedling and Madresfield Court, which answered remarkably well treated in the way just named. Muscats, in the Muscat house, and Madres- field Court, along with those of Alicante and Lady Downes before mentioned, have all borne good fruit. A Vine of the Duke of Buccleuch, planted in the late vinery as a supernumerary, bore this last season eighteen good bunches, the berries of which swelled to a good size and coloured well, free from spot, and they kept in good condition till the first week in November. E. Moltneux. THE APPLE CROP. NOTWITHSTANDIXG that we had such a good crop of Apples last year, there has been a fair average crop this season, and one or two features connected with it are worthy of remark. In the first place, the fiuit has been everywhere in this district larger, more uniform in size, and clearer in the fkin than it has been for some few years past. In the next place, perfectly sound fruit dropped from the trees earlier than usual. The healthy condiiion of the trees was also remark- able; they were more densely covered with foliage than usual latein the season. The leaves were also larger, and there was a greater depth of green in them than ordinary, while insect pests were any- thing but troublesome. I stored this autuiru the finest lot of Apples I have had during my seven- teen years' residence in Somerset ; they were gathered from pyramid and bush trees, which are about S feet in height and proportionately broad. They consist of the following varieties : Cox's Pomon , always with us an exceedingly prolific sort, producing large and handsome fruits that are much esteemed for culinary purposes, while the tree makes a handsome pyramid or bush ; Glamis Castle and Emperor Alexander both large culinary sorts that have borne well ; Worcester Pearmain has produced some fine highly-coloured fruit ; and Kentish FiUbasket and Lord Suflield are good. Cellini has borne some fine fruit, as have also Peasgood's Nonsuch and King of the Pippins. In connection-with the management of the bush and pyramid form of trees, especially as regards pruning. I may mention that I have no hard or fast rules to work by. I rely more upon root- pruning than on curtailing the branches. At the same time, I prefer to have suflacient vigour in the trees to require the use of the knife on the branches sometimes, for without pruning I am quite sure large fruit cannot be obtained. My rule is to root-prune such trees as are getting too vigorous, but in our strong soil the time varies according to the season and the habit of the variety. Sometimes I do not have to touch the roots of such strong-growing sorts as Kentish Fillbasket, Glamis Castle, and Emperor Alexan- der but once in four years, and sometimes less. I am guided entirely by the condition of the branches. When the frees are strong enough to make growth 2 feet long in one season I think it time to root-prune, no matter when that operation was last performed. In root-pruning we are careful that it is performed without seriously mutilating the smaller roots. The soil is taken out on one side of the tree, from 18 inches to 2 feet from the stem, according to its size and age. The largest roots are then .searched out and severed with a knife. The soil is then put back in its place and trodden firmly. Every tree to be root-pruned is marked in September before the branches are pruned. The root-pruning I like to have done in October. As regards pruning the branches, I have altered my time of doing it. I used to prune about the middle of August, but as the trees did not remain so healthy as I thought they ought to do under the circumstances, I decided to defer the cutting away of the branches until the fruit was gathered", and under this system the health of our trees has certainly improved. In regard to the value of summer pruning, I at one time held the same opinion as many more, viz . that it promoted the formation of fruit buds, and therefore it was an essential part of fruit-tree management. I do not say now that it is not so, but observation has shown me that any frnit tree, under a judicious system of root -pruning, will perfect as many frnit buds according to its bearing surface as it is able to produce fruit, and bring it to maturity without the aid of summer pruning. Summer pruning may — in fact, it does— increase the cumber of fruit buds, but unless the bearing surface is in- creased proportionately there is nothing gained by it, and the bearing surface of any tree must neces- sarily be in proportion to the form in which it is grown. Any pirticular branch upon a tree may, by the skilful manipulations of the pruner, be made to form any number of fruit buds according to its length, and supposing it had set thirty or more, the strength of the tree might only be able to bring to maturity one-third of that number ; therefore I maintain that, although it may be desirable in the case of young trees to adopt, sum- mer pruning in order to bring them into form, it is neither necessary nor desirable to practise it on well-formed specimens. J. C. C. MELON CULTURE. It is generally supposed that Melons require more heat and attention than they really do, and many refrain from cultivating them on that account, but if plants are started any time from the begin- ning of April up to the end of May or middle of June, they may be grown successfully in any ordinary pit or frame deep enough to admit of light fermenting material to afford a little warmth for the roots, as sun heat will do the rest. The most important point is to obtain good strong plants to start with, and as many of these can be raised and got up to a proper size in a one-light box, the best way, where there are not houses in which to sow and rear them, is to make up a hotbed specially for the purpose, as by so doing they may be nursed on till the frames are clear of bedding plants and the weather is favourable for planting them out. The hotbed, to be sweet and wholesome, should be made of manure and leaves or tan that have been mixed up and turned over a few times to let out the fiery gases and sweeten, when the material will be ready for putting to- gether and may be used without risk of injury to the most tender foliage. To save having to dis- turb the young Melons after they are up, it is a good plan to sow two seeds in tlie centre or sides of a pot, and when up, to pull out the weakest and leave the other to grow ; or if sown in a pan it should be done thinly in finely sifted leaf-soil, from which they wilt lift with plenty of roots. They may then be potted singly in fibry loam and shaded slightly for a day or two till they get fresh hold, when the more sun and light they get the more stocky and robust will they grow. If the temperature in the frame stands anywhere above (J0° by night, that will be quite hot enough, and to conserve the warmth and keep it steadily at that, the glass should he covered with mats or protected in some way again.'-t wind and frost. In the mornine', as soon as the heat in the frame reaches 75°, air should be admitted by tilting the backs of the lights, but this must be done cautiously, so as not to let in cold, cutting draughts or to lower the heat beyond the point mentioned. With air on, no harm will accrue if the heat runs up to 8.->°, and when it reaches that point it will be neces- sary to raise the lights higher, or the foliage may burn. By two or three in the afternoon the frame may be closed, but the plants and interior on fine sunny days should be syringed with tepid water to make the atmosphere moist, which will keep the plants clean and help to push them along. As soon as they have made a rough leaf or two, they should be stopped by having the points nipped out, which will cause them to break from below and branch, so that when planted out they will lie flat on the ground. All that is requisite by way of PoTTO.M-HEAT to grow Melons during the summer is, as above stated, just enough to give them a good start, which a foot or two deep of any fermenting material will do. This, put into the pits or frames in a hot state, should have a good ridge of soil laid along the middle, and if the lights are then kept close for a few days, suffi- cient warmth will have been driven into it to Jan. 10, 1885,] THE GARDEN 29 make it ready for planting. Before doing this, however, it should be rendered firm by pressing or treading, as Melons do best in a firm root-run. If the pits or frames are wide, the plants may be placed about 2 feet apart, and a yard if narrow, which will aflcord ample room for them to run and spread. By the time the shoots reach the outside of the ridge it will be necessary to nip out the points, as when they lengthen out they will reach the limits of the frame, and the stopping causes laterals to form. On these the fruits show, and the laterals should at once be stopped one joint beyond the fruit; as the flowers open they must be fertilised, otherwise they will not set. As soon as it can be seen that they are set and swell- ing, all, except three or four of the best situated, should be removed, as either three or four are quite enough for a plant, unless each can have a great deal of room. The principal point to be attended to in growing Melons in frames is to keep all lateral growths stopped as they show, so as not to allow them to overshadow the main foliage, which should have plenty of room, and the branches so trained by pegging out as to cover the whole of the g:round. To prevent red spider there is nothing like clear water, which may be sprinkled on daily during sunny weather just before closing the frames, but to save chilling the leaves, the water must be warm and so poured on as to avoid wetting the collars of the plant?, as when that is done continuously they are apt to canker at that par- ticular part. The heat Melons will stand and en- joy when damped down and closed is surprising ; the frames may, therefore, be always shut by three at the latest ; but during the day they should have plenty of air, which will keep them healthy and strong. When the fruits are swelling fast liquid manure is a great help, but this should be discontinued some time before they ripen or the flavour will be impaired, as also occurs if kept too wet at the roots. As to sorts of Melons to grow, their name is legion, and each cultivator has his particular favourite. The following, though not new, are as good as any, and all do well in a frame : Read's Scarlet Flesh and Scarlet Gem among the coloured kinds, and Eastnor Castle, Bailey's Hybrid, Golden Perfection, and Queen Emma in the green-fleshed class, and all these grow to a moderate size, are handsomely netted, and look well on a table. S. D. PRUNING AND DRESSING VINES. Now that the leaves have fallen, and where the fruit has all been cut, the Vines should be pruned. The long-rod system consists in taking up one or two young canes from near the base of the Vine each year, which, at the time of pruning, are shortened back to from two-thirds to one-third of their entire length, the crop being borne on the young rod or rods from the bottom up to where they are cut back, and on the old cane that has produced them above where they were severed, except in cases in which it was cut away as soon as the fruit was removed ; in that case the young one is generally left nearly the entire length of the rafter ; but this method is now comparatively little practised, and never had very much to recommend it, although by it larger bunches are often produced than by the other system. Ama- teurs are more likely to succeed under the spur system, though the Vines in time, owing to the length which the spurs assume in the course of years, have a less sightly appearance than in the case of the long-rod system. This is a fault which can, however, be avoided by yearly cutting from each rod a few of the spurs completely ; young shoots will spring from the base where these have been removed and will take their place, though it often happens that such shoots do not show fruit freely the year after they have been formed. It is, however, always better to prune with a view to a crop than for mere appearance sake, and I should not recommend any bearing wood ever being shortened closer than to where a good plump eye can be retained, even should this be the second above the base where the current season's shoot had sprung, and in no case to sever the shoot too near the eye that is retained. The advantage of pruning in this fashion is that the second eye may produce a good stout bunch, whilst the usually weaker bud at the base of the shoot may show no bunch, or one that is a sort of half bnnch, half tendril ; and if the lower eye shows fruit satisfactorily, then the shoot from the second eye can be removed altogether. Where Vines are strong enough to bear freely, there is little to be feared as to their showing a sufiicient crop, pro- vided the wood has been fully ripened, unless where overcropping has been practised, or they have been so grossly neglected as to allow them to become a prey to red spider or thrips early in the season, long before the leaves had fulfilled their allotted functions. There is one other point to which I would direct attention, and that is, not to retain too many spurs on each rod ; it is a com- mon occurrence to see a spur retained at the greater number of the joints, which is much too close, crowding the roof with small half-developed leaves; whereas, if the spurs be from 1 ft. to 15 in. apart, they are quite near enough. In the case of Vines that are pruned now with a view to their being started more or less early, it will be as well to give them their winter dressing at once. Before appljing this it is usual to strip off some of the outer bark, but in this operation I would espe- cially urge the inexperienced to be cautious, and only take off such as is quite loose and hanging in a dead, stringy condition ; the unnatural practice of close scraping, so as to remove the whole of the outer covering almost down to the living inner bark, polishing the rods oil smooth like a knotted walking-stick, is fatal in its effects, pre- venting the Vines ever growing and thickening as they ought to do. This scraping process, I am aware, is often done with the intention of re- moving the eggs of red spider, thrips, and other insects, bat in this case the cure becomes worse than the disease. After removing just the loose outer portion as just described, dress at once with the usual mixture of clay, sulphur, a little Gis- hurst and soot, and fresh cow manure, the latter to help the dressing to stick, stirring all well to- gether, and using it about the consistency of thick paint, brushing it in thoroughly to get it into every crevice, especially about the base of the spurs. After they are dressed, the rods may either be tied up in their places under the rafters or across the house over the fiont path if there happens to be one ; in this way a fair amount of light will be admitted to whatever plants occupy the house during the winter. T. B. S. Stra'wberriea in autumn.— "In the first week in August they were just beginning to pick Strawberries some fifteen miles north of Inver- ness." This fact thus reported to me seems to bear directly on a discussion which took place some twelve months ago concerning the autumn treatment of Strawberries in pots. I then coun- selled the top dressing of plants which had become thoroughly root-bound, as a means of increasing their fertility by the natural process of strengthen- ing the fruit germ, which must form from the first week in September to the end of October. Any deficiency of nutriment at that time, I ar- gued, would be one means of decreasing the crop the following year. This was, however, objected to on the ground that, after August, Strawberries having completed their growth require nothing more than pure water, which is tantamount to saying that dnring September they make no growth, for all the time a plant grows it requires food. But what, it will be asked, has all this to do with the ripening of the fruit in the far north ? Whj', simply that if Strawberry picking begins there in August only, the season lasting from three weeks to a month, we will say, the plants which have borne must make their growth again in September, since the fruit is not taken from them much before that time. It therefore follows that the fruit germ'on which the next year's crop de- pends is then termed, and that a Strawberry plant, I to yield well, must not lack for nourishment ( dnring the early autumn months. It would be of real interest to know whether the average 7ield of Strawberries in the open is greater in 3istricts where the crop is over by the latter end of July than where the fruit ripens a month later. Ac- cording to my experience, plants grow with greater freedom dnring the first three weeks in September than at any other time, and when the autumn is mild they will no more than be at rest by the end cf October, all depending on the absence of frost and general temperature. I therefore contend that during this period there should be no lack of food, and that root-bound plants are often sufferers from the want of it. — J. C. B. Prunicg Gooseberries.— In July last I saw a wonderful example of the effects of high culture on the Gooseberry in a villa garden not far from Quarter Bridge, in the Isle of Man. Last year I saw the bushes at the same season, and noticing that they were growing in good soil, and that they had produced some fine shoots of great length, I advised the proprietor to give up the cutting-back plan of pruning and simply thin out, leaving the longest and best shoots. The result was highly gratifying. On one hush, for example, of an erect habit I measured one shoot, which was about 3 feet long and bore a perfect string of fine berries the whole of its length. The tall branches had become top heavy with the weight of fruit on them, and they had to be supported by stout stakes. By this mode of pruning the pro- prietor reckoned he had doubled his crop in ore season. As Gooseberries area paj ing crop, it is well to know that the secret of quick returns is good soil and manure and strong annual growths or shoots, which may be reduced in number, but never shortened. I hear that some of the London market gardeners adopt this plan successfully. Unlike most other fruits, the Gooseberry can hardly be over-cropped, for no matter how much fruit a bush bears, if it at the same time produces good wood, a full crop is sure the following season. Good culture therefore consists in securing such growths. — J. S. W. Ne'W Chinese Plum. — A number of shrubs and small trees which came from an European correspondent a few years ago, says the American, Agriculturist, were planted in a nursery row pre- paratory to making a final disposition of them. This year one of these attracted attention by a show of fruit. It proved to be Prunus Simoni (Simon's Plum), a native of the northern part of China. The tree, now about 10 feet high, has slender, erect branches. The lance-shaped leaves are minutely serrated on the margin, and have from two to four small globose glands at the base. Tae leaves are dark green and shining on the upper surface and lighter coloured and dull below. The fruit, ripe about August 10, sometimes reaches 2 inches in diameter, though usually smaller, and has a very short stem. It is much flattened lengthwise, and at a short distance appears like a diminutive Apple. It has a distinct, but not very deep suture. The skin, which is perfectly smooth, is of the dark red colour known as cinnabar. The flesh is of an apricot colour and somewhat adherent to the stone. The stone has a nearly orbicular outline, thicker on one side than on the other, and marked with furrows and holes in a similar manner to that of the Peach, though in a less degree. The fruit has an agreeable and peculiar odour, recalling that of the Apricot. The flesh, while not very juicy, is, when fully ripe, agreeable, with a marked and pleasant flavour, in which the taste of bitter Almonds is quite perceptible. It is the possibilities that this new Plum presents, rather than what it now is, that interest us. When we see what has been done in improving the Sand Pear by hy- bridising, we hope someone may experiment with the Simon's Plum, and make it the foundation of a new class of Plum and perhaps of Peaches. Pomologists will observe in this fruit a remarkable union of the characters that distinguish the Plum and the Peach. Its smooth skin and the character of the flesh are those of a Plum, while the glands at the base of the leaves and the grooved and rough stone are like those of the Peach ; indeed, Decaisne originally named it Persica Simoni 30 THE GARDEN [Jan. 10, 1885. (Simon's Teach). This species shows that Ben- tham and Hooker were right in uniting the AlmoncT, Peach, Plum, Cherry, Apricot, kc, all under the single genus Prunus. FRUIT TREES FOR NORTH OF SCOTLAND.* Late spring frosts and hail showers while the blossom is expanded or the fruit young and tender are the most frequent sources of disappointment, while, in addition to atmospheric changes, there is sometimes cold, unfavourable situations to contend with, having poor soil, or an unsuitable subsoil, so that only the very hardiest of hardy fruits will succeed in such places. It has hitherto been too much the practice to select sorts of fruit trees of reputed excellence and high quality, and plant them, without first taking into consideration whether or not ilio, conditions are in every way suited to their requirements. To a want of due discretion on these points may be attributed much of the failures often experienced. It is of the utmost importance that fruit cultivators should first of all consider the climate, soil, and situation on which fruit trees are to be grown, and wherever doubts exist advice should be obtained from those whose authority can be relied on. The Cherry, owing to its early ripening, I will take first. It is easily grown upon most kinds of soil that is not too damp or water- logged below. It does best budded on the Gean or wild Cherry, but has of late years been a good deal in demand budded on the Uahaleb stock, which brings it into earlier fruit-bearing, as well as dwarfs its growth. I do not, however, approve of this stock for general out-door cultivation ; the Clean is preferable ; on it the tree will attain a larger size and live longer. Most of the varieties of Cherry will succeed grown against walls of any aspect in this northern district, while the early varieties do well as orchard trees, where birds can be kept off. The May Duke, an old favourite sort, can be had in succession for nearly three months by planting against a south wall for early fruiting, and others against an east or west aspect for the summer supply, and some on a north aspect, where they can be safely kept under a net until late in September. Here we seldom fail in having a succession up to that date. The Black Circassian or Tartarian, Late Duke, B'ack Eagle, and Florence, the latter a variety of the white heart type, firm in flesh, rich In juicy, flavour, and also a good keeper, are the sorts which we grow for dessert. The .Morello and Kentish, grown principally for cooking purposes and preserving, are best upon a north aspect wall or as standards in the orchard. The great difii- cnlty here, however, is protection. The following are mentioned as being worth growing where a variety of kinds is desirable, viz., Downton, Bigar- reau, Elton, Ludwigs Bigarreau, Ox Heart, and Royal Duke. I may also here remark that al- though the Cherry is not a fastidious tree as re- gards soil and situation, yet it does not like its roots tampered with and disturbed when grown up to well-established trees. It does not, therefore, replant well, neither is it suited for root lifting, like most kinds of fruit trees. It has also a disin- clination to grow on a spot where a tree of the same species had grown before, unless the soil , The tree is strong and a good bearer. The Green has been either wholly renewed or otherwise j Gage is a sort so well kno.vn, that no description liberally mixed with an additional quantity of [ jg required. It is quite hardy, and ripens here fresh loam. j on a standard. It is not surpassed by any other The I'lcm, one of the hardiest of stone fruits, sort in rich flavour, and is much prized both for grows fieely on most kinds of soil, and is fairly I dessert and kitchen purposes. On the whole, it is suited for our northern climate. A number of ] not a profitable Plum, being rather a shy bearer kinds are well adapted for growing against walls ] and soon over; it ripens about the end of August, of a south-east or west aspect, where they ripen j Jefferson is a fine, showy, egg-shaped Plum, well and prove of excellent flavour. Early Prolific is one of the earliest and most useful I'lums for growing on walls of east or west aspect, and on standards for succession. It is, as the name designates, an abundant bearer, and suited for either table or culinary purposes. It is small in size, rich purple when fully ripe, and carries a fine bloom. It was sen out by the late Mr. Rivers Ii^htham. Entrance. See p. 10.) about thirty years ago. Both it and Early Purple, a Plum of similar size and colour, were stated to have been produced from the Early Orleans. It may be interesting to know that I raised two seedling Plums from a fruit picked up under a tree of the Early Prolific. The fruit contained a double kerneled stone, and both vegetated and yellow, and spotted with crimson on the side ex- posed to the sun. Its flavour is good and it is juicy and melting ; a good dessert fruit. The tree is a free grower ; it does well here on east and west walls, and in good autumns ripens on standards. It is ripe in September, and hangs well on the tree for keeping up a succes- sion. Orleans is an old well-known sort, worthy of a place on a wall of east or west aspect, although it does well on a standard, and is more commonly grown as such. Its fruit is round, red and purple in colour, flesh firm, parting freely from the stone ; when well ripened on walls it may be used for dessert, but it is best suited for culinary purposes. It ripens in August, and may be termed a second early Plnm. Drop d'Or, a small, round golden Gage of French origin, ripens early. Its fruit ia rich and sweet and well suited for dessert. It is a shy bearer and weakly ^. .^ in constitution. Cloth of Gold "~" is a large yellow sort, with a clear, smooth skin like White Magnum Bonum. It is a free-stone, firm in flesh and of mild flavour. It is best adapted for culinary use. The tree is of free growth and its foliage large. Kirke's is a pretty, round, medium-sized Plum, stalk long and slender, colour blue, with a beautiful bloom when well ripened, nearly equal in appearance to what is seen on the Alicante Grape. It is a clingstone with greenish coloured flesh of good flavour ; a handsome fruit for the dinner table. The tree is of free growth, shoots long and slender, with smooth, shining foliage. Royal Hdtive, a small round, reddish speckled fruit, ripens on a west aspect wall in September. It is a rich, highy flavoured dessert Plum, free in growth, but a shy bearer. Victoria possesses two valuable qualities much wanted in all classes of fruit, viz., hardiness and free bear- ing. It is a variety so well known, that I need not here describe it. When well ripened, it is not a bad table fruit, but its principal merits consist in the two qualities above mentioned. Washington is a large, oval, greenish jellow Plum, round and flattened at the ends, juicy, and of a fiat- tish flavour, possessing no par- ; a gross - growing tree, with and a shy bearer. Purple Gage not much seen in cultivation. It is, however, a useful late Plum, ripening on east aspect walla in October. It is a free grower, with large foliage ; the fruit is round, medium sized, and of a dingy purple colour ; flavour good. Its principal merit consists in ticular merit large foliage, is a variety » Kead at the North of Scotland Horticultiu-al Associa- tion's meeting by Mr. J. Webster, Gordon Castle, Banff. grew up together. Some curiosity existed to know whether both plants would prove to be of the \ ripening^after autumnal varieties are over and same kind. One fruited a year sooner than hanging well on the tree after it is ripe. Violette Hdtive, a medium-sized purplish Plum of good flavour, is suited either for dessert or kitchen ; growth vigorous. Gisborne's Seedling is a yellow free-stone fruit of medium size and mild flavour ; it is a great bearer and does well as a standard. Guthrie's Golden Gage, a hardy, free-growing Plum, bears small oval-thaped fruit, which as- sumes a rich golden colour, with small crimson spots when fully exposed to the sun ; flavour fair, best suited for kitchen purposes. Coe's Gol- year the other, and carried fruit almost identical with that of the parent, while the other variety, which had a larger and rougher leaf, had also a larger fruit, which was later in ripening and in appearance and colour like the Orleans. Colum- bia, a large red Plum of American origin, ripens at Gordon Castle on an east wall early in August. Its fruit is ovate- roundish at both ends ; flesh firm, parting freely from the stone, and of an agree- able acid ; it is best suited for kitchen purposes, Jan. 10, 1831.] THE GARDEN 31 den Drop, a fruit of great merit, resembles Jeffer- son both in colour and shape, with a little more taper at the stalk end, and also spotted with crim- son on the side next the sun. It is a clingstone with a rich juicy, pleasant flavour. It ripens on an east or west aspect. The tree is hardy in con- stitution, and keeps its fruit hanging until shrivelled ; altogether a first class dessert Plum. Webster's Gage, a seedling raised here from Coe's Golden Drop crossed with Green Gige, bears me- dium-sized fruit, oval roundish at both ends, stalk long and slender, flavour rich and juicy, a good dessert Plum. The tree is vigorous and ripens its fruit best on a south aspect. Ickworth Im- peratrice, one of the latest Plums grown, U most valued when allowed to hang on the tree until the fruit shrivels before gathering, when it resembles a dried Prune both in size and shape ; flesh firm, sugary and rich. The tree is vigorous, shoots smooth, long, and slender. The above have all been grown and proven here, along with about two dozen seedlings of considerable merit and some other named sorts. In this northern district the roots of Plums and other fruit tree3 which are well established are the better of being raised and kept near the surface, as a means of obtaining short, well-ripened wood and higher flavoured fruit. The list may be thought some what rather lengthy, but it is given in order that intend- ing planters may judge for themselves as to the sorts best suited for their requirements. Tub Apricot, al- though a native of Asia, succeeds well in a favour- able situation against a south wall north of the Grampians. It is com- monly budded on the Plum stock, for which it is well adapted. It does well also on its own roots, but, being hard and brittle, they are not so well suited for root-raising or re- planting when large as the Plum stock. The Moorpark is best suited for general cultivation, and may be raised from the kernel without graft- ing. I have had numbers of them produced in that way, and have always found them to correspond with the parent. I never had one that I could say was any improve- ment upon it. We also grow several other va- rieties, such as Hemskerk, Gros Peche, Breda, Brussels, &c , but none equal Moorpark either for free-fruiting or quality. The soil bast suited for this tree is a dry, fiiible loam, resting on a dry sub-soil. In some places the trees are apt to pro- duce gross rampant shoots that do not properly ripen. To overcome this the best method is to curtail the roots and bring the remainder near the surface by root-raising. An Apricot when well ripened is one of our best fruits, and is well worthy of any extra trouble as regards root management. Keeping summer growths well shortened and the shoots close to the wall is im- portant both for fruit and buds. The great triil in Apricot management is in spring when the blossom is open, and even after the fruit is formed frost and heavy showers of hail frequently injure it, although well protected by the ordinary methods. The Peach, a native of Persia, is even more diflioult to manage in our short summers than the Apricot, as it continues to make later growth. In autumn the wood is often impsrfectly ripened, and Scotland, taken as a line of damarcation, can- not be considered to be within the radius of good Peach cultivation, although in good summers fruits of good size, colour, and flavour are to be found along the south shores of the Moray Firth and in Easter Ross — perhaps as fine as are to be found in any part of Scotland. In order to check late growth it is necessary to have the roots under thorough control. Here, the border on which they were to grow was excavated to the depth of 3 feet 2 inches ; 18 inches deep of stones was put in the bottom, and only 20 inches in depth of soil allowed for the roots, which are thus kept thoroughly well drained and near the surface, no cropping being allowed over them. They get a copious watering once or twice in a season, espe- cially in such summers as the last. There are sea- sons, however, such as that of 1870, that balUe all our efforts ; several large trees were entirely ruined then, and others had to be put in their place. As a rule, I would not recommend Peaches to be planted for outdoor cultivation, except in very favoured localities. The sorts that succeed best here are Royal George, Barrington, Noblesse, P.ellegarde, Violelte Hutive, and Hale's Early. Nectarines take a little longer than Peaches to ripen, and therefore they cannot be recommended for outdoor culture in Banffshire. Pears and Apples.— The cultivation of these is, I consider, better understood than that of stone fruits. I will, therefore, only select the names of sorts which I have most confidence inrecommend- lies, and, although not equal in quality to many new kinds in cultivation, still it is better to keep to those which are best adapted to this aistrict, where our summers are short, than to make a change. The following is a list of table sorts, which ripen early, and are pretty hardy and free- bearing, viz. : Early Harvest, Juneating, Oslin, Thorle Pippin, Kerry Pippin, Devonshire Quarren- den, and Margil. The last resembles the Ribston, ripens better, and is nearly equal to it in flavour. To these may be added Irish Peach, Marg.iret, American Pippin, and Ribston, which requires a wall to perfect its flavour in this northern district. Kitchen varieties consist of such free- bearing sorts as Lord Suffield, Hawthornden and its red variety, Eohlinville Seedling, Keswick, Royal and Dutch Codlins, Stirling Castle, Alfriston, and Cellini. In addition to these may be added Northern Dumpling and Beauty of Moray— two sorts raised by myself from hardy, free-bearing varieties, which cannot fail to be equally as fmit- ful and hardy as any of those enumerated. This short list will, I fear, be somewhat disappointing, but in reality the sorts suited to our climate are small in number. Let me here remark, however, that an addition to the number of varieties of a hardy, free-bearirg type is much wanted— free- bearing kinds that will withstand our adverse clima'ewith impunity. IgliLliuin. CuYurud way in cutut} aid. (buc p. 11^.) ing as ofl:ering the best chance to produce satis- factory results. Amongst Pears, the Early Craw- ford, or Lammas, so named from its ripening early in August, and the Green Chisel, are both suited for early use, and ripen well upon standards, the quality of both being fairly good when well ripened. Citron des Garmes, a good early green sort, succeeds best, like the Jargonelle, against a wall. The following six sorts have been grown here with success upon espaliers, but in ordinary cases it is preferable to plant them against a wall, viz., Beurre d'Amanlis, Bsurrij Blanc or White Beurre, Flemish Beauty, Williams' Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Summer Franc Real. These, when well ripened, are good, showy dessert fruits. The other six sorts are also fairly good in quality, and of a size suited for table, viz., Gail- lot Rosat, Moorfowl Egg, Swan's Egg, Windsor, St. James, and Grey Gudewife, the last a large Pear of Scottish origin, with russety skin and good in quality, tree vigorous in growth. The remarks just made regarding the Pear are equally applicable to the Apple. Indeed, of the two, I would consider the latter best understood, there being much less difficulty in getting trees to grow than in getting them tp fruit. The secret of success depends more upon suitable sorts than on the soil. High class Apples are of little use in the north of Scotland, except under glass in orchard houses. The sorts which I have found to do best in this locality are principally well-known varie- Early Hellebores. — The mild weather which we have had and sharp frosts lately ha\e injured some of our Hel- lebores; II. guttatus, H. colchicus, II. pnrpuras- cens, H. abchasicus, H. cupreus, and others that were too forward have suffered almost, I fear, irrecoverably. All those just mentioned had to- wards the middle of December pushed their flower-stalks a good •> inches or 3 inches abjve the mulchings, and at this season, when the leaves being few afford little or no protection, those just opening their blossoms have suffered most. They have never been protected by hand- lights or cloches, bat they are growing in naturally well-sheltered nooks, with exposure's varying from west to north. H. niger and its varieties angustifolius and altifolius, clumps of which stand side by side with those injured, hive not baen affected in the least. — K. Polyerala Chamssbuxus —It is strange to read in M. Correvon's note (p. 7) that he expresses surprise almost amounting to incredulity at this capital plant being grown successfully in England. Certainly with us there is no difticalty. We have perhaps some sixty or seventy plants grouped in different positions ; one patch on the flat in full sun, one on a northward and another on a westward slope, some on perpendicular wall- like rockwork facing south, and a nursery line under a north wall. Of these the greater part were from the north-eastern end of the lake of Geneva, at an elevation of 1600 feet, and from the lake of Como at about the same elevation ; they came by post and were by no means well rooted ; a few were from northern and midland home nurseries. All have done well ; I may even venture to say that we have never lost a plant, and many have been given away. With us it forms dense, close tufts not more than 5 inches high. I do not know if it ever acquires in English cultivation the freely bushing and even straggling habit that one notices in its alpine homes. May this be the effect of age? Our oldest have been planted six years and show no disposition to en- large upwardly, though they increase freely 32 THE GARDEN [Jan. 10, 1885, laterally by underground runner?. Onr soil is peaty sand upon rock, about 400 feet above sea- level. It seems to do best where it is coolest at the root. I'robably the climate of Geneva is too hot and dry. In any case it is highly interesting to hear M. Oorrevon's remark, and encouraging to know by this and many other instances how well suited for our English gardens are hundreds of the loveliest of alpine flower.^. — G. J., lIVs/ Surrey. Flower Garden. NOTES ON HAKDY PLANTS. Androsace Laggeki. — This has not only much of the beauty and habit of the best of the Androsaces, but its capabilities of enduring our climate all the year round give it an importance which is worthy of careful note. It is as easily cultivated as most of the Saxifrages, and more so than many. Those who have tried their hand at this genus would not do amiss to try this species, for whether they have succeeded or not with such as A. villosa, pyrenaica, ciliata, obtusifolia, hel- vetica, Wulfeniana, and one or two others of the difficult European species, it would appear to be desirable to have at least one in such a vigorous state of growth as that in which this may be had, and as, perhaps, no other can be ; at any rate, no other European sort grows like it with me. I be- lieve this to be due to its glabrous character, and the endurance of these alpine gems under culture may almost be measured according to the smooth or hirsute surface of their herbage. For instance, A. carnea, laotea, corouopifolia (biennial), and one or two others may be managed with ordinary care, and these are nearly free from hair.^, but most of the kinds above named are not only thickly beset with hairs, but they are smaller in the leaf and of more compact habit than the others. These last named features are doubtless the cause of many succumbing wholesale to our autumn fogs and wet winters. If, in planting, provision is made for the silky roots going deep in a soil mainly composed of humus, v;e are pretty well on the way to success with all the Androsaces, whilst with the glabrous sorts, hardly another difficulty remains ; for when the long roots get at the moisture natural to depth, they can endure any amount of sunshine. That much may be said in favour of the different species requiring humus and detritus of specified qualities is no doubt true, as evidenced by altitudes and formations by which their habitats are so well defined, but when Nature gives up such plants to the foster-mother — art — it seems that the greater changes in one set of conditions open the way to changes or even a total neglect of minor details. True, it is, however, that with a judicious mixture of English peat, leaf -mould, loam, and sandstone grit, all the above named Androsaces may be grown in this country, with of course the protection of glass for the hairy kinds in winter as just indicated. A. Laggeri may be grown by all ; in ordinary loam in the open ground well rooted plants may be set, and they will grow like the mossy Saxi- frages. Bits the size of a florin spread to a diame- ter of C inches or 8 inches, or fill a :!-inch pot in one season. It is the freest of all I have grown excepting the Himalayan sarmentosa ; it much resembles carnea. Flowers, rosy red, in compact clusters on erect scapes from 2 inches to 'i inches high. Harpalium rigidum.— Not one word of praise too much has " W. C. T." used (pp. 5L'7-28) in re- gard to this plant, which may excusably be called a Sunflower. But I cannot imagine how anyone could take it for an annual, nor on account of its non-production of seed should there be any difficulty in getting plenty of stock of it. I am aware that the exact spot where a fine growth stood one year may not know it again, but no- thing could be more prolific of underground Btems, which vary in length from a foot to o feet, running just under surface and terminating in a sort of tuberous knob, from immediately under which fleshy roots issue whilst yet the parent plant is green ; later the old stool dies, also the underground stems right close to the new crowns. This sort of plant can hardly be called annual, I think ; if so, numerous others, generally taken for perennials, would require to have their durations altered, as they only differ in the length of their offsets or underground stems. I can also assure those wishing to grow this plant that there is not the least want of hardiness about it, and certainly no need to take up the roots the same as those of Dahlias ; if the new roots have run too far, they may be lifted and placed where desired, but that is all that is needful. Here a big patch is literally roped with its thick roots, and the young crowns crop out, and also are bare on the walk, and from the great abundance of it, it receives no care. This has been so for many winters, thus to my mind proving its prolific, perennial, and hardy character. Ranunculus aconitifolius fl-pl (known as the Fair Maids of France or the true Bat- chelor's Buttons). — Of this it may be asked, why is it so rarely seen ,' It is charming in a cut state, and the crop of flowers is both large and of long duration. The best results are always to be had from cultivated single crowns. On old roots left in the ground the crowns become crowded and small ; besides, from the manner in which the plant forks and becomes dense too many crowns are objectionable. When the roots are dormant they should be lifted, and such of the large crowns as can be taken with a full complement of the fasci- culated roots may be divided from the rest and replanted for the following season's bloom. The other parts may be cut to a single crown, no matter how small, and if set in a nursery bed of rich light loam, they will make fine stock for another year. Those who may care to try this plan of preparing single crowns will find that they will have not only as large a crop of flowers, but they will be vastly improved in Cjuality. Cypripedium spectabilb.— It is not long since I said a few words about this Slipperwort, but as it is a plant of more than ordinary interest and value, other seasonable notes concerning it may be allowable. We have just been lifting from the open the annual stock for potting pur- poses. I am sure it cannot be generally known how vigorous this plant may be had in sticky peat and sand kept moist. It has battled bravely with Foxgloves, Horse-tail, and Roses, and the new roots are long and thick and the crowns more plump than are newly imported roots. But what caused me to speak so soon again of this hardy Orchid was what I consider to be most suggestive, viz , bits of old black rhizome, which must have been thrown down when trimming the roots for pots last year, have under the above named con- ditions sprouted. Here we have not only a proof that these simple conditions are ample for it, but that the plant has much vitality. Before the present lifting a part of the patch was in greater shade than the other, and it was found that those roots more exposed to sunshine were the better grown ; the hottest summer will do no harm if the moisture at the roots is well sustained. Ericas are very attractive at this dull season, owing to their pretty habit, rich, though sombre, tints, and, in one or two instances, their flowers. E carnea is a well known favourite, but the variety alba is not yet cultivated to a great extent. Much as the type is liked, many will prefer the white kind : both are now in flower. Nobody sees alba but they wish to possess it ; the foliage is a paler green, and the myriads of tiny white bells with reddish protruding anthers render this very dwarf Heath one of the most attractive rock plants that could be named for winter effect ; and then let those who have not tried it dress their greenhouse bouquets with sprigs of it and they will have a strong argument in favour of its culture for cut blooms in winter. E. mediterranea nana will soon be in flower, unless the weather becomes severe, bat otherwise it is a pleasing object among dwarf plants. E. vulgaris Foxi is most distinct. It forms itself into dense, rounded cushions but a few inches high. What a lovely heathery mound might be had of it, with Snowdrops appearing between the cushions in winter, Sisyrinchiums and Scillas later. Dog's- tooth Violets in spring, Anomatheca cruenta in summer, and Colchicnms and autumn Croci to follow. Its winter tint is a fine bronzy green. If even the Ericas required peat, the little that would serve their short roots could not be denied them, but they thrive admirably in a loose loam on a well-drained plot. Thymus caknosus is a handsome little shrub. Few would take it for a 1 hyme who had not had some former acquaintance with it. A plant here several years old is but a foot high, and resembles a miniature Conifer, or it, perhaps, may be better compared with a very dwarf Rosemary, and the scent of the evergreen foliage is all but identical with that of that sweet herb. Its minute, almost white, summer flowers have no merit as bloom, but the Lombardy Poplar-like habit, the sage- green, fleshy, cocoon-shaped leaves, not much larger than a groat, all go to make it a distinct object for rockwork. In a cut state it forms a sweet contribution to the scent jar, and as I have proved it to be capable of enduring drought at the roots, it would make a useful winter green for the dwelling-room window. Many things as we have, we cannot yet well afford to neglect hardy sweet-scented Evergreens of such neat habit as this. As herbaceous plants lose their foliar parts day by day the garden grows darker, and what remains of verdure becomes more noticeable. Heucheeas.— Some e'ght or ten kinds are to be found, showing almost every shade of green, run- nmg on to brownish purple. No one who grows them in variety can want for beautiful foliage in mid- winter, and if a corresponding quantity of Christ- mas Roses are grown, the two combined are capable of decorating a table in no mean style. The outline of the leaves of the Alum roots is roundish, heart-shaped, broken by lobes which in their turn are toothed. Throughout their growing period their tints are changing, say hardening, so that by the end of the year they have a ripe bronzy effect, in some instances resembling the variations on zonal Pelargoniums. This foliage keeps good if not cut until new growth sets in in spring. Few of the Heucheras have flowers of any worth J. Wood. ']\'oociri!fi; Kirlistall. PI- AN TING PINKS. Pinks may be planted with success in permanent beds any time after the pipings are rooted in autumn, or the planting may be deferred till spring, when beds may be made for them as late as February or March ; but autumn planting— i.e., as soon as the pipings are well rooted— is best. Pinks need a rich loamy soil thoroughly drained, being impatient of stagnant water at the root. If the soil is naturally unsuitable for their growth, rich loam, consisting of rotted turves from 12 inches to 18 inches in depth, should be substituted, and at 1 foot deep place 2 inches or 3 inches of rotten cow manure, to form a rich bottom in which the roots can run. The easiest method of managing Pink beds is to dig out the soil 1 foot deep and place the manure in the bottom of the bed, making the soil rich to the depth of 1 foot by forking into it some rotten manure and leaf- mould before putting in the pipings. If planting is deferred until spring— thus giving the plants a second move instead of bringing them direct from the striking bed — the roots must be carefully spread out, and after being well watered their roots should receive some protection during frosty weather, alternate freezing and thaw- ing being against them— in some cases even pushing the plants out of the ground. Beds 3 feet wide are best, and the plants should be 9 inches apart in the rows, but when four rows are planted in each bed, 0 inches will be found to be a good distance from plant to plant. Leave alleys 12 inches wide between the beds. If comeatable, the plants will be greatly benefited by frequent applications of artificial manure. The end of July or beginning of August is a good time to put in pipings, which may be made in Jan. 10, 1885.] THE GAUDEN 33 the usual way ; they may either be dibbled into pots filled with sandy soil or pricked into a hand- light filled with loamy soil, having a good portion of sharp sand mixed with it to keep the whole open. Shade from bright sanshine daring hot days until thoroughly rooted, which generally takes six weeks to accomplish. When rooted give plenty of ventilation, and expose the plants to the open air before planting them out into the beds VVm. Cheistison. Homen-ood. TREE P.KONIES. By way of reply to Mr. Frank Jliles, who seeks information respecting Tree Pnjonies, I send you herewith the names of the original Chinese varie- ties, all or most of which were introduced by For- tune : — Atalante Atropurpurea Atrosanguin a Beauty of Canton BelU Berenice Camellia Colonel Malcolm Confucius Carnelia Dr. Bowring Empereur ae Chine Globosa Glory of Shanghai Hippolyte Jewel of Chusau I.la Lord Macartney MandMrin Oilorata rosea Osiris Picta Pride of Honglionj Purpurea Keevesia' a I'obert Fortune Salmonea .^amarang Sir tlej. Staunton Vivid Zenobia In reference to these, it would be unfair, perhaps, to name any firm in preference to another, but I am at Mr. Miles' service if he wishes to know by letter the names of firms which are most likely to best attend to his orders. As to Von Siebold's introductions, they were partly sold to Prince Frederic of the Netherlands, and never passed into commercial hands ; the rest, as far as I re- member, were bought by Messrs. E. H. Krelage & Son, of Hiarlem. The Prince Frederic collection consist3d of — Empereur de Russie Imp^ratricede KU;sie Prince Alexandre Prmce d'Orang:e Prince Frederic Those given over to commence were Alexandre de Bumboldt Baruu de Hiigel Duchesse d'Orleans Empereur Alexandre II. Empe eur d'Autriche Empereur de France Flora Grand Due de Sjxe- Meimar Grande Duchesse Helena .lohn Xindley Imperatrice d'Aut'iche Imp6ratrice de France Madame de Cock l«ympha;a Prince Henri Priucesse d'Oranse Princtsse Crf^deric Princfsse Louise Princesse Sophie Prince Albert Prince de Metteraich Prince de Prus-;e Princesse Amt^lie Princesse Demidoff Princesse de Metiernich Princesse de Prusse Reine de Prusse Reine des Beiges Reine Victoria Roi de Prusse Roi des Beiges Roi de VVurtemberg Von Siebold Germania The Chinese varieties are nearly all very double, Ihe Japanese. on the contrary.are mostly singleor slightly double, but many of the latter are varie- gated, striped, and speckled. These beautiful plants never were much in fashion in England, perhaps because' a long time eUpses ere they (lower well ; moreover, perhaps, in the moist cli- mate of England they do not produce many flower-buds, and being excited early into growth they are liable to suffer from spring frosts. There- fore Continental countries became their head- quarters, and many of the best varieties have been raised in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and lately also in Germany. The honour of having produced the best variety— Gloria Lel- garum— belongs to a citizen of Ghent, M. Goe- tbals. Casoretti's Elizabeth and some of M. Seneclauze'a seedlings stand in the foremost rank, and I hope that a future generation will admire a few from myown garden. The latter partof Au- gust is the best time to graft Tree Peonies, and the tcions used should as a rule have no flower-buds on them, though even with them a union is often sashes should then be put over them and they should be shaded and kept close for about eight days ; then sooner or later, as the case may be, the sashes may be tilted and air admitted. A union be- tween stock and scion soon takes place, but it is well to leave the plants undisturbed until the following spring. No bottom beat is needed. Baden-Baden. Mas Leichtlin. SINGLE CHRVSANTHEMUMS. I DO not think that single Chrysanthemums will ever be so popular as single Dahlias. If we could keep to a few pretty small-flowered varieties like those which Mr. T. S, Ware staged at the National Chrysanthemum Society's show at the Royal Aquarium, they would find a place in the garden ; but the newer seedlings, and especially the Ameri- can importations, are in not a few respects large, ungainly, if not positively ugly. We shall for a time have a rush of seedlings, as in the case of single Dahlias; there will be a want of discrimi- nation in selecting from them, and size and ugli- ness will be the prevailing characteristics. Then there is such a large group of charming small- flowered pomnone varieties, all of which are admirably adapted for decorative purposes, and among them a few of the Anemone-flowered pom- pones that to my mind are far superior to the best of the single varieties. And in regard to seed of Chrysanthemums saved in this country, it is a fact that there are but very few English raised seed- lings, while many of the Japanese section espe- cially are constantly being raised on the Continent. I have no doubt, now that there are such a quantity of good early flowering varieties, it is not so difli- cult to obtain seed in England as it was in the late Jlr. John Salter's time; but our English seedsmen have to depend upon Continental supplies. As a matter of course, I cannot say whether Mr. Cul- lingford's and Mr. Teesdale's flo sers are the produce of English saved seed or not. I think it would have been a comparatively easy matter to have obtained seed in this country after such an unusu- ally dry summer as that of 18Si. I am not quite certain that it is so easy, as " F. W. B." appears to assume, to raise and bloom Chrysanthemums from seed in one year, making annuals of them in fact. I did see, however, during the past summer, in Messrs. Sutton & Sou's seed grounds, a number of seedlings raised from seed sown in January last in heat, and grown on quickly, so as to have the plants in good size before they were placed out in the open ground. The plants had every encour- agement, but, with the additional advantage of a season eminently favourable, they did not flower until late in October and early in November. If the plants were grown on in pots under glass they might flower earlier, but the head of blooms could scarcely be so satisfactory as when the plants are grown in the open air. In a season when sharp frosts come at the end of September or early in October, there would be but a poor chance of blooming seedlings in the open ground. R. D. Ohryaanthemums at Christmas. — Every one knows the great value of Chr}'santhe- mums during the autumn, but few have any idea of the great usefulness of many of the late kinds, and therefore " J. G., Hants," deserves thanks for having directed attention to them, as they are deserving of extensive cultivation ; they come in at a season when showy flowers are very scarce and last long in perfection. Our greenhouse is now quite gay with them, and will be for a for- night at least yet to come, the sorts being Meg Merrilies, Splendens, Golden Thread, Ethel, Bouquet Parfait, Baron de Prailly, Nelly, and Peter the Great. Baron de Prailly and the last named are not so late as the others; still by keep- ing them out doors as long as the season will permit, they remain good till quite the middle of effecl;ed. P. edulis makes a good stock, and, after j December, up to which period the petals become grafting, the roots should be potted and the pots ' more incurved and the blooms assume a more plungetl in a frame, which is well drained and I regular form. Meg Merrilies has large ragged filled with well-worked common garden soil ; the flowers, it being one of the Japanese kinds, with, top of the stock-root (P. edulis) should be covered slightly twisted petals of a yellowish cast, up with at least half an inch of soil. The | shading oS to creamy white at the edges. Splendens is a very bright yellow with loose, irregular shaped flowers, and Golden Thread is, as its name implies, like twisted string oir thread, and so light and elegant looking, that it is one of the best for cutting to dress epergnes or glasses, where it makes a fine show. Ethel is a large white, its only drawback being that it shows a dark centre, which in some of the flowers is very conspicuous. Bouquet Parfait is one of the oldest of the pompones, and has nice regular shaped blooms of a rich creamy white colour, that fade off and get lighter with age. Bar ju de Prailly has very large, loose, ragged flowers, which are lilac, and fine for cutting to dress as single specimens, as they look best alone. Peter the Great is a well-known kind, having canary, yellow blooms, that soften and incurve regularly with age. What spoils Chrysanthemums, in my opinion, is the thinning out of the buds, as for decorative purposes they are far better and more effective when grown naturally instead of having just one huge blossom stuck on the end of each shoot. To get the finest developed flowers for cutting to exhibit, the practice must of course be resorted to, but for general use they should be left to come as they will. — S. D. Chrysanthemums In the open air.— With great satisfaction I see lately several letters encouraging the hardy growing of Chrysanthe- mums, and much hope that it will be still more strongly urged. In the case of shows I scarcely think that dishonesty could be practised (as sug- gested at p. i) by substituting house-grown for outdoor flowers, because the foliage of the latter is so iacomf arably finer and stouter, and the stalks carry the flowers in such a much stronger and bolder way. Moreover, both stalks and leaves are mostly tinged with some healthy-looking bronzing that is never seen in house plants, whose foliage is apt to be comparatively limp and often of a mildew-like complexion. This presupposes that the plants are grown perfectly naturally and the flowers cut long enough to show the habit of a whole spray of leaf, stalk, and flower, which I hold to be the only true way of showing any flower whatever, but especially where flowers and leaves are naturally grouped together, as in the Chrysan- themum. To cut any flower off close and exhibit it on a card by way of showing what is a Pansy, or Carnation, or Chrysanthemum is not a way of honouring a beautiful plant, but rather reminds one of the human head on the pike of barbarous times, to let the world see how traitors are treated. —G.J. Sedum epectabile. — This most useful autumn flower was the only occupant of our gar- den that seemed to enjoy the long protracted drought, and on light dry soils it is especially ser- viceable in keeping up the display in beds and borders at a time when many plants are on the wane, for it is only where an unlimited quantity of water was available that many plants could be kept in good condition during the drought; Sedums were, however, decided exceptions : they seemed to revel in heat and drought, and the flower-heads opened of a richer colour. S. spectabile is, in ad- dition to its merits as a permanent bed or border plant, one of the best subjects for transplanting that we have, and a good quantity of it grown in the reserve garden will be found most useful for making up beds that have failed or become seedy-looking, as one of the effects of drought is to hasten the seed-producing powers of all kinds of plants that are reproduced in that way, and the effect of a garden is sadly marred by any blemishes in the way of seedy-looking beds. After a season like the past, it is but few gar- dens, at least in the south of England, that will not have had some failures to record. Sedum Sieboldi is one of the easiest plants to increase, either by division of the roots in spring or by using the old flower-stems as cuttings ; they strike root freely, and in spring send up a quantity of shoots from the base that make fine flowering shoots in September. An open sunny position is the best for developing high colour in this plant, in the shade, although it flowers freely, it is much paler in colour. — J. Gboom, Qos^ort. 34 THE GARDEN [J AS. 10, 1885. WORK DONE IN WEEK ENDING ,1 AN. C, 1885. December 31. Finished pruning Cnrrants and Gooseberries and cleared away pranings ; the ground will now be lightly forked over, and the first frosty morning a dressing of good manure will be given in form of a mulching. To prevent injury from birds the bushes are made distasteful to them by splashing them thickly with a mixture of soot and lime in liquid form ; this mixture also destroys Lichen and Moss that often grow on the branches of old trees particularly. Morello Cherries are now being pruned, and some of them need help, the fruit for the last year or two having been very puny and the growth weakly ; to remedy this the old soil is being removed right down to the roots, and a trench cut round each tree at a distance of 4 feet from the stem, this trench being filled with good maiden loam, a few wood ashes, and half-inch bones, and the like mixture is also being placed over all the roots that have been bared, and over the whole a thick mulch- ing of stable manure. The trees in question are on a north wall, the usual position for this variety of Cherry, a position that by many is supposed to be the only one on which this particular variety of fruit will do well, an error that may easily be corrected by a visit to some of the London market gardens, where they are grown as standards in any and every aspect. We have several trees growing as standards, and the produce is pro- digious, much greater than from trees on walls, and if it were not for the difficulty of preserving the fruit from birds, this form would be the only one in which we should grow them. Gr.avelling new walk, trenching in kitchen girden, turned over manure bed in early vinery, and placed on the bed a few more Spiraeas, Roses, Deutzias, Rhodo- dendrons, and Ghent Azaleas. Strawberries on shelves in this vinery being in flower were moved to the Melon house, the atmosphere being rather too moist for the fruit to set satisfactorily in the vinery. A later batch of plants has taken their place in the vinery. Tliinned out the fruit of first batch of Strawberries to about six on each plant ; they are in ,"i-inch pots, and are a solid mass of roots, so that extra care is taken that they never get dry, because of the difficulty there would be of again getting the balls moistened through. The plants are now syringed at midday with tepid water, and clear liquid manure is given on alternate days. As a preventive against green fly, early Peaches were fumigated to-night, and another dose will be given them tomorrow ; by doing this just before the buds unfold we are never troubled with blight till it is safe to fumigate without fear of injury — namely, after the fruit is set. January 1, 1885. Twelve degrees of frost this morning, and ice half an inch thick, made us begin to think about filling the ice house, and our time has therefore been entirely taken up with this duty ; onr store was quite exhausted, as none could be got last year, so that the house has had a good clean out, the drains put in order, and a lining of straw placed at the bottom and part way up the walls ; the re- mainder of lining will be placed as the house is filled. Hooks for drawing the ice out of the lake, poles and rammers for breaking and pounding the ice in the house have all been got ready for a start to-morrow if the ice does not dissolve meanwhile, and aafortunately there are indications in that direction this evening. Work in houses has been picking over bedding plants, making note of kinds that are most needed, the stock plants of such being put into heat for the production of cuttings at an early period. Coleus and Alternantheras want the warmest places ; the shoots of the latter during winter generally ran to flower, and shoots of this character never make good plants ; hence we always pinch out flowering shoots, and this induces the plants to throw up shoots from the base, and cuttings from such shoots never fail to make good plants. Potted off a few of the choice Pelar- goniums that are to be grown on as vase plants for the flower garden, and put in cuttings of others of which the stock is short. Mesembryan- themum cordifolium variegatum is a favourite bedding plant with u=, and the stock needed I^hthaai. The liousc, fioui the mu.it. (■ \; p. l^i ) is therefore large, and all have to be had from spring-struck cuttings, as autumn-struck stock does not fill out till late in the season ; con- sequently the plants have been placed in warmth and cuttings will be inserted soon as procurable, after which the old plants will be thrown away, as their tendency is to flower and seed rather than the production of growth — a consequence, I sup- pose, of their getting stunted in growth during the winter season. January 2. The thermometer did not register more than 2° of frost, yet, the ice from the 12' of yesterday being a good thickness, our house has been com- pletely filled with very good ice, which perhaps would have been better had it been a little thicker, though possibly the extra pounding it has got owing to being so thin will, as it were, solder it more compactly together, that it will keep just as well as if it had been thicker. Ice " harvesting " in many places is looked upon as such a tremen- dous undertaking, that extra allowances are con- sidered indispensable, and on such occasions beer is to be had in any quantity, the consequence being bad work, quarrelling, and the men unfit for work the following day. Ail these evils we avoid by giving each man two shUiings extra instead of beer, and if the work is not done better (I think it is), it is certainly done quicker. On beer the filling of the house took two days ; now it is easily accomplished in one. All hands, indoor and ont, have to share in the work of ice storing, so that all that has been done in the houses to day was the necessary watering and stoking. January 3. The thaw has been quite imperceptible ; not a particle of rain or sleet, but every place as dry as if there had been no frost, so tliat we were able to do oar weekly sweeping up and rolling of walks, and afterwards to com- plete gravelling of new walks, and also al ittle shmb pruning — Rhodo- dendrons of the ponticum type, growing in large clumps by the sides of coach roads, and on which they encroach, were the first to be done. As for the most part they are growing under the shade of timber trees, there are but few Rower-buds, but what there are we endeavour to retain so long as they are not on shoots that hang over the roads, or that present a straggly appearance, for it is with a view of avoiding this latter state and en- suring a bushy growth that annual cutting is had recourse to. As is our wont on Saturdays, cleaning up of houses was thoroughly done. Pines watered and early Muscat vinery (inside) border was also watered with water at a tempera- ture of 80°, which warms the bor- der, and the heat imparted we strive to retain by at once applying a little additional litter to the mulching already on. The buds are getting prominent, and our pre- sent night temperature is G(P, and this will not be exceeded till the buds are on the verge of expansion. Watered Fig house border. This fruit we do not require till mid- summer, so that forcing, in the strict-sense of that term, is scarcely needed, as the trees start naturally with the merest pretence of artifi- cial heat, which will shortly be turned on, and syringing on fine days begun. January 5. Cutting the straggling shoots o Rhododendrons and Laurels tha are growing under the shade of trees. Made drain and put in drainage for a new Vine border. The subsoil being gravel, very little artific'al drainage is needed, and none but a few brickbats, and the outlet drain has been done ; over the brickbats turves have been laid Grass- side downwards to keep the soil out of the dra'n- age. Turf cuttingand carting formakingVine bor- der, and also for stacking for potting purposes. Planted Potatoes in hotbed frames. The beds are principally composed of leaves, the heat from which is never so violent and is much more lasting than stable litter, only a small proportion of this latter being used to get up the heat in the mixture. Cleared out first division of Melon house, washed lights, and lime-washed walls ; made good the drainage of Melon bed, which is over a cemented tank, through which a hot-water pipe runs for bottom heat — the tank being snpphed with water, ! or not, as may be thought best for the plants at the various stages of growth. The soil for the bed will be put in as early as can be managed, so as to get all well consolidated and heated through by Jan. 10, 1885.] THE GARDEN 35 the time that the plants are ready to put out. Oak slabs are used for the principal supports over the tank, and earthenware tiles for the roofing, the foundation of the bed being thick pieces of turfy loam. A 4|-inch brick wall runs through the centre of the bed, and thus we get two divisions over the one tank, the farther one of which is used for Melons, and the front one for propagation of bedding plants. The main wall next the path of the bouse and the division wall of the bed form ledges on which to place glass over the propagating bed, and which enables us to get up a stock of soft-wooded plants conveniently and quickly. Sowed a box of Brussels Sprouts and of Early London Cauliflowers ; plants from the latter, if pricked out in a frame as soon as they are large enough to handle and grown on without check, are generally as early as autumn-sown plants ; in any case they make an early succession, and for this reason alone it is worth while to sow thus early. January 6. Digging and stacking turf. Pruning Rhododen- drons and Laurels. There being another edition of frost. Broccoli now ready for use were covered with their own leaves, and the earliest dug up and taken to the vegetable shed, where they will keep fresh for ten days or a fortnight. Lettuces and Endive under the fruit tree walls have been thickly covered with straw. Supplies of Parsnips, Celery, Horseradish, and Jerusalem Artichokes have been housed in anticipation of severe frost setting in, and cold frames contaioing bedding plants have been thickly surrounded with litter. Cut late Muscat Grapes and put them in bottles, also all Black Alicantes, and as many of Lady Downes as there is room for ; the remainder will have to hang on the Vines till space can be had. The firing needed, by reason of the sharp frosts of last week, has started the sap in motion in one or two of the Vines ; consequently firing must be reduced to the lowest point consistent with the exclusion of frost. Pruned late Muscat Vines ; sufficient warmth to keep out frost whilst the cuts are fresh will be given, but a few days hence the glass protection alone will be ample for the sharpest weather. Hants. HOrvTICULTURAL ARTISTS. TO THE EDITOR OF "THE GARDEN.' Sir, — It is said that even the humble worm will " turn again " — if trodden upon too often. There cannot be a more humble and inoffensive individual than the horticultural artist. I, alas, am one. I have no pretensions to independence of thonght or hand ; I am a mere nurseryman's drudge. I am not benefited when I pourtray a dingy dwarf as a goreeous giant. I merely do what my kind employer tells me ; he pays me my humble pittance, rubs my name off my work, and publishes my picture. Sir, I am so well acquainted with nurserymen's requirements, that I have in constant use a " nurseryman's proportional com- pass " (devised by myself) ; there is a movable screw in the middle, so that one end may be made to open twice, thrice, four, or even five or six times more than the other. If I have a plant from Mr. Swaggs, I move the screw to Mr. Swaggs's mark, and I measure with the small end and draw with the big one. If Mr. Pelter sends me a plant, I move the screw to Mr. Pelter's maik, and I always give satisfaction. I call my compass a " horticul- tural florometer." When young 1 did not like these exaggerations, and I trembled for my repu- tation and honesty, but my chief nurseryman told me it was all right, as " he always rubbed the artist's name off." I was also not long in learning that nursery- men not only hold the poor draughtsmen in slavery, but that they "had" the publishers as well. For instance, Mr. Topper writes to his pub- lisher, " Dear Mr. Sycophant, — If you will send your artist to paint my new magnificent Mimu- lus, I will take .500 copies of your monthly magazine." When the submissive artist goes to the rich nurseryman he is told that all the best Mimuluses have " gone off " ; that a few poor blooms are left, but they are not one- quarter the size of those just "gone off." If the inoffensive artist will draw these small flowers exactly four times the size of nature, they will well represent the missing blooms. Should the poor drudge remonstrate, a threat is held out that the .500 copies will be cancelled, and Mr. Sycophant, the publisher, will come down on the draughtsman " like a thousand of bricks." Well, sir, I made a mistake once, and I did quietly en- joy it (behind my master's back). There was a plant race ; two nurserymen were each madly eager to get a " new plant " out first. Mr. Swiggers sent the blooms on to me by post in hot haste, with a request that I should get his out first at all risk and an extra half-crown would be my reward. Sir, I got out my compass ( Mr. Swiggers's stretches more than any other man's) ; I polished the plant off like lightning and got it out first. On the day of its publication I received a letter from Mr. Swiggers's under-secretary summoning me imme- diately to the plant emporium. Of course I went (instantly). Mr. Swiggers was there with dilated eyes, hair on end, and his tongue cleaving to the roof of his mouth— speechless. At last he said, " Oh ! Mr. Staggers, I tremble under the blow you have put upon me ; the plant my young man sent was a dwarf variety, and ought to have been shrunk in size at least three times ; whereas you have enlarged it with your peculiar compass six times. I am ruined ! I am ruined ! You artists are a bad lot; you have got no sense.' Mr. Swig- gers took good care never again to employ the in- offensive Staggers. Parks & Public Gardens. Lord Brabazon's annual report of the Metro- politan Public Garden and Playground Association is so interesting, that we have devoted to it more space than we usually do to matters not purely horticultural. It shows what ought to be done for the people as well as what has been done. It seems extraordinary that so many open spaces in the very heart of London should until two years ago have remained useless for purposes of health and recreation. Lord Brabazon's associa- tion has taken thirty of these in hand, laid them out in gardens and playgrounds, fitted them with gymnasia and seats, and given them over to the local or metropolitan authorities to keep up and take care of. The association is still struggling with some forty- eight more open spaces, and with every prospect of suc- cess. All classes are benefited by these open spaces — the poor, who want room ; the rich, who want the air of London kept pure, and so are directly interested in keeping open the lungs of London, which are its disused burial-grounds, its waste places, and its squares, as well as the parks. BURIAL GKOUKDS AS PUBLIC GARDENS. Eastekn Division. A'a7!ie of Ground. Acreage (a(/oii(). St. Mary's, Haggerstoii 1 St. Bartholomews, Bethnal Green .. i St. Dunstan's, Stepney 7 St. James's, Katclifl } St. Peter's, Bethnal Green 210 feet by 62 ft. St. Mary's, Whitechapel .'i Bilker's Row Dii used Burial Grounil .. '.i All Saints', Bu.\ton Street, Mile End .. Front, 116 feet by 20 feet ; back. W feet by 25 feet St. George's-in-the-East 1 St, Philip, Stepney ^ Burial Grounil at Well Street, in coiinec- 3 tion with St. John's, Hackney .. .. 3 St. Leonard's, Shoreditch i East Centkal Division. St. Luke'f, Old Street .. .. - 3 to t BmibiU Kiekls 7 St, Botilph, AUlersgate Street .. .. S BeDJaniiii Street i St. Dunstan's • in - the - West, Bream's Buildings 500 square yards SOUTU-EASTEliN DIVISION. St, George the Martyr, Southwark .. Less than 2 Berniondsey C^hurcliy.ard 1;V St. .John's, Hoi-sleydown 2 St. Mary's, Newington Butts .. .. 2 St. John's, Waterloo Bridge Road , , 1 Lambeth - 2 ^'ame of Ground, St, Nicholas, Deptfoid Acreaqe {ahnut). . . 160 yards by 4U yards St. raid's, Deptford 3 ^t. .Margaret's. Lee .. .. .. .. 1 Old Ground, Lee :} West Centkal Division. The Chapel Royal, Savoy 83 feet by 87 feet St. George's, Wakefield Street .. .. ij Holy Trmity, Giay's Inn Road . . . . 2 Western Division. St. George's, Hanover Squ.are .. .. 6 St. Miiry's, taddington .. „ .. 3 NoKTH Western Division. St. John's Wood Chapel 7 Did St. Pancr j8 7 Northern Division. St John's. IToxton 1 Islington I'hapel of Eafe .. .. .. 2 St. Mary's, Upper Street, Islington .. 1^ Souih-Westekn Division. St Margaret's, Westminster . . . . 1 All Saint's Churchyard, Fulhani . . . . 2 open spaces laid out as gardens. Eastekn Division. Carlton ?quare, Mile End Old Town . . 0 Victoria Park . . . . _ . . . . 300 Well Strett Common 30 Waste Laud at Dalston Lane and Grove Street, Hackney , R, P. 2 0 2770 145 1060 80 lb'2 Nortll Mill Held South Mill fitld Clapton Common London Fields, . ,, Hackney Downs Epping Forest St, Luke's Parish Playground, Went- worth Street, Whitechap 1 Brewer's Garden, London Hospital, Stepney Poplar Recreation Ground , , Playground, Silver Street, London Docks Shicklewell Green, Hackney Small triangular piece at Shacklewell Slip at Stamford Hill, Hackney .. Triangle, Mare Street, Hackney i. Stoncbridge Common, Dalston .Slip i,t Lea Bridge Road 1500 West Ham Park _ .. _ .. '' Wanstead P.ark . East Central Division. Long Lane, Smithfitld Market SOUTH-EASTERN DIVISION, Horsemonger Lane Gaol (half the site of) Greenwich Park Southwark Park Blackheath Boitall Heath Plumstead Common Croydon and Caterhnm Sydenham and Forest Hill Recreation Ground ... Camberwell Green Goose Green , . Nunhe.ad Green Peckham Rye Shoulder of Mutton Green Dulwich Park West central Division. Thames Embankment Garden Leicester Square Western Division. Hyde Park Kensington Gardens Wormwood Scrubbs BrookGreen' « Shepherd's Bush Coramcn Paddmgton Green Noeth-Western Divimon. Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, , Hampsiead Heath Northern Division. Canonbury Square, Islington Finsbury Park Stoke Newitigton Common The Green, Upper Street, Islington Haelley Common Stoke Newington Green South-Westekn Di\'ision, Ebury Square, Pimlico .. « St, James's Park Gieen Park . « Battersea Park Bushey Park Kew Botanic and Pleasure Gardens Richmond Park 0 0 0 0 0 0 6318 0 0 100 feet by 40 feet \ little more than ll.ilf an acre 2 3 4 3 0 0 176) square yds. 6S'1 0 0 n 0 0 174' 0 0 6i 0 0 2li7 0 0 65 0 0 110 U 0 347 0 0 6 1 1 2 300 0 310 0 lot 0 0 0 8 0 400 240 250 i 0 0 83 0 0 71 0 0 Tooting Beck Commons Eelbrook Common Parson's Green Clapham Common Wandsworth (Common Wimbledon Common & Putney Common Barnes Common Hammersmith Road, Fulham Wellington Place, Hyde Park Corner , . 250 0 1100 0 270 0 2265 0 ( 144 0 "( 63 0 IS 0 4 0 220 0 0 II) ) 0 0 1000 0 0 100 0 0 10 0 J 0 0 86 THE GARDEN [Jax. 10, 18F5. TKEE3 THAT WILL Thorns (Crat.Tgas), numerous species and varieties Cherry (Cerasus), various kinds Mulberry (Morus) Judas Tree (Cercis) Laburnum (Cytisus), two Bpecies Alder (Alnus) Ash (Fraxinus), various kinds False Acacias (Robinia) of sorts Poplars (Populus) of sorts Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus gland ulosa) Almond (Amygdalus) of Eorts Pjrus of sorts Birch (Betula) of sorts Catalpa of sorts SHRUBS THAT WILL Azalea pontica, hardy varie- ties Sumach (Rhus) of sorts St. John's Wort (Hypericum) of sorts Corchorus japonica Beutzia of sorts Dogwood (Cornus) of sorts Elder (Sambucus) of sorts Forsythia viridissiraa Guelder Rose (Viburnum Opulus sterile) and other sorts Bird Cherry (Prunus Padus) I^ycesteria foiToosa i LIVE IX LONDON:— Beech (Fagus), Copper leaved ' Elm (I'lmua), various kinds Lime (Tilia), several kinds ' Spanish Chestnut (Castanea) j Buck-eye (Pavia) ! Horse Chestnut (.Fsculus) I Maples (Acer) I Maiden-hair Tree (Salisburia adiantifolia I Plane (Platanus) of sorts I Tulip Tree (LiriodendronTu- lipifera) Walnut Tree ( Juglans regia) I Willows (Salix) of sort^ ; Oaks(Quercus),variouskinds Hornbeam (Carpinus) Masrno'ia, several species and varieties LIVE IS LONDON :- Spindle Tree (Euonymus eu" ropseus) Lilacs (Syringa) of sorts Flowering Currants (Ribes) of S'^rts Snowdrop Tree (Halesia te- traptera) Meadowsweet (Spiraa) Spira;a, numerous species Weigela of sorts Cytisus of sorts Fig trees (Ficus) Genista of sorts Cotoneaster of sorts Pliiladelphus, various species CLIMBING PLANTS SUITAJ5LE FOR LONDON: "Honeysuckle (Lonicera) of Bramble (Rubus) of sorts sort-s Clematis of sorts Hardy Vines (Vitia) of sorts Ivies of sorts Ci'atffigus Pyracantha, seve- , ral varieties EVERGREEN SHRUBS ST Ash Berberry (Mahonia) Strawberry tree (Arbutus) Aucuba japonica Holly (Ilex) of sorts Rhododendrons of sorts Skimraia japonica Spindle Tree (Euonymus ja- ponicus) and other species and variet'es Escallonia of sorts Privet (L'pustrum) of sorts Box (Ruxus) Cotoneaster microphylla „ rotundifolia Artemisia of sorts Pampas Grass (Gynerium ar- gent eum) Jasmine (Jasmiuum)of sorts Trumpet Flower (Tecoma radicans major) Virginian Creeper (Ampelop- sis), two kinds Wistaria sinensis ITABLE FOR LONDON^— Laurustinus (Viburnum Ti- nus) Jberis of sorts Hardy Fuchsias Hesperis of sorts Ruscus of sorts Anindo conspicua Euonymus radicans var. Pemettya of sorts Vincas of sorts London Pride (Saxifraga um- brosa) Dianthus of sorts Arabis albida and other sorts French Willow Herb (Epilo- bium angustifolium) and several other species. Bomarea Carder! from seed.— This Bomarea, recently alluded to in The Garden as a valuable winter-blooming plant, ripens seeds readily when strong and vigorous. If the seed is sown when ripe, and placed in an intermediate house temperature, it quickly germinates, and the young plants make rapid progress, but they need to be two or three years old before they are strong enough to flower, and when that takes place the chances are that, even when the seeds are gathered from the finest variety, many of the seedlings will be found to be greatly inferior to the parent in both size and markings, in which respects this Bomarea seems to vary a good deal. Even then, however, the poorer ones need not be at once dis- carded, for in some cases they improve, while others always remain flimsy and dull coloured under whatever conditions they may be grown. — T. Diseased Pines.— If '*H. K." is anxious to cultivate Pines on the planting-out system, a good bed of Beech or Oak leaves is preferable to hot- water pipes. It is. however, well to have a couple of hot-water pipes running under the bed, to turn off and on at will, in order to keep the heat of the leaves from diminishing, but the planting- out system in its best form is hazardous and no gain. If time, quantity, and quality are the object, pot culture is a long way in front of planting out. The cause of the stems shrivelling before the fruit is ripe is the absence of active roots, caused possibly by the heat under the bed drying them too much and the soil becoming exhausted, thus gradually destroying their vital powers. Under such circumstances the plants may look fairly well in foliage from being in a close moifit atmosphere, but that is not suScient when the fruit comes to swell off and ripen. It is then, when all the parts of a pla it are required to be healthy in order to bring forth fruit of any kind to perfection.— James Smith, Waterdale, St. Helens. PLANTS IN FLOWEE; Narcissus monophyllus. — The first flowers of this charming little white Hoop-petti- coat Daffodil that have reached us are from Mr. Hubert, of Guernsey, who says that it is finely in flower unprotected in his nursery. Later on he expects that the flowers will be finer. At Kew it is flowering beautifully in pots in the Cape plant house, the bulbs having been kept quite dry during the summer on a sunny shelf. This is, without doubt, the treatment to give this Narcissus in order to get it to flower well. The double Epacris, a variety of the old E. onosmajflora, may be seen in flower at Kew in the Cape plant house. It is really a pretty flower- ing t rub, having tiny rosette-like flowers borne all alon^ the upper parts of the slender shoots. Being pure white, the blossoms have an'estremely pretty and chaste appearance, and the fact that they en- dure for weeks in good condition renders them all the more valuable. As a winter flowering plant for cutting from it is a great gain, and must un- doubtedly become popular. Shortly the single- flowered typical plant will be flowering side by side with the double one. Christmas Roses. — A most beautiful gathering of Christmas Roses reaches us from "St. Brigid," in whose garden on the Hill of Howth they are flowering quite unprotected. Comparing these blooms with some sent to us the same day by Mr. Srockbank, we find the two identically the same, the only slight difference being that Mr. Brock- bank's specimens have the edges of the leaves somewhat toothed, whereas "St. Brigid's " leaves have almost smooth margins. No difference can be detected in the flowers, their size or colour, and the green of the stalks and leaves is of the same shade. Mr. Brookbank states that this is the H. niger angustifolius, but if so it is a misnomer, as the leaves are really broader than those of the type. Let its name be whatever it may, it is an indisputably beautiful plant, and one whose value as a winter flower cannot be over-estimated. Helleborus niger angustifolius.— I send you a few blooms of our Christmas Rose (H. niger angustifolius), of which we have some hundreds now coming into flower. This is certainly the true Christmas Rose, as it blooms just at Christ- mastide and continues to supply uj with its Eucharis-like blossoms during all our festivities. There is no more useful flower for ladies' wear than this Christmas Rose. It looks well in the hair, and lasts throughout an evening without flagging. For table decoration it is without a rival, and especially at this season, when it is doubly noticeable as the Christmas Rose. We have had severe frost for the last ten days, but our Christmas Roses are none the worse for it, and now that milder weather has returned the flowers are crowding out most plentifully. — Wm. Beock- BANK, Brockhunt, Didshurij. *,* A very beautiful gathering of this, the purest white of all the Christmas Roses of the niger group. We agree with Mr. Brockbank that the variety which flowers at Christmastide ha- bitually is the angustifolius variety. It is, more- over, very distinct from the type in other respects, the leaves being of a brighter green and the flowers opener and whiter. — Ed. Phalsenopsis Schilleriana.— I have to-day (January 7) inspected a magnificent specimen of this Orchid at Warwick Castle gardens. It has five leaves, two of which are 18 inches long and very substantial. It has thrown up a strong single spike over 3 feet high, with wide-spreading branches, the diameter at the widest point being 3 feet. There are no fewer than a hundred fully expanded blooms, and there would have been about 110 bat that the plant received a little chill at one stage. Altogether it is a remarkably fine speci- men, and does much credit to Mr. A. D. Christie, the head gardener. I was also much pleased with the Calanthes in the same house. Three bulbs were planted in a 9-inch pot in April, and each bulb threw out two others, from which sprang seven spikes, six of which were 2 feet high, and con- tained thirty-six expanded blooms upon each of the larger ones. Mr. Christie has been very suc- cessful with his Orchids every year, although he has no special facilities for growing them. — Lloyd Evans, Wam-ick. Sale of Orchids.— On Tuesday last the third portion of the Fallowfield collection of Orchids was sold by Messrs. Protheroe it ilorris. Araonyat other flowering plants sold at the same time were the following : Ia?lia anceps, white variety from St. Albans, fetched 24 guineas ; an Odonto- glussum I'escatorei with a large dark spot on the lip went for "20 guineas ; another fine white variety fetched 10 guineas ; an unusually fine variety of Cattleya chocoensis realised 11 guineas. Amongst other plants, a fine Cypiipe- dium seiligernm majus realised 20 guineas. The remaining portion of the Fallowfield plants will be sold on Tuesday, February 3. National Ohrysanthemum Society. — From a circular just issued we learn that arrange- ments have been made by the committee of this society by which local and provincial Chrysanthe- mum societies may become afliliated to the Na- tional Society by conforming to a few conditions. By this arrangement atBliated societies may take part in the management of the National Society throagh a deputy, and the medals of the National Society may be competed for by the members of the affiliated societies. This movement shows that the National Society means to make itself useful and important. National Carnation and Plcotee So- ciety,— I regret to see, from your last issue, that this society has fixed its next show for the unusu- ally late date of July 2S. For my own part, have generally found my flowers on the wane fully a week before the day usually fixed for the show, and I know others who s.iy the same. I think it a pity, therefore, that the show should be thrown still later into the season, as I am sure it must have the effect of preventing many amateur growers like myself from exhibiting who might otherwise be enabled to do so. — E. K. N., South Lamheth, LATE NOTES. The rainfall in the Letds district lor 1884 was 23 14 inches, and lor 1SS3 3239 mches. Boilers {J. C.).— A plain wrought Iron saddle boiler JS inches by 18 inches by IS Inches properly set will do all that you require. Camellias {Belfast). — After they had begun to grow, they look as if they had received a check, possibly from cold and damp, the result being the shedding of the buds. Messrs. Ikeland & Thomson have purchased the new Golden Acre Niu-sery, Edinburgli, from the Lawson Com- pany— a very compact and prettily-arranged nursery, with excellent hothouses, in which they propose to grow stove, greenhouse, and other plants to supplement the stock in their other nurseries. Ne wOrlsansIntemational Exhibition. —Jlessrs. Cheal&Son, Lowfiehl Nurserie.=. Crawley, have been awarded a gold medal at this exhiltition for their collection of .\pples, consisting of 100 varieties ; also five silver medals, besides money prizes, for otlier collections and classes of .Apples and specimens of fruit trees. The whole collection consisted of about 20<;i0 fruits in 20O varieties. Marguerites {L. G. B ). — Yovr Marguerites are at- tacked I'V the grubs of a small fly. The best means of get- ting rid of this pest is to pinch the leaves at the parts where the grubs are suihciently hard to kill them ; any leaves which are so badly attacked as to be of no further use to the plant should be picked off and burnt ; by de- stroying .as many of the gruljs as possible the number of flies in the next brood wijl be much diminished.— G. S. S. Names of fruit.- Jf. E. Edwards.— Vear, Xe Plus ileuiis. J- C. Rushton. — Pe.ar, Josephine de Malines ; Apples, 1 and 2, same variety, probably Beauty of Kent. S. S. T/iojnj'.— 1, Man- nington's Pearmain ; 2, Golden Reinette. C. Bra;!.— 2 and 3, not known ; 5, White Buckland ; 6, probably Egg or Paradise Names of plants.— H. J/. ITAite.— Helleborus niger allifclius. J. S. S.— -Echmea fasoiata. R. Young.— \, Odontoglossiim cariniferum ; 2, Kpidendrum species ; 3, Odontoglossum tripadians. The box came safely through the post, but, owing to the absence of any packing mate- rial, the flowers were bruised. We advise you to use dampish Sphagnum Moss or tissue paper next time. Your boxes are cheap and fairly well adapted for the purpose. THE GARDEN 37 Ho. 687. SATURDAY, Jan. 17, 18SB Vol. XXHI. " This is an Art Whicll tines mend Nature ; clinnire it rather; but Thk art itself is Nathre."— SAafesprare. GKAPES AND FLOWERS TOGETHER. Some notes of min e on Grape and flower culture in the same house having been inserted in The Garden last spring, I am tempted to state a few of the results of my last year's amateur efforts. The quality of Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat is often discussed, and constant complaints of its not colouring and setting well are made. I grow two Vines in a lean-to house of south aspect, full of plants, and wilh a back wall covered with Plum- bago capensis and Ficus repens. This house is very moderately heated in cold weather, and yet my bunches are still (January 12) hanging as black as Sloes and covered with a wax-like bloom. Overheating and wanlj of air must therefore, I imagine, be the culprits wherever complaints are made. My Dr. Hogg of which I spoke bore largely, but the berries are not satisfactory and soon go. This wants heat, moisture, and inside rooting, I suppose, and I am going to pnll it out. That splendid brilliant violet flower, Lasiandra floribunda, cannot surelj' be understood, for I see it in my neighbour's stove (though it grows in Peru at an altitude of 8000 feet ; see Botanical Maga- zine, t. 5629, under the title Pleroma) weak and straggly, and blooming poorly ; whereas I have had three plants each as large as a small Gooseberry bush in bloom from last October until now, averaging 200 to 300 blooms on each ; and why ? Because, when June comes the pots, which must not be too large, are with me put on the ground in my orchard in the open air, and kept there until September or October, when they are re- moved into a cold house for a week or two, then changed into the warmest house I have, which is not very warm at the best, and put in an earthen- ware saucer, filled sometimes for a daj' or two with water. Half-a-teaspoonful of Standen's manure on the top now and then is all the care they get. In a warm corner of the same house I have in a pot trained against the north end (glass) one of the old thorny Euphorbias. No plant I possess likes Standen's mixture as well as this, and with its vermilion flowers it is always in bloom — now covered. Many an accept- able bouquet do I make of it tied up with a sprig or two of the evergreen Trades- cantia, which trails all over my houses, growing out of slag cinders fixed with Roman cement on the back walls, or wherever it can find a handful of sand or peat to support it. Tied round with a little wet paper and wrapped with thin copper wire, the bouquet will last for two days, and looks just as well by lamplight as in day- light. In the same house the white and dark red Abutilons are always in flower and handy. I have now, in addition, my winter Pelargo- niums (just going out), white Roman Hya- cinths, Cyclamens, Primulas, Begonias, Daphnes, white Arum Lilies (planted out in summer), Sola- nums, and Rivina, so that neither table nor but- ton-hole need go short. My wife has had Chry- santhemums for church decoration to thejpresent time, and there is a pot of Chrysanthemum Golden Thread even now with about 200 blooms on it brought into moderate warmth from a cold house early in December. In my little propagating house there is a Cypripedium in bloom, three Gesneras, which have done duty for a month, Calanthes, a couple of pots of Eucharis, one about to bloom (planted in mud from the bottom of an old tree-shaded pond mixed with silver sand), and a trailing mass of variegated Tradescantia, which with the green Tradescantia makes garnishing much more useful than Medeola asparagoides for flowers or dessert dishes, and will remain green in water for weeks. The great poiut is not to have too much of any one thing in an amateur's garden. One large pot of Stephanotis and another of Bou- gainvillea at the warm ends of the houses give all we want of these. Soon there will be Jonquils in potfuls. Hyacinths, most useful little flowers of Tri. teleia uniflora, Dentzias showing white already, Cytisuses, the double-flowered Peach, Narcissi of all kinds. Cinerarias, Calceolarias, and so on. I grow Tuberoses most successfully. Keep the bulbs in a dry place, not cold ; plant in moist ordinary potting material rather stiff (one in a pot is best) ; plunge in the Cocoa fibre in the propagating house or stove, if you are lucky enough to have one and give no water until the shoot rises an inch or so, then water, and give a pinch or two of Standen's mixture occasionally, re- moving the pots as soon as you are satisfied that there is a flowering spike, and not forgetting that a stick isnecessary and agreenhouse, near theglass if convenient. Tuberoses want water, and where there is no great staff to be always going round with the watering-can, earthenware saucers, shifted about from pot to pot, may be put under each bulb and be filled with water for perhaps a couple of days at a time now and then. No plants will stand alternate baking and drowning. Out of three dozen bulbs about thirty bloomed with me last year, some giving me nearly thirty blooms. In my experience The Pearl variety fails much oftener than the African. Begin planting about now. Another splendid white pot plant is The Bride Gladiolus. The handsomest thing in my garden last summer was a mass of Zinnias, sown in spring and pricked out in a round bed. Zinnias did well also, as I observed during the drought, at Kew. On my bleak hillside I want something that the wind will not play havoc with, as it does with Petunias, TropjEolums, and other weak- stemmed plants. NOETH-WEST Cheshiee. CUT FLOWERS AND THEIR PRESERVATION. At this season, when so many flowers are required for table and other decorative purposes, it is difli- cult to keep up a constant supply in all but the largest establishments. As if to make matters worse, too, how often do the flowers on the dinner- table look quite faded, even before the guests have risen from the table. Hard forcing is some- times the cause of much of this annoyance, but in that case it is to the gardener we must look for the remedy, or rather prevention of this failure ; but more often, as many will agree, flowers will flag, spite of all our efforts. Hot rooms, especially where much gas is burnt and an extra dry atmo- sphere maintained, are the most speedily fatal to many flowers, and no remedy has ever been sug- gested that is sufficiently powerful to counteract this evil. It is well, therefore, resolutely to face the difficulty and avoid such flowers and Ferns as cannot be induced to last for twenty-four hours at least. It is surprising how many very effective bouquets or graceful combinations can be managed with a comparatively small variety of flowers and greens. No one who lives in a town will cut Maiden-hair Fern to mix with his cut blooms unless he is prepared to renew it daily, but this most re- fractory of beauties will last much longer (some- times for days) if it is plunged in water, so as to cover it entirely, and allowed to soak for a day before being used. Another most simple rule is never to cram your vases with flowers ; many will last if only they have a large mass of water in the vase and not too many stalks to feed on the water and pollute it. The importance of this simple rule is really very great, and it is one of the healthy signs of the improved tastes and perceptions of the day to find vases that hold a large quantity of water now preferred to the spindle-shaped trumpets that lately were all the rage. Flat dishes, filled with wet sand, are also useful for economically using up short-stalked or heavy-headed flowers ; even partially withered blooms will revive when placed on this cool moist substance. Moss, though far prettier than sand, is to be avoided, as it so soon smells disagreeably, and always interferes with the scent of the flowers placed in it. When flowers in winter are brought out of warm houses into the dry air of a house after being exposed, on their way for a shorter or longer time to the cold outer air, and are put into ice-cold water, no won- der many poor victims succumb to such ill treat- ment at once. If, on the other hand, they were popped at once into a good large basin of blood- warm water (or even still hotter) till they could be arranged properly, and the water in which they are finally placed be also warm, many people would be surprised to see how great a saving in trouble would result. With regard to plants whose juice or sap is milky, this precaution is invaluable, for this thick milky sap readily coagulates in the tissues, and prevents the flower drawing up the necessary sup- plies of water. It is needful, therefore, to prevent this by thinning the sap as much as possible, till it becomes so thin that it can no longer clot and choke up the passages in the tissues ; this can be done by slitting the stem, pulling off the leaves, and then putting the flower in hot water, when so much sap escapes as to render it free from all chance of thus clogging the tissues, and the flower in consequence will not flag. Poinsettias, with their showy heads of bracts, are a good example of this class of plant, and when treated in the manner described will last for weeks in an ordi- nary room without becoming unsightly, and with- out any such preparation they fade the first even- ing. Stephanotis also is much benefited by the same means, and with the further help of a drop or two of water in the throat of each flower will last delightfully. With some subjects another course of treatment must be adopted — for instance, in the case of flowers that only grow in a cool temperature, and suffer when they get into warm and dry air. In this instance all that we can do is to lessen evapo- ration as much as possible, and when such flowers have hairy stems and leaves to dip them overhead for a minute, so that by capillary attraction they may continue to keep themselves moist and cool ; but this is dangerous to table-cloths or polished surfaces, unless care be taken that the points of the leaves do not hang down. Another means of preventing such delicate and sweet-scented flowers as the now well-known Luculia gratis- sima from flagging is to cut it with several leaves on the stem, and when the flower-head is placed in water to allow only the flower-head to remain above the water, while the leaves are entirely sub- merged ; by this means the leaves seem to help to support the flower, which will then last for three days in a fairly cool room. Perhaps no hardy flower succumbs sooner to heat than the Christ- mas Rose — just now in welcome beauty ; in this instance it seems that frequent cutting of the stem is of greater use than any other precaution, but with all such subjects by far the best plan is to put them outside, exposed to dew or rain during the night, when they will regain strength enough to last on for days. All New Holland plants, and particularly flowering Acacias, benefit wonderfully by this apparent cruelty, and will even stand a slight frost far better than a hot room at night indoors. S8 THE GARDEN [Jan. 17, IP^ Among forced flowers none are more aseful than Tulips on every score, and as yet they have not been used for cutting as freely as they might be ; they are, however, so cheap as well as lasting, that there is nothing to compare with them at this early season. The other day one of the most tell- ing table decorations I ever saw was made with heads of Pointsettia bracts, with a white Tulip in the centre of each to fill up the vacuum caused by the little Bowers that had dropped, and ,a couple of spikes of Roman Hyacinths to back each head. The big creamy white Tulips reminded everyoneof Mag- nolia bud.s, and caused quite a murmur of admira- tion. The series of vases were all linked one to the other by sprays of Cissus discolor, an old favourite stove trailer, which will last longer both in and out of water than any other fine- leaved climber, and in the centre stood a fine plant oE variegated Cyperus. 8uch an arrangement will list for days even at this season, and is far more u-eful than wasting energy and flowers in more fanciful fashions that need renewing every day. Those who live in the country have such an in- finity of Evergreens at their disposal, unless the garden be quite recently made, that a much smaller quantity of flowers is needed than in towns, where outdoor Evergreens .-ire too precious (and too dirty) for general use. Where there is a good-sized cool house or conservatory it is well worth while to p'ant in a border the exquisite and very free- growing Acacia dealbata, if only for the s.nke of cutting its lovely sprays of silvery green foliage. All who have wintered in Australia or basked in the winter sun on the shores of the Mediterranean know well the beauty of this tree, both in leaf and flower, but if it never flowered at all, it sho\ild be grown for its foliage. Yellow Chrysanthemums in big bunches with bold sprays of this delicate blue-green make a most effective and lasting winter decoration. Another most lasting trailer is the comparatively new Asparagus plumcsua, which, when planted cut and not restricted to pots, makes such vigorous and continuous growth, as to supply more sprays of its Fern-like green, if needed for cutting, than any other plant I ever saw. How handsome, also, a big vase looksdraped with a Calla, whose white spathe is contrasted with I'oinsettia bracts, backed by the firm fronds of Polypodium aureum, another useful winter green, and with the fresh green sprays of Asparagus plumosus to lighten and soften the whole. Primulas, when placed in a Hat dish where their blooms will not readily drop off, are of course much used, and where a large quantity is grown cin be used very effectively for table decoration by placing single pips on the cloth where such arrangements are liked. Camellias, while very lasting, unless bruised, are of all flowers the most difficult to arrange gracefully. No surer test of taste could be contrived than by proposing an ex- hibition of table decorations made with specified materials — all thus starting as fairly as possible in the matter of material, and that material to be the Camellia, so neatly folded, so bright in colour, but, oh, so stiff ! In private gardens, if well managed, there is now no longer the need for cut blooms of early forced Azaleas, Spir^as, or Roses, which can never be really satisfactory till days are longer and sun- shine stronger, and so they can be kept in re- serve by utilising flowers more truly winter flowering, among which various Geraniums and winter-flowering (Orchids, such as Calanthes and Cypripediums, should not be forgotten. Edward H. Woodall. from the beauty of its flowers. P.eing of lowly habit, to be seen to the best advantage it should be planted as near the path as circumstances will permit. It is, however, very impatient of wet, and in damp heavy soil rarely lives more than two or three years. Our plan is to specially drain the spot in which it is to be planted ; by such means its life is prolonged indefinitely. Its flowers, which are pea-shaped, are bright rosy pink, and produced three together on longish petioles from the axils of all the upper leaves. It is easily in- creased from cuttings put in in autumn or from seed, which it ripens freely.— K. Round-leaved Best Harrow. — Unlike Ononis spinosa and O. fruticosa so common in gardens, 0. rotundifolia is deciduous, a fault which may be easily overlooked when its profuse habit of flowering during the summer months is taken into account. On rockeries or in mixed borders it is always desirable to have a few plants of a permanent character, whether shrubby or herbaceous, and amongst dwarf shrubs this Rest Harrow takes a first place, both on account of its neat globular habit and the fresh green appear- ance which its foliage always presents, quite apart PLANTS IN FLOWER; Early promise. — We have nice bright sunny weather here. I saw the first .Snowdrop (EIwesDlo-iUy, and a Narcis- sus from F'orence, of which Mr. Wolley Dod sent roots, is throwing np tiuds, and will, I think, lieat Barr's N. pallidas prfccox here with us.— F. \V. B. Guernsey Frefslas. — A chaTming hnnquet of Frcesia (lowers has reacheil us from Messrs. Smith's Caledonia Nursery at Guernsey. Than these no flowers could he lovelier. They are elegant in form, of snowy whiteness, and emit a delightful fragrance akin to tliat of the sweetest ^■ildets. 5lessrs. Smith observe that they last a long time in good condition when cut and placed in water, a fact which .greatly enhances their value. Are these fine speci mens the result of cool treatment or of warm ? Strelltz a Reginse.— The striking beauty of the flowers of this South African plant is never more conspicuous than at midwinter when flower- tide is at its lowest ebb. The colours of the flowers of this plant are surpassed by few from the Cape, and the fact that it is almost a perpetual flowerer and easy to grow in any warm green- house or conservatory bed renders it most desir- able. Even when not in flower its large bold foliage is handsome, and each flower-spike that it sends up bears numerous blossoms, which unfold in succession, weeks elapsing during the pro- cess. The showy part of the flower is the large bright orange bracts, some 4 inches long and pointed, which stand erect above the long hori- zontally poised tongue-like flower which carries the pollen and stigmatic apparatus. There is a singular quaintness about this flower which attracts all who see it. This plant may be seen in flower at Kew, and it is also particularly fine ,iust now in Mr. Whitbourne's garden at Great Gearies, Ilford, where, Mr. Douglas informs us, it blooms for months at a time. A hybrid Hellebore.— I send you blooms and a leaf of a Hellebore which I have grown here for about twenty-five years, and which I believe was given to me about that time out of a private garden in Kilkenny. It has been very much ad- mired, and from time to time I have distributed portions of it to friends. My attention having been called to this family by recent articles in The Gauden and other periodicals, I mentioned the fact of having what I called a i,'ood variety or form of Christmas Rose with large pure white blooms, which was neither maximus (altifolius) nor yet angustifolius. I have submitted blooms and a leaf of it to several growers of Hellebores, and from one I have received the following re- marks : Mr, Brockbank writes, " The examples you sent me a second time confirm my previously expressed opinion, and I think you may view your Riverston Hellebore as an interesting hybrid variety, I hope you will ascertain as nearly as you can its history, and .send a note to The Gar- den about it." I shall endeavour to find out more about its earlier history, but I do not expect to unravel much respecting its origin, I hope to send a plant as soon as it can be moved to Mr. Brock- bank to grow for comparison alongside those species and forms which he already possesses. The peculiarity of this form now sent is that the leaf- stalk is green, thus following the colouring of H. angustifolius, while the flower-stem is heavily marbled with red like that of H. maximus ; the extremities of the pistils, too, are tinted with pink, which remains still visible on the blooms when old. Some blooms which I sent to Mr. P.rockbank, after being fouiteendays in water, still bore traces of colour on the stigma. In this respect, too, it resembles H. maximus, while the blooms are equal in size to those of H. angustifolius, and are not of quite so greenish a shade. The exterior at times is slightly tinted with pink, interior pure white. It blooms, I should say, a little earlier than H angustifolius, coming in soon after H. maximus. — J. T. Pot-, lUrcrston. *i.'' We do not recognise Mr. Poii's Hellebore ; it seems distinct from H. altifclius, though it pos- sesses some of the characteristics of that variety. Possibly it may be the true H, niger major. We cannot regard it as a hybrid.— Ed. Freesia refracta alba. — I send yon blooms of this most beautiful Freesia to show what they can come to under generous, warm treatment. They were grown in the garden of Mr. Gibson Black, near Dublin, and I am informed were potted early, put into a propagating stove, and after- wards moved to an intermediate houfe. My cor- respondent says, " I can safely say they are all as good as the one sent." There is an old saying, that "seeing is believing," and I think you will readily agree with mc that in this case the much-written- against warm treatment has produced a result eminently satisfactory. Though B'reesias will grow and flower late in the spring under very cool treat- ment, as I have myself proved, you will see how desirable it is to have blooms of such quality, so purely white and deliciously sweet-scented, early in this the first month of the year. The flower- stem measures 18 inches, and, besides, the main truss has five other branching flower-stems. Such vigour and freedom of bloom 1 have not seen be- fore. I have given all my Freesias warmer treat- ment this year than hitheito, and shall, after such a good example as the one sent, be inclined to treat them for the future in a similar manner, — J. T. I'oc', hh-crston. *j.* Uncommonly fine spikes, as large as any we have ever seen. Such lovtly delicate flowers are indeed welcome at this season.— Ed. FILLING ICEHOUSES. The best icehouses I have seen are those which are round or elliptical in form, built principally below the level of the ground, and domed over with an entrance level with the ground, having a covered passage leading to it ; let the bottom be cement with drainage at the lowest part. The con struction should be of the strongest kind, brick- work in cement, in order that no air or water should percolate from without, both tending to dissolve the ice in the warmer seasons, when of course it is most necessary. Two doors, one to the icehouse and another at the outer end of the passage leading to it, should also be tight-fitting to prevent the ingress of air, the passage being filled up with bundles of straw or similar material to make it the more perfectly air-tight, and the drain should be trapped for the same reason. Straw or reeds should be placed in an upright position against the walls in filling to carry away any water which may be formed by the dissolving ice, provision being made at the bottom of the house to enable it to reach the drain. Dry, frosty weather is the proper time to fill the house ; cer- tainly not during a thaw. The drier the ice the quicker the house is filled and the greater will be the success. I may repeat that the greatest elements of success are perfect drainage and a steady atmc- spherc. The ice should be carted on to a platform near the entrance of the passage and pounded with mallets as fine as possible, shovelled into the icehou'e, and rammed firmly down, closing all up when finished. Treated in this way I have never known it to fail. I may say that it is very neces- sary to le^ve the ice somewhat highest in the centre, so that no water can accumulate, a form which it will retain to the end if proper care is taken in cutting it out for use, at which time the outer door should always be closed before opening the inner one. Some years ago I gave a plan with section of a suitable icehouse, and also the method of filling it, which would probably serve " R. D.'s ' purpose. It was figured and the account printed in The Gaeden, Vol. XV., page 5'.'. I may add that the best position for an icehouse is in ashady place well sheltered by trees from winds, and the soil should be moderately dry. C D. Jan. 1". 188r).] THE GARDEN Trees and Shrubs. THE BHOTAN CYPRESS, (CUPRESSUS TOEULOSA ) This Cypress, apart from its elegant growth, is loteresting as being the only species ot Cupressus indigenous to India. It is a native of the Hima- layas in the Bliotan district, and it also occurs on the borders of Chinese Tartary. It forms, there- fore, a connecting link, as it were, between the true Cypresses of the exfreme east and those that are natives of Europe. It is singular to note that this genus of Conifers extends throughout the entire breadth of the northern hemisphere, Cu- pressus funebris representing the extreme east in China, and C. macrocarpa the extreme west on the Californian seacoast. The northerly and southerly limits, it is interesting to mark, are, on the con- trary, singularly restricted, the most southerly being found in Mexico, the most northerly (C. nutkaensis) in Nootka Sound, and the subject of these remarks (C. torulosa) in Bhotan. The whole of the regions intervening between these extreme lateral points have their Cypresses. The European species are C. lusitaoica (the Cedar of Goa), which inhabits Spain and Portugal ; C. sempervirens (the Iloman Cypress), which is centred chiefly in the south-easterly parts of Europe, extending into Asia Minor. Farther eastwards C. torulosa is met with, and the chain is extended eastwards by C. funebris, also known as C. pendula. The head- quarters of the Cypresses are undoubtedly in the extreme' west, for here may be found some four or five distinct species, including the well-known C. liawsoniana, probably the most popular of all Coniferfe in gardens, C. Goveniana, C. Macnabiana, C. macrocarpa, and C. nutkaensis (spelt C. Nut- kanus by the Californian botanists). The eastern representative of the Cypresses in the United States of North America is C. thyoides, popularly known as the White Cedar. In Mexico three or four species occur, so that the genus in round numbers only contains about a dozen species. The Californian botanist, Mr. Sereno Watson, takes away Lawson's Cypress from Cupressus and puts it in the geaus Chamiecyparis, the chief points of distinction being the flattened two- ranked branchlets and the small globose cones maturing the first year. All the Cypresses are undoubtedly valuable from a garden point of view, but the various species vary in degree as regards their utility as ornamental subjects. I should rank them in the following order in point of merit ; C. Lawsoniana, C. nutkaensis, C. macrocarpa, C sempervirens, C. thyoides, C. Macnabiana, and C. Goveniana ; then would follow C. torulosa, C. funebris, C. Knightiana, and other Mexican species. These are placed last, not because they are less elegant than the others, but on account of their tenderness, all being liable to succumb to our damp and cold winters. The species which concerns us at pre- sent, C. torulosa, is an old intro- duction, seeds of it having been sent to this country by Wallich so long back as 1821, and previous to this date it was found by Royle on the Himalayas, growing at elevations at some 11, .500 feet above sea level. Coming from such a height, one would suppose it to be hardier than it really is, but its tenderness may probably be accounted for by the wood not getting thoroughly ripened during our summers. It is a very handsome tree, said to reach from 20 feet to 125 feet in height in its native habitat. It has a perfectly straight stem ; the growth is pyra- midal or rather conical, and the old wood is vt a warm purplish brown. The foliage is a glaucous grey-green, and the branches have a twisted and tufted appearance. There are several varieties of it which are, or have been, in cultivation. Of these one of the best is Corneyana, which Gordon ranked as a dis- tinct species. It was supposed to be Chinese, and was introduced to cultivation by Messrs. Knight and Perry, the predecessors of Messrs. Veitch at the Chelsea Nurseries. It differs from C. torulosa proper, its habit being of low stature, and has slender pendulous branches; hence it has been known in gardens by the names of C. gracilis. C. cernua, and C. pendula. Other varieties of C. toru- losa are those named in gardens and nurseries — firidis, a kind devoid of the glaucous foliage of the original ; majestica, a robust variety ; and nana, a very dwarf and compact-growing sort. There is also a so-called variegated form, but it is not worthy of mention. The synonyms of C. torulosa itself are C. casbmeriana, C. nepalensis, and C. pendula. Having regard to the tenderness of this Bhotan Cypress, it should only be planted in the warmest localities and in dry sheltered posi- tions ; upland districts, too, provided they are sheltered, are undoubtedly suitable for it, inas- much as growth is retarded in spring, and there- fore the young shoots escape injury from late spring frosts. W. G. '"^^ USEFUL TREES. Notwithstanding the mistakes which planters make in selecting exotic trees and shrubs for planting for ornament or use, experience has proved the value of some species for particular purposes, and it is of some of these I purpose writing. Among Conifers, one of the first that occurs to one's mind as a safe subject to plant almost anywhere — for shelter in forests or as an ornamental specimen — is the Aus- trian Pine. By the way, the European Pines are coming to be regarded almost as the only kinds worth planting extensively. The Austrian Pine is closely allied to the Corsican Pine, which it resembles ; indeed, the first is regarded as but a variety of the latter, but the two are quite distinct, although both vary in habit among themselves very considerably The Corsican Pine r^ ago the Austrian Pine was practically unknown as a forest tree, but since then it has become so popular, that all nurserymen now quote it by the hundred and thousand at special prices. Its great value as a sure grower, whether at high or low levels, and its handsome appearance as an Ever- Cones of Cupressus torulosa (natural size is by far the fastest grower and the least dense in habit. It makes long annual leaders, and soon grows up ; whereas the Austrian is unusually dense and bushy and a far surer grower and trans- planter than the Corsican, which makes few roots. The last has a bad reputation on that score among all planters. The Austrian, on the other hand, may be transplanted at almost any season of the year, from one up to twenty or even thirty years of age, and it will rarely fail to retain all its foliage and do well. We have had it transplanted here during hard frosts in years past and without ill effects. As a shelter tree it beats the Scotch Fir far and away. Here, in the most upland and ex- posed situations in Yorkshire, it makes by far the best shelter, because of its bushy habit and long spines, which are two or three times as long as those of the Scotch Fir. About twenty-five years green tree, render it popular for planting either as an ornamental or forest tree. Corsican Pine.— I have just said that this Pine resembles the Austrian, except that it is of slenderer growth. It forms a graceful-looking tree, making long leaders annually, and the timber is good, but it is a comparatively bad subject to transplant, not a few usually going off the summer following. My opinion of the two varieties is that as a timber tree the Corsican is the best, as it grows faster than the Austrian and has a more slender trunk, but for purposes of shelter or density of growth the Austrian is by far the better of the two. Wellingtonia, Deodae, and Akaucaria.— These three are all popular kinds, but they are mentioned here as untrustworthy subjects to rely 40 THE GARDEN [Jav. 17, 1885. upon in exposed inland situations. The Welling- tonia is especially to be avoided in all exposed windy positions, as it becomes a complete scare- crow in a few years from the effects of gales. The other two do well in lowland and sheltered situa- tions^that is to say, they makegood, well-branched specimens, but when they rear their tops above the line of shelter, they, too, soon become poor leafless examples. The Golden YE\y3. — These have become popular ornamental subjects, and they deserve a good place among variegated trees -where they rank, although they have none of that paltryness about them which characterises so many varie- gated plants and trees. All who buy Golden Yews must, however, be sure that they get plants from seed or plants grafted with leaders, otherwise dis- appointment -will be the result. Plants raised from side branches are commonly sold, and although they grow, they never become trees or handsome specimens. The elegantissima variety of the Golden Yew is the best for ornamental planting. Three Pueple Beeches. — There are several very distinct kinds of this tree, the weeping, erect, spreading. The weeping variety is very pretty, but the ordinary free-growing variety, in all ways resembling the common Beech, is the best. The erect-growing sort has very dark foliage in the mature state, while the yonng growths are of a more delicate hue, but the habit is stiff and formal andnot well snitedforornamental grounds, and the tree is not valuable on any other account. The Purple Beech always looks best when in good health and growing freely ; hence trees of it sliould always be planted in good soil, in order to pro- cure fine specimens quickly. Shepheed's Holly. — "Where a tall thick hedge is desired to grow up quickly this i5 the Holly to plant. It is the quickest growing, broadest leaved, and bushiest Holly in cultivation, and makes a grand specimen by itself. Planted 3 feet or i feet asunder, it will soon fill up and stand thinning, and the thinnings can be used elsewhere. S.W. CONIFERS AT BORROWASH. This village, on the banks of the Derwent, a few miles north-west of its junction with the Trent, and within five of Derby, is famous as being the residence of Mr. William Barron, of Conifer celebrity. Were his nurseries but a little way westward, he would be within sound of the rust- ling of the glorious trees which he planted at Elvaston. Indeed, when speaking of this veteran arborist, it would be but an idle tale that did not revert more or less to the scene of his former labours. But many of tlie trees at Elvaston, either from too thick planting or from violent gales, and in instances from both these causes, have been crippled or killed outright. A notable instance of the first of these evils is a narrow avenue-like walk. In the foregroncd on both sides is a row of Juniperus chinensis and vir- piniana shut out in the rear by a den^e growth of Pines and Hemlock Spruces. On the one side the Junipers are healthy, but on the other, sad to view and palpably piiiinj for fresh air and sun- light. The amount of improvident planting that one witnesses everywhere is very great, and surely the first outlay is heavy enough without the expense of as many trees again as are necessary. Verily, the trees grow while we are sleeping ; but to imagine that the after-manage- ment may be casual and thinning procrastinated, because the trees look healthy and show up mag- nificently as a mass, is a common and fatal error. Suppose an October gale causes the fall of some of the " nurses.'' or mows down, as it were, a lane through the pinetum, how many are involved in the fall of one. How many become brown and sere because formerly they were allowed to grow up in comparative warmth and were not gradually inured to bear cold. Frequent renovation and attention are required after a lapse of twenty years, for in most sites trees that have been thriv- ing for that time require fresh soil or other helps Among the Pines that have been a success at Elvaston are Laricio, Komana, Lambertiana, and monticola. The first mentioned in a sheltered spot has, contrary to its general habit, formed a thick, warm-looking tree, which would do excel- lently well for a single lawn specimen. Pouderosa, macrocarpa, and Coulteri are not very vigorous ; indeed, the best specimens of the latter are dead. The needles of macrocarpa are shorter and not so stiff as those of Coulteri. The Arancarias and Deodars, on the whole, have stood the gales and winters well. Picea nobilis has suffered much, and one or two of the trees in the magnificent avenue of it here have been blown down ; others, although injured, are rapidly recovering. Another evil to be contended against at El- vaston is the dense growth of Elders and Raspberries sown by the birds under the trees. In many instances the bottom branches of the Conifers have been completely spoilt. But, not- withstanding the mischief that the late gales have done, what a glorious place Elvaston is 1 A ny thing grander in the way of landscape gardening than the magnificent lake, with its floating umbrage from trees planted on the banks and islands, would be, one would think, impossible. How striking, too, are the avenues and the masses of golden Yews I Here the clipped hedges and the various devices in Yew and Box have no puny appearance. And what more pretty in its way than the magnifi- cent avenue of Junipers, surmounted at the close by spire-like Lombardy Poplars ? One little islet opposite the mouth of a watercourse, whose banks were fringed with Lastreas and Harfs- tongnes, was very bright in mid-winter. The centre foliage is that of the parti-coloured and rare Juniperus hispanica : all the rest of the soil is covered with various kinds of Ivy and Mediter- ranean Heather. It was one of the most effective pieces of planting in the whole grounds. Mr. Barron's idea at the Borrowash Nurseries is thoroughly to test and find out what coniferous trees are perfectly hardy and most suitable for universal as well as ornamental planting. Amongst the Abies, Sieboldi nana is a very dwarf and graceful variety, the foliage of which is very bright and effective, somewhat after the type cf the Hemlock. Douglasi glanca is an exceedingly robust and beautiful varitty of Douglas Fir. As it comes from a very high altitude in Colorado, it ought to be hardy in almost any position, and, in fact, it has proved itself to succeed where the common Douglas Fir will not. Parryana glauca is one of the hardiest known Pines, and is destined to become a great favourite. Polita grows very fast, and is distinct and perfectly hardy. Alco- quiana is a pretty Japanese species, which will be valuable for lawns ; the reverse of the foliage is of a deep glaucous hue, which is exposed by very slight breezes. Picea concolor is quite distinct from P. Par- sonsiana; so much so, as to cause wonder that they ever were confounded. This is one of the most valuable Firs which we have, and it is hardy almost everywhere. Firma tardiva, as the name indicates, does not get cut by spring frosts. It is also longer leaved than the old form, and grows into a compact and regular specimen tree. Nnmidica is another very good and hardy species, which will succeed well in shallow soil. PiNUS Bolaxderi in colour and growth resembles insignis, but is far hardier, and there- fore most valuable. Pyrenaica is very elegant, both as a small and large specimen. Jlnrrayana is a little known, but very hardy Pine, which also takes after insignis in its shade of green. It grows fast, but generally maintains a well-fur- nished appearance. Parviflora is a Japanese variety of very changeable tint. When waving about in the breeze, showing alternately the lower and the upper part of the branches, which are of different colours, or when glistening with silvery sheen in the sunlight, it is a very hand- some and interesting object. Clpressus xutkaessis nana compacta and I,A\vsoNiANA gracilis pendula may be classed together as being two of the prettiest, and at the same time healthiest dwarf shrubs for villa gardens or for planting in the foreground of shrubberies. They are every whit as desirable as the more common argentea and erecta viridis. This pendulous variety of Lawson's Cypress always maintains its habit. Variegated Conifers. — Mr. Barron has been at great pains with the golden class of ornamental Conifers, and the one that assumes the deepest yel- low is undoubtedly the golden Scotch Fir (sylves- tris aurea). It is green in summer, but in winter becomes a bright guinea- gold, with no suspicion of greenness, as in Laricio nana aurea. It is also more briUiant in colour than Cupreseus Lawsoniana lutea, which, however, maintains its colour throughout the year. This Cypress also appears to stand without injury in cold and ex- posed positions and grows freely. I did not see a golden Scotch Fir more than 2 feet high, but it is a fact, I believe, that it keeps its colour just as brilliantly when taller. Young's Golden Juniper was quite pale beside it. Taxus Barroni foemina aurea, the berry-bearing golden Yew, has a per- fect pyramidal habit ; and one tree in the nur- series, which has never been trained, was a picture of elegant formation. Dovastoni aurea variegata is another fine golden Yew. Of Conifers of other colours. Sequoia sempervirens alba spica is one of the most parti-colonred Conifers in existence. The tops of the shoots are yellow and the older parts of a bluish hue. It is most effective whether by itself or in a group. Abies canadensis alba spica, although perhaps not so free in growth as the Se- quoia, is also very pretty with its white-tipped shoots. Cupressus Lawsoniana alba spica is alto- gether put out of court by the variety pyramidalia alba spica, which is perhaps the most valuable of this class. Another tree of which Mr Barron has a good stock, and which ought by no means to be neglected by planters, is Torreya mj ristica. C. A. M. C. ROSE Garden. THE ROSARIANS YEAR EOOK FOR 188.J.* This has just reached us ; it contains much valu- able matter on pruning Roses, the result of expe- rience collected from various parts of the country. The following somewhat lengthy extract, taken from Mr. Geo. Baker's paper on the subject, relates to Rose growing at Reigate : — " The question of early or late pruning," he says, "must, after all, be to a great extent an open matter, and dependent on several collateral cir- cumstances, such as the nature of the soil, position of the garden, whether sheltered by trees or open to the changing elements of our fitful climate; whether situated on high ground or valley, and all its surroundings : and lastly, though far from least, the mode of cultivation to which the Rose trees have been subjected. Let us first, then, con- sider "The soil. — There is one character of soil which will be universally admitted as best suited to a successful culture of our cherished flower. A deep stiff rich yellow loam, on a well drained sub- soil, is to be desired : but it must be well worked and' generously enriched with old rotten manure. In districts where the soil consists of heavy cli-y I have advised friends to place a good covering of chalk at the bottom, and then upon this some of the clay burned and well mixed and worked with strong fibrous loam. Good drainage, under all conditions of soil, is of the utmost importance, but most especially in heavy clay lands. The natural soil of my own garden is of a light loam, having the green sandstone for the subsoil. When I reconstructed my rosery some few years ago, I enclosed a portion of a meadow which adjoins my garden, and commenced to mark out my beds, forming them 6 feet in width and .SO feet in length, leaving intervening Grass spaces of 4 feet wide as a path. By this arrangement I am able easily to get round the beds, and give attention to • Bemrcse & Sons, 23, Old Bailey, and the Editor, West- well Vicarage, Asliford, Kent. I/, 1885.] THE GARDEN 41 the plants individually when necessary. In pre- paricg the beds, we measured a space of 4 feet for the first trench, all subsequent trenches being of the same width. This affords plenty of space for getting sods, manure, &c., in evenly. The top spit, which consists of good old fibrous turf, was then wheeled to the farther end of the bed, and kept separate on one side, also the next spit be- low, so as to be at hand for filling up at the finish. The bottom spit was taken away as useless, leav- ing a trench 2 feet G inches deep. This was filled in the following manner : At the bottom was placed a layer of yellow clay, some G inches thick, firmly trodden to retain moisture. On this a light covering of small chalk, and then about half the Eods which constituted the first spit of the next trench, placed turf downwards, and loosely broken up. A thick layer of rotten cow manure was then pat in, on which was added a coating of chalk coarsely triturated. The remainder of the top of the succeeding trench was now used, broken up smaller than the first sods, covered with cow ma- nure and fine chalk as before, and finally filled up with the second spit of the following trench, the bottom draw of every trench being dispensed with, to allow room for clay, chalk, sods, and manure, as I have described. When the beds were thus pre- pared and finished, I gave them a good dressing of well rotted cow manure, thoroughly incorporating it with the top soil ; this supplies the roots with immediate nourishment and gives them a good start. These beds were made early in September, and left dormant until the end of October, when I furnished them with plants. " Winter pkotbction. — My plants are always earthed up in winter. This affords a very efficient protection from severe frosts — of course much of this is opened from around the plant at the time of pruning ; it will then be seen that the buds at the base have remained dormant and uninjured during the winter, though some eyes in the upper portion of the stems may have suffered from the severity of winter's cold. It must not be sup- posed that I depend solely on this earthing up around the plants, even of the most hardy Hybrid Perpetuals. I further guard them with a. mulch- ing of long stable straw manure, or with the fallen leaves of autumn, collected for this purpose, or Bracken. I also fix on the borders throughout the length of the beds most exposed to the north and east strong laced wood hurdles, such as are used for folding sheep on farm lands ; these are most serviceable, and afford good shelter against the stormy winds and hard frosts of winter. According to the Ord nance map, my garden stands at 204 feet above the level of the sea, but one por- tion lies more open than I could wish to the east ; I consequently feel it necessary to provide against sudden alternations of temperature. The winter of last year (188.S) was an unusually mild one. My plants had made excellent wood, and for the most part well ripened, many having retained most of their old leaves. These circumstances decided me to commence " Pruning at my usual time, but, owing to an attack of bronchitis, I was obliged to keep to my room ; consequently my gardener did not begin the work until a few days later, when I was able to superintend his operations. Notwithstanding the delay, he got through his work well by the end of the first week in March. As the spring advanced all went on satisfactorily — the buds started well and made good growths ; I anticipated a good early season of flowers, but my expectations were disappointed by the cruel and severe frosts that occurred on the nights of April 21 and 23, when the thermometer in Stevenson's screen, placed in my grounds, went down so low, registering 18° of cold. I could at once see how unhappy my plants were after receiving such damaging shocks ; and well remembering the evil consequences we expe- rienced from the direful frost and cold in the win- ter of 1879, after carefully examining my plants, I resolved to cut them down quite low ; fortu- nately, I found good dormant buds near the base, where they had been securely protected by the earthing up, which gave me confidence in their future growth. Several friends told me I had made a great mistake, and had entirely shut myself out of the chance of any bloom in time for our Reigate exhibition, which had been appointed rather early (June 28). Some advised me to leave more wood, and thought the buds, although injured, would start again from their sides ; but I never knew such growth yield good and perfect blooms, and was satisfied with the course I had adopted, feeling sure I should have a long con- tinuance of bloom during the summer, and further secure sound wood for the summer growth to start from — and this certainly has been the case. Never in my long life had I such glorious blooms, or so lengthened a continuance of bright, charm- ing flowers. It is true, at the time of our exhibi- tion not one-third of my plants were in bloom, yet I cut sufficient good flowers to send a box of twenty-four, which gained the second prize, and contributed a fair portion to the box ot seventy- two, in the class in which we unsuccessfully com- peted with some of our leading nurserymen ; in fact, it has been the most enjoyable summer I have ever had amongst the Roses. Believing that the early growth we get in ordinary years Irom early pruning is the better able to resist the vernal frosts we are almost sure to encounter some time or other during the month of May, with its sunny days and cold nights, I strongly advocate early pruning. Many, no doubt, will still cling to the preference of a later period than I have fixed. Yes, it is with our judgment, as with our watches, none go just alike, yet each believes his own. " Planting. — Another important consideration connected with this subject of pruning is the time when the trees were planted, and the mode of cul- tivation that has been observed and will be fol- lowed out until the time of flower. Some advo- cate planting in spring, others the old and, I believe, most generally adopted time of autumn, say October or November. Excellent authorities have written their experiences, and given their advice with good argumentative reasoning. One especially, from whose judgment we should hesi- tate to differ, expresses himself with confident earnestness in favour of delaying planting until the month of February, assigning as his reason that from the month of November the ground gradually becomes cooler, while in March it gradually becomes warmer. He further thinks the sap is quiescent, and as spring advances all is in motion. Another objection to autumn is the great difficulty and uncertainty of getting your plants, though long ordered, from the nurserymen, their engagements being so increasingly multi- plied at that season. I most willingly admit the deep importance of planting your trees as soon after they have been lifted as possible, and the serious injury to which the rootlets are liable, should they get too dry or be touched by frost, as I fear is often the case ; yet, with all my high appreciation and sincere respect for my good friend's long and practical experience, my own practice has led me to quite opposite results. I believe generally during the months of October and November the ground will be found of a higher temperature than in either February or March, particularly in the lighter soils, if not in all soils, that have been well worked and prepared for growing Roses. That trees and plants derive a large portion of their nourishment from the soil will not be questioned. All writers admit that the crude sap ascends from the roots to the upper side of the leaves, where it is elaborated by com- ing into contact with the air, exhaling the super- fluous water and oxygen, and inhaling carbonic acid gas ; it then passes into the veins on the under side of the leaves, to be conducted into the chlorophyll vessels, where it is digested and as- similated on its way into the cambium, where it forms the protoplasm or life principle, which cir- culates to every part of the plant. But I must proceed to give my reasons for choosing the au- tumn, and not the spring, for planting our Rose trees. I hold it to be a great advantage to have your plants well established before much growth commences. It is a mistake to suppose there is merely a slnggish action in the roots at this period of the year ; this can be proved re- peatedly. These little rootlets are never quite at rest ; doubtless they are far more active at one sea- son than at another. Plants sleep, we know, and so do we ; but the circulation and other vital powers are carried on as when awake. It is to my mind very certain that the more studiously we investigate the growth of plants, the more evident will it become that there is a continual action and motion of some kind going on, and that a state of life is, in fact, a state of motion. I have fre- quently removed plants that had not been in the ground a month in the autumn, and in all cases found active root action had been set up and the little root hairs full of life, bearing on their deli- cate capillary filaments and prolongations the white globular spongioles, fulfilling the work of absorbing from the soil. Beyond this, I believe that plants thus early established must start with fuller vigour in the spring than those that were only planted in spring. But however you may decide as to the season for planting, " A FEW GENERAL DIRECTIONS should in all cases be observed. It will become your first duty to see that your ground is ina properstate to receive your plants. The soil should be neither wet nor dry, and the earth should divide well and inter- mingle with the fibres of the roots readily. We must be careful in treading in the plants ; it is evidently injudicious to plant on a retentive soil at a time of rain, though on lighter grounds the work may be done safely, even though you have gentle showers. I question whether sufficient care and time are given to the mode of planting and arranging the roots in the ground ; this is often carried out in too hurried a manner. Before placing the plants in their position they should be carefully handled and the roots well looked over, and all broken or injured portions removed ; then spread out in a radiating direction as far as possible, so that the rootlets may take up the aqueous and other fluids readily. It must be remembered that it is not the thick substances of the roots that gather up the food for the support of plant life — they serve an important end in firmly fixing the tree in the soil — but it is the minute root fibres to which the plant owes its nourishment. The root.», therefore, should be well spread out, and never packed up together, and planted down in a straight direction. Caution must be further observed, that you do not plant too deeply in the soil. I suspect mistakes of this kind often occur. Mr. G. Prince, of Oxford, I remember, once found fault with me in this respect, and advised on the seedling Brier that the union should be just above the ground line, but he em- phatically called our attention to regard the same depth at which the plants had been previously grown. This latter part of his advice is in like manner urged by most of our practical nursery- men, though some of them are in favour of plac- ing the points of junction beneath the soil, which they think will give the plants a double chance. No doubt, with the Manetti stock, you may plant deeper than with others. As the winter days draw near, I look my plants well over and satisfy myself that they are firmly fixed, then earth them up and otherwise protect them, as previously men- tioned. Thus far I have been referring to the class of dwarf Hybrid Perpetual Roses. Teas and Noisettes require less cutting back, but the sug- gestions I have otherwise made may be observed, except that the work of pruning should ordinarily be delayed until the latter end of April. I have but few standards ; but some pillar Roses— such as Cheshunt Hybrid, a most valuable Rose for this purpose ; Glory of Cheshunt, also very good and attractive ; Blairi No. 2. Chiinedole, Madame riantier, Coup6 d'H(5be, Longworth Rambler, Charles Lawson, Gloire de Dijon, Reine Marie Henriette, Reine Maria Pia, Madame Berard, Bouquet d'Or, Madame Trifle — the hardy sorts of Hybrid Perpetuals, hybrid China, and hybrid Bourbons I prune at the same time as my dwarf plants, and begin by thinning out from the bottom the most vigorous shoots, leaving such only as are necessary to fill the base ; then I go on thinning throughout the whole length of the growth, se- lecting the strongest and best ripened shoots, and 42 THE GARDEN [Jan. 17, 1885. having previously cut back the small side shoots to about two or three eyes, secure them to the pillar. The lateral branches of well-iipened growth are, of course, from time to time looked after and tied up, giving the plant a neat and well-arranged appearance; it is from these we may look for our good blooms. Those I have enumerated of Tea or Noisette origin are neces- sarily watched more closely and pruned later, according to their known constitutional power of resisting the changes of temperature we meet with in spring. I have also a few plants against the wall— Marfichal Niel, Climbing Dovoniensis, Belle Lyonnaise, Reve d'Or, Gloire de Dijon, Emile Dupuy, and my collection altogetlier con- sists of about 2500 plants. As soon after prun- ing as I find the buds have well started into growth, I encourage their onward progress by giving them a good dressing of cow manure ; this is allowed to remain on the beds during the summer." With this season's " Year Book" is given a photo- graphic likeness of Mr. Geo. Paul, and also the following articles, in addition to four on pruning, viz. : " Koses in the Azores," by Mr. Hill Grey ; "The Rose and the National Rose Society in 188.5.' by the Editor; "Howl Grew Roses on a Cliff," by the Rev. H. B. Biron : " Tea Roses as Bedding Plants," &c , by Mr. George Paul ; and '■ The Rose Weather of 1881," by Mr. E. Mawley, F.M.S. Altogether, a good shilling's worth. YELLOW ROSES. It is to be regretted that Cloth of Gold should have so quickly gone out of favour after the advent of Marechal Niel, but that it did so is a well-known fact, and I think to some extent our gardens have sustained a loss ; there is not a doubt that Cloth of Gold will thrive on open walls where the MarO- chal will not, for although neither is perfectly hardy in all positions, yet, of the two, Cloth of Gold is undoubtedly the hardier, and for that reason I should advise those who cannot succeed with the Maruohal to try the other. In a few in- stances Cloth of Gold may be met with still thriv- ing and enjoying the favour of its owner. The fact of the matter is that, when once planted iu a deep, yet dry warm soil against a south wall, if it takes kindly to the situation, it will last in a pro- sperous condition for a lifetime. Such examples may, perhaps, be rather scarce, but they are to be found. Only in the autumn of last year I learned from a gardening friend who resides at the extreme end of the south coast that a fine plant of this Rose, which I knew more than 20 years ago, was still in luxuriant health and producing flowers in abundance every year. There is at the present time at The Grange, Kingston, a fine plant grow- ing on the lawn and trained to a single pole. It is budded on the Brier, and, although the severe ■winter of 1881 very much injured its growth, it has cjuite recovered, and made growth last autumn from G feet to 8 feet long, and on the point of every shoot was a glorious bunch of buds and expanded Roses. I have always found that this Rose does better when budded on the Brier than on the Manetti. I have never .seen a vigor- ous-growing plant of it on its own roots. It may be useful to mention that severe pruning must be avoided. All he young wood made in the summer should be carefully preserved, especially the strongest, for it is such shoots that produce flowers the following year. What pruning is done should take place in February, and then only to the extent of cutting out any dead or exhausted branches and carefully replacing them with young wood. Solfaterre is another Rose that has many features in common with Cloth of Gold, but it is, perhaps, a rather more vigorous grower. I have a plant of it now on my cottage which in all probability has been planted nearly 30 years, and yet it has branches which extend to nearly 50 feet, and it flowers every year in the most profuse manner. The way in which I manage it is to cut hard back, to near the old stem, one or two large branches, about once in three years. This causes young shoots to spring from the bottom, which frequently grow to a length of 15 feet in one year; but the way in which latent buds break away from the most unlikely places on the old stems and branches is very remarkable. Early the following spring I shorten these long shoots back to about 0 feet, an operation which causes them to break back at nearly every bud, so that the space is filled up again. — C, in Field. Flower Garden, NOTES ON HELLEBORES. In your editorial remarks (p. 36) upon the Christ- mas Roses sent to you last week simultaneously by " St. Brigid " and myself, you say " Mr. Brock- bank states that this is the Helleborus niger angustifolius, but if so, it is a misnomer, as the leaves are really broader than the type." It is an ugly blaok-looking name to apply to a beau'ifui white Christmas Rose, but there it is, and we must perforce adopt it. So far as I have been able to trace its origin, it goes back to old Robert Sweet, who used it in his " Hortus Britannicus," published in 1826, wherein II. niger is divided into two classes, viz , latifolius and angustifolius, the broad- leaved and the narrow-leaved. Unless, therefore, we start afresh, we have but these two classes t j work in. The first is clearly occupied by H. niger altifolius = maximus and other broad-leaved varie- ties iu the major and minor group not at present carrying particular names. The term angusti- folius does not therefore belong exclusively to our variety, but it is one of Sweet's narrow-leaved angustifolius. I endeavoured to deal with this ijues- tion fully last season, and your readers who wish for the information will find it in the Oarilcnirs' C'ronicle ior January Id, lS8i, in which number there is also a very good plate of 11. n. angus- tifolius, which is a correct representation of the plant, figured from an actual specimen. It should, however, be kept in view that the term angusti- folius applies to the leaf-stalks and digits as a whole, and no one could look over a large bed of this particular Hellebore without being struck by the appropriateness of the name. It is especially so just now at the blooming season, when the petioles assume a curvilinear snake-like form, and the digits are very narrow indeed. The leaf as a whole is narrow, and its parts are so likewise. This is never the case with H. n. altifolius, which is always broad-leaved throughout. In young leaves of angustifolius the digits are proportionally broader, and it was such that were sent with our flowers. I have frequently noticed that the Irish variety has its leaves generally with smoother edges than ours, and they arc also of more substance. Tliis I attribute to the kindlier influences of the Irish climate. Such smooth-edged leaves are, however, very frequent with us— in fact they abound, but the notched leaves are about as frequent. Some plants are smooth-leaved and some have all the leaves notched, and yet there is but one variety. This, therefore, cannot be con- sidered a distinctive quality, as it is but an acci- dent, due to situation and climate. If any of your readers who take an interest in Christmas Roses will visit Brockhurst during the next fort- night, they will find a large number of plants in bloom, and every variety of foliage in this very interesting class of H. niger. The notes on II. n. altifolius in yours of the 27th have brought me a good many letters, and two con- tained very interesting information which may be worth the notice of your readers. A Scotch gar- dener says, " I had a pit of two lights planted with H, altifolius three years ago. I thinned out from time to time till about six plants remained to each light. For the past two seasons they bloomed but sparinglj', but from the last autumn they have been all I could wish, as I have cut from them every week since November 10 fully fifty perfect blossoms weekly, and I expect them to continue two or three weeks yet. To give room to the foli- age the sashes are tilted about 4 inches above the framework, and in some severe frosts I covered up with wooden sashes above the glass, and by so doing I could uncover and cut any day." The other communication will show t':e necessity for frame cjlture in the north on something like the above plan. My correspondent says, "I mentioned to J ou a very fine jilant a friend of mine had last season showing over sixty expanded flowers at one time. This plant showed equally well this season till the evening of the 29th November. On that night we had a great frost, which cut down the whole of his blooms and stalks to the ground. They will not recover this season." Now is the best time for planting H. n. altifolius. It is at rest, and will bear removal better now than later, when its roots will be active again. Broclthurst, DUhlmrij. Wm. BrockbANK. PENTSTEMON OLABER. Pentstemons are gradually becoming of more and more importance, a circumstance which may be accounted for both by the ease with which fair success with them may be attained in ordinary borders, and also on account of their profuse flowering habit and usefulness in a cut state. They are said to develop their flowers in wafer in a remarkable way, and to continue fresh and beautiful for a considerable time. The variety in form and colour to be found amongst them is almost endless, the latter being of every shade between white and crimson, violet and purple. In the species of Peatstemon the colours are more Pentstemon glaber. or less of a fixed character, whether perpetuated by seeds or cuttings, but in the varieties the same form is rarely if ever reproduced from seed. P. glaber, represented in tlie annexed illustration, is one of the most useful of the whole group for mixed border or rockery decoration. It is an ex- tremely free fiowerer, neat and bushy in habit and compact in appearance. It grows generally from 1 foot to 2 feet in height, and has oblong lanceolate leaves, slightly glaucous and destitute of hairs. The stems are many-flowered; the corolla is about 2 inches long and varies from bright blue — the form generally in cultivation — to violet-purple. The variety alpinus, an extreme form, grows only from 9 inches to a foot high, and is sparse or few-flowered. It is confined to the Rocky Mountains. Cyananthus is of a hand- some light blue colour, but is till and rather un- gainly in appearance. Utahensis, also considered to be a variety, is very slender-habited and has very narrow leaves. Speciosus, also a form of gla- ber, has narrow leaves and is very handsome, often attaining 3 feet in height. It bears bright dense blue flowers, which are later than any of the others in making their appearance. A light rich soil suits them best, as they are liable to rot or damp off in winter if the soil is too stiff. Pentste- mons are natives of North America. K. J.AN. 17, 1885.] THE GARDEN 43 GREENHOUSE PLANTS OUT OF DOORS. I WOULD advise Mr. Carmichael's correspondents from Pembrokeshire and Torquay to try Polygala Dalmaisiana and Sparmanniaafricana out of doors. Let them take established plants with well-ripened wood, plants that may have been in pots several years and got too large for greenhouse culture ; select a place for them sheltered from winds, but not shaded from the sun (the more they get of the latter the better), and plant them out early in April before they make young wood. Use some fresh loam only, and if possible plant away from the roots of forest trees and plants of stronger growth. Under such conditions I feel assured that in the generality of winters in Pembrokeshire, and Tor- quay is much the same, they will be safe, but occa- sionally severe winters will occur, and they will then require protection. I recollect the havoc made in the severe winter of 1837-1838 in the gardens of Stackpool Couit, Pembroke, where I was .then an apprentice ; a very tine Lemon tree trained against the terrace wall that had with- stood many a winter, and borne an abundance of fruit, succumbed to the severity of that hard sea- son, when the thermometer stood at from 12° to 16° below the freezing point for weeks together in that usually mild climate. Shelter must there- fore be afforded in severe winters. Gather the plants together by means of string or bands of strong matting, place a few light poles round them, and cover them up with single or double mats as may be required on the approach of frost, which gene- rally gives ample warning before it becomes severe, but by no means shelter them unless the weather is severe ; they will be better without it. What would be better still would be to train them against a wall with a southern aspect. They could then be more easily protected and would ripen their wood better. The Sparmannia spoken of by Mr. Carmichael i.s just now finely in flower, and truly beautiful. The Poljgala we find useful for cutting, being in flower all the year round. It was for this object that I planted "the snatch of hedge " named some seven years ago. Many hard-wooded New Holland plants would succeed well in Pembrokeshire, the west of Eng- land, and on the south coast, provided precaution was taken to shelter them during occasional hard winters. But one thing should always be borne in mind, and that is not to stimulate them with rich soils so as to induce them to make much wood or tender growth ; on the contrary, rather aim at encouraging them to make firm and well-ripened wood. The beautiful Clianthus puniceus should by all means be tried ; here it is just coming into full flower, and covering, as it does, a space of wall 12 feet high and IG feet wide, is a grand sight. Geo. D. Vallance. 'fresco Abbey, IsJes of Scilhj. Alstrcemerias and Narcissi —Two or three species of Alstrcemeria which " D. K." thinks are not in cultivation are flourishing here. As might be supposed, I got them from Herr Max Leichtlin ; my garden is greatly indebted to him. Alstrcemeria Diazi is already several inches above the ground, and A. revoluta will soon make its ap- pearance. Some of M. Dammann's new Italian Narcissi are in full bloom now and have turned winter into spring. In a day or two I shall know what Umberto I. is like, but it will be hardly fair to pass judgment on it till it has acquired more strength in the ground. — H. E., St. John's, Byde. Eunnemannia fumarisefolia — This is a plant seldom met with, though by no means unin- teresting. In some localities, owing probably to the soil being damp and clayey, it may not suc- ceed, but wherever Romneya Coulteri is at home this Hunnemannia will flourish, and as it is also a perennial, the attention which it requires when once firmly established is but small. It may be treated as an annual or biennial ; the seeds maj- be sown in autumn in pots and the young plants put out in spring, when they will flower earlier and attain greater strength than if sown early in the year, but this will only need to be re- sorted to in adverse localities. It grows from 2 feet to 3 feet high, and is upright in habit, though not so in foliage. The colour of the flowers some- what resembles that of those of the fischscholtzia. With us it seldom ripens seed.», and all attempts to increase it by either cuttings or division sig- nally fail ; seeds of it are, however, plentiful- imported, we believe, from the Continent.— K. ALEXANDRIAN LAUREL. (RUSCUS BACEMOSUS.) One of the most desirable of garden plants, from the extreme grace and beauty of its foliage and who' e manner of its growth. The branch-like stems are renewed annually, coming to maturity about September, and enduring in their perfect state London, in good order for something like a month. Few plants have so graceful a manner of growth. It should have a place in e\ery garden however small. G. J. Spray of tlie Alexandrian Laurel (Euscus vacemosus). throughout the winter until March ; then they slightly lose their deep colouring. When the new growth is maturrd it is best to cut out the old, or the plant looks too much crowded, especially in the case of well-established clumps. It does not like to be often divided. It shows to best advantage in distinct groups by itself in some quiet place half shaded, such as'a shrubbery recess or thin wood, or if grouped with flowers, perhaps the best are Christmas Roses and the common blue Hepatica, these blooming at a time when the foliage of the Alexantirian Laurel is in full beauty. For cutting purposes it is invaluable, whole sprays, cut 3 feet to 4: feet long, grouping grace- fully with the largest flowers, such as Lilies and Gladioli, while the side sprays are of the greatest use in small arrangements. It has great powers LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. Even now that the days are lengthening come that dreary winter of a gardener's discontent — a dearth of good showy flowers for cutting. Chry- santhemums, as a rule, are over and gone just by the time that flowers are most in demand. Popular as the Chrysanthemum now is, it would become ten times more valuable to us if we could obtain a race of late-blooming kinds, which, commencing to flower late in December, would continue the sup- ply of flowers through .January and part of Feb- ruary. True, we liave varieties like Princess of Teck and grandiflorum, which are now only just at their best, but our range of form and colour is too limited, and, after all, the late-blooming varie- ties we have now are by no means so floriferous as could be desired. What we want are varie- ties like Elaine or Sccur •Mclanie, which would flower for the next six weeks, and it raisers and growers will combine in this matter the result wished for will surely be gained. By adopting a special course of culture with such sorts as Peter the Great, Julie Lagravfire, Snowdrop, Fair Maid of Guernsey, or Mrs. Charles Carey, it is possible to have them now in bloom, but a race of really late-bloorrring kinds would be of still greater advantage to us, as requiring no more than ordinary skill in their cultivation. By adopting the cutting-down system now be- coming pretty general, it is quite possible, as we have said, to extend and vary the flowering season of the ordinary kinds, and the experience of those who have in recent years adopted this plan would be of especial interest just now. Some have tried late-rooted cuttings as a means of obtaining late flowers, but better results in all ways follow the cutting-down plan. That the Chrysanthemum is very elastic in its nature is proved by the summer- blooming race, which, however, come into flower when we have other and finer outdoor blossoms in quantity. If some trade grower would make a speciality of,really late-blooming kinds, they would assuredly become popular and most useful in all ways. Beise du Matin. Top-dressing rookeries.— Digging and fop-dressing, where these operations are held to be of any benefit to plants in permanent situations, should be pushed forward whenever the weather permits, and not postponed indefinitely, as is too often the case. It is often urged that alpine and herbaceous plants do well for years without being disturbed and without artificial feeding, and this may be so in the case of slow-growing plants under favourable conditions, but there are many that like a little help in the way of manure. In their natural habitats they do not require it ; there their dead leaves and old stems are allowed to fall, de- compose, and assist in giving the plants renewed vigour for the ensuing year. Many writers, in re- cording their experience as regards the cultivation of certain plants, use the expression, " do not dis- turb the roots," and growers in many cases give this a literal interpretation, and refrain from either digging or top-dressing ; this is, however, often not the intention of the adviser, who merely ob- jected to rough and careless work. Light forking amongst plants may be safely practised without injuring the roots, and its beneficial effects will soon become apparent both in the case of rockeries and borders. A mixture of leaf -soil and good fresh loam will suit slow-growing plants, but for stronger kinds a little manure may be added. — K. Herbaceous Pyrethrums as annuals — If seed of these be sown in January, and the plants cared for, grown on into size, and planted out as early as possible in good soil, many, if not all, will flower in August and Septenrber. There is this great advantage, that, presuming it is in- tended to make a permanent plantation, the grower is enabled to select all the best flowers of endurance in a cut s'.ate, lasting, even in and reject the inferior ones. But the seed must 44 THE GARDEN [Jan. 17, 1885. hi sown early ; that is an indispensable condition ; and when the seedlings are raised they must not be neglected. Consequently the plants, as soon as they can be handled, should be pricked off into pots of good, light, free soil, and in every way encouraged to grow into size. Bat how often it is that pots of seedlings are sadly neglected, and Buffered to become long, lank, and weakly ; and when planting comes, and plants of this character are placed in the open ground, they take so much time to recover themselves that the season is well nigh over before they are in form to flower. Many seedling plants are unfortunately much neglected when in a young state, and not a few are destroyed in consequence. — R. D. Fruit Garden. PHYLLOXERA AND TANK BORDERS. " A. W. N.'' asks in last year's volume (p. 532) " whether it will be safe, after a lapse of about two years, to replant Vines in a border from which Vines infested with Phylloxera had been pre- viously removed." Could "A. N. W.'' feel quite assured that in taking out the Vines he had re- moved every particle of Vine root from the soil, he might with perfect safely, after thoroughly dis- infecting, cleansing, and painting the house, plant again seven days afterwards, because the insect cannot exist off the Vine more than four days, but so long as there is a morsel of root in the border containing sap or moisture the insect can live. The difficulty of removing every particle of root is very great, because roots will enter even the smallest crevice amongst rabble or foundations of the hoase or border, and, as it is well known, pieces of Vine root will continue comparatively fresh for a length of time in the soil, it would there- fore be running a risk to plant in the same border. Eight years ago I cut down some old Vine stems close under the surface of the soil, and as it was not convenient to clear out the border at the time, the roots were allowed to remain, although no top growth was afterwards made, except that a shoot would peep through the soil occasionally, and was immediately removed. This border was cleared out last year, and in a few instances the roots had penetrated through the rabble under- neath the flue, under the foundation of the front ■wall of the house, to a depth of 'J feet, at which depth, growing in pure chalk, they were literally covered with Phylloxera. I merely mention this fact to show how necessary it is not to be satis- fied with half measures when dealing with this formidable foe. That the root form of this insect cannot live over four days off the Vine I have proved in numerous instances, but allow me to warn your correspondent, and also every cultivator of the Vine, that even if he has destroyed every insect in his border, he must not therefore feel himself in the least degree safe from another attack, because the winged form may again be wafted into his vinery from even a dis- tant part of the district he is in any day in the early summer months, and a new colony of insects formed almost before his Vines have become esta- blished in their new quarters. I am aware there are many who disbelieve this part of the economy of the insect simply because they have not troubled themselves to learn its habits and nature. Having hitherto, fortunately, escaped its attack, they feel secure from such an unwelcome visitor. May they never be annoyed by its sudden ap- pearance. In the meantime permit me to recom- mend " A. W. N." and all those who contemplate making new borders to first form shallow water- proof tanks in which to make them with sufficient outlets tor drainage at the base, and so arranged as to be easily stopped at pleasure. Let these borders be perfectly submerged with pure water or weak liquid manure for four days every spring and autumn ; the cultivator may then contemplate the future without doubt or fear of evil results. The tank Vine border is the simplest, cheapest, and most effective method of guarding against the attacks of this dreadful pest, and the sooner it is generally adopted the sooner shall we be secure from this plague ; for althongh the Vines may even then be liable to an occasional attack of the gall form of the insect on the foliage, this, being visible, can be dealt with more easily, and as it must re- turn to the roots in the autumn for subsistence, it will be effectually and totally destroyed at the nest submersion of the border. With what ecstacy (the Humane Society may call it fiendish revenge) does the possessor of the tank Vine border contem- plate the destruction of these almost invisible sand-like legions, which have hitherto baffled his most strenuous exertions and destroyec/ch, Merionethshire. NEW VARIETIES OF POTATOES. ■ I cannot agree with all " W. I. M." says respecting profitable Peas, especially in reference to such Peas as Telephone, Stratagem, and Pride of the Market, which he says are only fit for exhi- bition. I should like to ask him to name three other Peas that would yield a greater quantity of pods and weight of Peas. I should like very much to show, not for exhibition, a given number of pods or shelled Peas of Telephone against a given number of any Pea that he may grow just to prove to him that Telephone, Stratagem, and Pride of the Market are very profitable for use as well as for exhibition ; in fact, I do not know of any three Peas that could possibly beat them for profit, letting alone their goorl qualities for exhibition. I may add, too, that market gardeners in my neigh- bourhood like them very much because they get quite as good a yield from these Peas as from others, and they fetch from 3d, to Gd. per peck more money than any other kind ; therefore, I may safely say, taking Telephone, Stratagem, and Pride of the Market all round, either for exhibition or ordinary use, that they cannot be beaten. For my earliest crop of Peas I grow William I. and Earliest of All, and for the second earliest Telephone, Stratagem, and Pride of the Market. Wordsley Wonder is also good in every way, and been unsatisfactory whatever variety of Pea had I so are Webba' Triumph, Laxton's Evolution, Dr If there are too many novelties in Potatoes, as " W. I. M." says there are, why not in Peas, Melons, Onions, Cucumbers ; nay, in many things ? for what vegetable, fruit, or plant is there in common culti- vation which is not being increased as rapidly as Potatoes are, and against which it would be not merely folly, but positively mischievous to protest '! The very life of horticulture, no matter how trivial or how great the subjects, is found in constant variation and progress, and although with the good grain there may prove to be some chaff, which must be winnowed out, yet we have gained immensely in the end. Did the opinion of "W. I. M." p:ei'ail, we should stand stock still. If there are many new Potatoes put into com- merce each year, surely that is a matter for the raisers or tradesmen who offer them for sale. Neither " W. I. M," nor anyone else is compelled to purchase them. On the other hand, if there are many hundreds of persons who take special pleasure in the cultivation of Potatoes (gardeners included) who will buy new sorts, surely they may do so. If " W. I. M.'s " rule had always prevailed, not only Magnum Bonum, but Reading Russet, two kinds of which he speaks well, would never have got into commerce. Those who know anything about new Potatoes, and I may include the opinion of such a distinguished horticulturist as M. Henri Vilmorin, hold that during the past few years great strides have been made in the improvement of Potatoes, and that we have now finer and altogether superior sorts to any that previously existed. The attack upon the committee of the International Potato show is amusing. What that body is endeavouring to do in the interest not only of the Potato, but also of raisers on the one hand and of growers on the other, is just what societies of various kinds are doing in many ways for other things, and doing it not less well. Of none of its work has the committee more rea- son to be proud than of its patient efforts to decide upon the merits of new kinds of Potatoes, and it finds, with exceeding satisfaction, that many truly first-class kinds are submitted to a crucial test. So good, indeed, have Potatoes be- come, that it is almost impossible out of scores to find an indifferent one. Perhaps the committee are fortunate in having those to grow Potatoes who can do so. Just what this committee is doing the Royal Horticultural Society's fruit committee is doing also, and with excellent results, A. D. Broccoli insects ( IF. N. iV!).— The insects infesting your Broccoli roots are members of the family Poduridas, or springtails (although this spe- cies does not jump), and are probably Lipura fime- taria. Insects at the roots of plants are very diflS- cult to destroy; insecticides applied sufficiently strong to kill them would probably injure the plants. The best thing to do is to burn all the infested plants and dress the ground thoroughly with gaslime or soot, and let it remain further 48 THE GARDEN [Jan. 17. 1??5. for some months, during' which time it shonld be kept as clean as possible, so as to starve any of the inBects which may survive the dressing. — G. S. S. 5301.— Mossy Is^wns.— Draining will remove Moss from lawns. The next best cure consists in frequently dusting with wood ashes, than which no better antidote to mossy growths, whether upon land or tree branches, exists. In country places where woodlands abound this is easily manufac- tured by burning up all clippings and prucicgs in one common heap. Indeed, the ash from a general garden burnt rubbish heap will be found excellent for such a purpose, owing to the fact that whilst it destroys Moss it also greatly aids by its fertilising properties the growth of the more wealily Grasses. Another aid in the same direction is road sand with occasional dressings of soot. A thin layer of finely-chopped decayed manure applied at this time, raked in, and the remains swept off in a month's time, will also be beneficial. — W. Eaeley. WORK DONE IN WEEK ENDING JAN. 13, 1885. Jasuart 7. A fine dry, frosty morning, the perfection of weather for wheeling manure on to vacant plots of ground in kitchen garden, which we did, and also mulched Apricot borders with good manure, the preparation for the same having been made a few days ago by clearing away pranings, weeds, and the old mulching. A o-foot space from the walls is held sacred to the roots, digging or forking never being done after the trees are first planted ; but root pruning at the .")-foot distance we find it necessary to do every alternate year, and the mulching is renewed twice a year — now, or in aatnmn, and again at midsummer. The borders are 11 feet wide, the spare 9 feet being devoted to early vegetables, such as Peas, Potai-oes, Carrots, Radishes, Lettuce, and Cauliflowers. Soil carting, and gravel ditto for walks and roads. Watered late Muscat (inside) Vine border; this would have been done long ago, but we feared in- jury to the Grapes by cracking or decay from a wet atmosphere, hence it was deferred till the Grapes were bottled. The soil was full of cracks or fissures, and these were filled in with a stout potting stick as watering was being done. Another supply will be given two or three days hence, and after that the border will have its annual top-dressing of fresh material. Pat in Vine eyes, each one separately in a S-inch pot, and plunged them in a Pine bed, where there is a bottom-heat of 75°. Potted off Fuchsias. The cuttings were put in late in autumn, and will be kept growing on, the plants being intended for bedding out. Part of the old plants of last year, that have wintered in a cellar, have also been potted off, as they are required large for vases and basket beds. Seeds of Solanum marginatum and S. robustum take so long to germinate, and it is always desirable to have all kinds of sub-tropicals large and strong before they are planted out, that these two kinds have been sown to-day in boxes, over which we place glass till the seeds are up. They are stood on the bed of leaves that we have in the early vinery, the bottom-heat being about 70°. Jasuaey S. More soil and gravel carting, digging and trench- ing in kitchen garden, mulched cordon Pears thickly with the best manure we had got, and covered old Asparagus beds with spare soil from fruit tree borders that have been re-made with new soil. Rain coming on early in the afternoon. Potato stores were overhauled and boxes repaired and made for bedding plants. Put in the first batch of cuttings of Iresine, Coleus, Ageratum, and Heliotrope in the Melon pit, as alluded to last week. The old plants of the former will still be kept ia the strongest heat we have, so as to get more cuttings early as possible. Soiled up Melon plants ; we sow in .S-inch pots, use but one crock, and half fill the pot with turfy loam, and earth up with the same kind of soil, which is put into warmth overnight. Soon as the roots well fill the pot they are planted out with the balls complete. Made another sowing ; also of Cucumber ; thioned out the weakest blossoms in our second batch of Strawberry plants ; they set; all the better for this attention. Our first lot are making good progress, and to ha-ten them they now occupy the shelf in the fruiting Pine pit, the warmest place we have, the temperature ranging from 70° to 80°. A suc- cesfional batch of plants has been put into the Strawberry house, the temperature of which ranges from 00° to 05°, according to the weather. The plants are syringed overhead when the house is closed up at about two o'clock. This being the best way to keep free of spider, it is continued through all the stages of growth, except when in flower or when the fruit is ripening off. Jasuabt 9. Sharp frost again this morning made it con- venient for moie manure wheeling ; mulched Gooseberry plot and Raspberries, carted manure from stables, and mixed it with twice its bulk of leaves for hotbed purposes. Trenching in kitchen garden. This latter work we always strive to get done by the beginning of the new year, but sundry extra jobs have this season hindered the completion of this kind of work, but which now we mean to finish before another extra job is begun. Put more Seakale into force, and sowed Mustard and Cress in boxes; potted Mint and Tarragon, and placed in forcing pit; cut all Lady Downes Grapes and placed ia bottles — a temporary shelf on the floor of the house being im- provised, as the permanent ones were all filled. The cutting of the Grapes would have been deferred till space was to be had on the fixed shelves, but soma of the Vines seemed disposed to bleed, and, therefore, it was decided to cut them all, prune the Vines, and throw the house open, and then stop the bleeding. The borders are entirelj' inside, but we can, as it were, by removin^^ the lights, turn them outside, and this will be done soon as there are indications that tlie weather is not likely to be very severe; meanwhile, the heat will be turned quite off and air left full on except during sharp frosts. The borders being dry, water will be given them at once. The temperature of Grape room is kept as near 15° as may be, and this is maintained withoi.t fire-heat unless the frost is exceptionally severe ; then we find it neces- sary to turn on the heat for a couple of hours in the evening. In damp weather the heat is turned on during the day, the ventilators and doors beirg wide open the while. January 10. High wind and heavy rain all day long ; nothing whatever has been done outside. Root stores. Carrots, Beet, Onions, and Potatoes, have all been examined, and decaying ones picked out. Apples and Pears are getting into a small comoass now, so that looking over these is not a formidable job. They have all been put close together and the spare shelves utilised for seed Potatoes, which we like to lay singly to sprout, the said .'prouts being eventually reduceil to a couple on each set. Wash- ing pots, making labels and boxes for bedding plants, and cleaning out tool and potting sheds were other jobs done by outside hands. Work in the houses has been as usual on Saturdays, namely, cleaning; of every place well out, and making all look their best by picking off bad leaves and flowers, and rearranging plants that are likely to look or be the better for this attention. Eucharis Lilies are now in fine blossom, and the foliage was sponged to heighten their beauty. Our plants of these always remain in heat, the only rest they get being the partial withholding of water tor about three weeks after they have done flower- ing, and by such treatment they always flower at least four times in the twelve month;. Hitherto we have managed to escape the disease peculiar to this Lily that so sorely perplexes many gar- deners, to whom it is but poor consolation to have to write that apparently there is no remedy. Sponged Dracaenas and Crotons, and picked over Ferns, and re-arranged plant stove. Primulas, Cinerarias, Tree Carnations, Bouvaidias, and winter-flowering Begonias have been arranged on Peach hoase border, the Strawberry house, which hitherto they have occupied, being required for its own special purpose. Picked over bedding Pelar- goniums ; nearly all of them are in the latest vinery, which must be kept cool for the Vines to rest; consequently the more tender kinds look anything but vigorous, and must be moved soon as room can be found in a warm house : mean- while, they are kept on the dry side as regards moisture, but the more sturdy stock have been well watered to-day, and so have Pines, with water at a temperature of 90°. January 12. A bitterly cold day and a slight fall of snow towards evening put us on the alert as to pro- tecting frames containing bedding plants, also to cover up Lettuce, Endive, and Cauliflower plants and to take indoors all Broccoli that were ready. Supplies of Parsley, Spinach, and Brussels Sprouts were also got in, the remainder of our outdoor work being wheeling manure and trenching. Completed the pruning of Lady Downes Vines ; they are spurred right into the buds nearest the main stem. Years ago we used to prune to the best bud, whether the said bud was close to the main stem or a foot from it, but the plan had no advantage other than the production of a large bunch here and there, which by no means com- pensated the ugly appearance of the long spurs ; consequently we returned to close pruning, and results are generally satisfactory. Put in cuttings of succulents ; all kinds strike very successfully on shelves in Pine pits ; sandy soil and the cut- tings fixed firmly in it are the conditions of success. Prepared soil for potting and propa- gating purposes. We have fortunately an abun- dant supply of leaf-soil, which for purposes of propagation is sifted through a quarter-inch sieve, half-inch mesh being used for potting composts. January 13. Sharp frost, wheeling soil and manure all day long. The whole of the ground in kitchen garden being now supplied with dressing, the completion of digging or trenching is all that remains to be done to make every bit of vacant ground ready for spring cropping, ilade up a fresh fire to burn up prunings, hedge-clippings, and other refuse, the ashes from previous fires having been used with the mulching applied to fruit tree borders and to Gooseberry and Currant plots. Potted more Sea- kale and put in another lot. Turned over fer- menting material in early vinery ; this will be the last time, as the buds will soon be unfolding, and less atmospheric moisture will then be desirable. Daring the prevalence of the present cold weather high temperatures will not be attempted, but will be allowed to fail proportionately with the outside temperature ; that is, supposing the latter sinks to 20°, we shall be satisfied if the vinery thermometer registers 50° or even 15°. This, we take it, is the most natural plan of forcing ; at any rate, we have found the plan so successful, that a code of " cut and dried " temperatures will never find acceptance here. Grapes in bottles when first cut absorb a good deal of water, so that it is necessary to look them over about twice a week for the first fort- night, after which absorption is very little. Ours have been done to-day, the bottles filled up, and the bunches examined to remove bad berries. A dry atmosphere and an equable temperature about 15° are the essentials to good keeping. Hants. Black 'Walnut culture — Mr. Graves, of Texas, ten years ago planted, says the OnrJfner's Mont hi I/, ten acres with Walnut trees by hand, 200 to the acre, in all 2000 trees. The trees are now 9 inches through, and grow at the rate of an inch a-year, and when twenty years old they will be worth £5 a tree, making the forest worth at that time £10,000. But this is not all. Last year the trees bore 100 bushels of Walnuts, which brought 10s. per bushel, making £200 for the ten acres of land — good interest for land worth £3 per acre. If at the age of twenty years half of the trees are cut and sold for £5 a tree, or £5000, the nuts per year from the remaining 1000 trees will be worth £500 a year. Jan. 17, 1885.] THE GAEDEN 49 Indoor Garden. COVERINGS FOE GLASS HOUSES. Every observant cultivator of flowers or fruit under glass must have noticed how little attention has been given to the subject of outside protection for glass houses ; whole lifetimes, and no incon- siderable sums of money, have been devoted to inventing boilers of all sorts and forms for heating horticultural buildings, and all kinds of expensive and sometimes not very serviceable fittings to the same have been from time to time brought forward for the production of warmth inside the house, but very little has been done in the way of outside covering to prevent undue waste ol heat. How is it that this point has been so long neglected, see- ing that cultivators are more interested in it than the engineer 1 One would have thought that, for one's own convenience, some efEort would have been made to prevent this waste of heat, as by retaining it in a more uniform manner we should have secured two important conditions, that would exercise considerable influence for good in culti- vating all kinds of tender plants. One of these conditions would be a more regular temperature, and the other a more genial atmosphere, conse- quent on a reduction of dry heated air given off from the heating medium. All the arguments that can be cited point clearly to the benefits that must accrue to a proper system of outside protection. Setting aside for the moment the question of saving in fuel and the attention required in stok- ing, I maintain that the improved conditions which we should secure for our plants are alone suflicient to impress every interested person with the importance of this matter. The sudden fluc- tuations of temperature to which the inmates of glass houses are exposed, and, worse still, the dry atmosphere which surrounds them in severe wea- ther, resulting from the highly heated medium which is necessary in order to keep up the tempe- rature, might in a great measure be avoided if the outside of the roof was covered with some port- able non-conducting material, in the form of roller blinds or some equally convenient simple means of placing such protection on the glass. Of course, I am quite aware that there are many houses, such as large conservatories and others, not conveniently constructed to admit of their being so dealt with, and, fortunately, this kind of houses do not require it. It is our pineries, vine- ries, cucumber, and other forcing houses that de- mand attention in this matter. A very little expe- rience and observation are sufficient to show the advantages of such protection. Most of us know what amount of frost a single Russian mat will exclude when spread over the light of a pit or frame ; therefore, it is only necessary to extend the same principle to our houses to reap still greater benefits. As I have before incidentally remarked, there is not only a direct saving in the fuel consumed, but the internal air is more agreeable to the occu- pants, and, what is equally important, there is far less anxiety in maintaining the temperature at any particular point when the outside of the roof is covered with blinds. Whether anything better than blinds can be substituted is, however, an open question. What I maintain is, that the few cases in which blinds have been used thoroughly esta- blish the fact that the principle of outside covering is right, and therefore deserving of extended adop- tion. Wishing to practically test this matter, I had our pinery fitted with stout Hessian blinds at the commencement of the winter. This structure is span-roofed, 38 feet long and 18 feet wide inter- nally. The result is a wonderful saving of fuel. To such an extent, in fact, is fuel saved, that we have either to let the fire burn out early in the evening, or else not pull down the blinds on mild nights, and, even with C or 7° of frost, a small fire and the blinds down, we can command a temperature of from 65° to 70° without any attention after 9 p.m., and then find the inter- nal temperature has not varied more than a degree or two during the night. With a good bottom heat obtained from leaves, I feel certain, with the aid of blinds, that there will be a very consider- able saving of fuel through the year. The intro- duction of a suitable non-conducting material is, however, a question that should first have atten- tion. Dp to the present I am not aware of any- thing more suitable than frigi domo canvas, which, being chiefly composed of wool and hair, is fairly suitable ; but, to my mind, it hardly meets the case as a non-conductor, pure and simple. What is required is an article with more consis- tency, without adding to its bulk or weight. — J. C. C. MUSA COCCINEA. The usefulness of this dwarf-habited, brilliant- flowered Musa has already been the subject of a note in The Garden. Plants of it have been in flower all through the present winter at Kew, where at the present time the most attractive flower in the Palm house, eclipsing even the bright bracts of the Poinsettias, is that of a plant of M. coccinea. In addition to the plants of true M. coccinea, there have also flowered at Kew lately a few plants of a second species of Musa, not unlike the other in habit and general appearance, nor in the characters of its inflorescence, but by the side of the true M. coccinea a very inferior plant. As these two distinct species of Musa have been under the one name at Kew, and as there is a not uncommon opinion that M. coccinea is not quite so good a plant as some make it out to be, it seems not unlikely that the spurious plant is made to pass for the true M. coccinea at more places besides Kew, and that the doubts as to its merits as a garden plant are the result of this mixing of the two species. To prevent this mistake from spreading further, it may be worth while here describing the distinctive characters of the two plants, so that anyone may be able to recognise the one or the other amongst his plants without any difficulty. M. COCCINEA is cultivated at Chatsworth, was shown at the Manchester exhibition of 1881, and is now in flower in the Palm house at Kew. The stem is erect, 3 feet or i feet high, as thick as a man's wrist at the base ; leaves as in other Musas, but distinguished by a very close arrangement of nerves, which run parallel with each other from midrib to edge, and only a quarter of an inch apart. The flowers are borne on an erect terminal spadix, which is clothed with boat-shaped, pointed, erect bracts of the brightest scarlet colour. Inside each bract the flowers are arranged, one female or two abortive flowers to each bract ; the lower bracts contain the female or fertile flowers. Of course the flowers of all Musas are hermaphrodite, but some of them have the stamens abortive, some the pistils. There is never more than one fertile flower to each bract in this species, and by this character and that of leaf nervation it is easily separable from M. SANGuiNEA. In characters of the stem, form, and size of leaf, and in habit of the whole plant this species is a repetition of M. coccinea, but differs in the following points ; The nerves of the leaves are nearly an inch apart, the texture of the leaf is slightly thicker, and the green a little glaucous. In its flower characters we find the bracts of M. sanguinea a dull red inclined to lilac, less erect, and becoming recurved with age, and each bract contains three flowers, never less. In colour of bracts M. sanguinea is much less brilliant than M. coccinea. A figure in the Sotanical Magazine (t. 59.57) of M. sanguinea either represents a variety of unusual brilliant flower hues, or the artist has exaggerated the colours to an unpardonable extent. According to this figure, M. sanguinea is a deep crimson-red, whereas in the plants flowered at Kew the colour was as just described. M. coccinea is a native of China, and is an old English garden plant. M. sanguinea appears to have been introduced about fourteen years ago. A third species of Musa, quite as dwarf in habit and equally beautiful with M. coccinea, is M. ornata, of which nothing can be learnt now-a-days, though it was once cultivated in England. It is found wild in Chittagong. The characters of its stem, foliage, and inflorescence are similar to those of the above, but the bracts are a lovely light purple, large, smooth, shining like porcelain. The flowers are bright orange. If we did net possess M. coccinea, the second species, M. sanguinea, would be a commendable plant, but being but a poor imitation of that plant, it is, at least for garden purposes, not of much value. M. ornata is worth re-introducing. W. W. POT-BOUND LILIES. Allow me to inform Mr. Murphy that my object in writing upon this matter was simply to show that obtaining good specimens of Lilies in pots is an easier matter than is commonly supposed. I distinctly stated that plants which had not been disturbed grew stronger than those which had been repotted, a fact which I candidly own sur- prised me as much as it appears to have done Mr. Murphy. A plant consisting of twenty flower- stems averaging 5 feet in height and carrying over 150 well developed blooms is surely a fair speci- men of Lily growth in pots, and large enough for almost any purpose ; therefore if such can be grown without the trouble of repotting, a step forward in Lily culture will have been made. I expect that Mr. Murphy has quite as much expe- rience in keeping root-bound plants in health and vigour by means of constant supplies of liquid as I have, and will have seen that with judicious feeding from the time a plant starts into growth the necessity for fresh soil is often obviated. Why should not this be the case with Lilies ? It is simply a question of giviug enough food, and Mr. Murphy acknowledges that even after having had the trouble of repotting he is obliged to feed with liquid manure to bring the flowers to their proper size. One thing is certain, viz., that in any case root-disturbance is an evil to be avoided as much as possible, and no matter how carefully one goes to work, some of the feeders are certain to suffer or get broken off. Therefore, in one sense, non-shifted Lily bulbs stand under the most favourable conditions, as the root action, which with them never ceases, does not receive any check. I do not lay it down as a rule that Lilies should not be shifted, but I am con- vinced that in many cases it would be better to allow them to remain the second year in the same pots. Sometimes a plant does not make a very strong growth, and when it has died down in autumn and is turned out of the pot, the roots have only just traversed the soil in various direc- tions, but have not formed a network of fibres. Now a plant in this condition has quite enough soil for another year, and will by the following spring, if not disturbed, have quite filled the pot with roots. I have an impression that some of our more delicate rooted Lilies would be better grown if potting were made a biennial instead of an annual affair. Growers, I feel sure, will gladly welcome a means of reducing labour, and if ex- perience is to count for anything, the repotting of Lilies is 'not absolutely necessary. Where Lilies are much grown the matter can be easily determined, and with some it may not be too late to do so this year. I only grow a few pots of Lilies, but this year I have left half of them undisturbed, some in 8-inch, others in 12-inch pots. Byflekt. VIOLETS IN AUTUMN AND WINTEPv. I HAVE often experienced considerable difficulty in getting Violets to bloom freely in autumn and winter until I adopted the following plan, viz., in April the young runners for next season's supply were selected from plants that had ceased flowering; only sturdy single crowns were used, as long wiry runners never make good plants. These we planted on good rich soil in a partially shaded border, and kept them well watered when the weather was dry, and the soil frequently stirred to keep down weeds and prevent it from getting crusted and impervious to air; after bright days a damping overhead with a syringe or garden engine was found to be of great benefit as regards promoting healthy growth and keeping down red spider. The greatest of all aids to early 50 THE GARDEN [Jan. 17, 1885. floweriDg, however, is to concentrate the energy of the plant in one single crown by cutting off all runners as fast as they appear with a pair of sharp-pointed tcissors, such as are used for thin- ning Grapes. This must be frequently attended to, or the plants soon get exhausted, but if rigidly carried out the crowns will become plump and full of flower-buds. About the middle of September the plants should be transferred to their flower- ing quarters. Cucumber frames answer well for this purpose ; they should be set on a hard foun- dation in a sheltered position facing the south. The frames should be raised well up at the back, so as to catch every ray of sunlight ; fill them half full of manure, treading it in quite hard, so as to give a gentle lasting warmth to the roots ; on this put a layer of fine soil, fuch as could be got from an old Cucumber or Melon bed ; then lift the plants with a good ball of earth and set them on the bed, filling in between them with the same kind of soil as that just named. Finish ofl! by giving a good soaking of water, and when the plants are dry, mulch with Cocoa fibre. The frame lights should be tilted up at the back to allow a free circulation of air both night and day, except when frost sets in ; then cover thickly with mats and long litter or straw, i.e., if very severe, but remove sucli coverings directly the sun is up and give a little air, for if shut up closely the foliage soon suffers. Look over the frames frequently and remove de- caying leaves. Fully expanded blooms will be ready for picking during November, December, and January, and very plentifully in February and JIarch. As regards sorts, I find JIarie Louise superior to the Neapolitan for early winter flower- ing ; in fact, it is the best I have yet tried. I do not think Belle de Chateray is well adapted for early work ; it takes too long to expand. Of single blues. Czar is as good as any I have yet tried. A good bunch of Marie Louise garnished with leaves of the single kinds makes a choice floral gift during the d.ark days of winter. Go>j)ort. J. Groom. Scented Chinese Primulas. — Might I suggest to the raisers of new sorts of these the advisability of turning attention to the raising cf sweet-scented varieties ? All we now have are more or less scented, but the scent is not pleasing to many. For the past three seasons I have ob- served that some of the commoner red sorts are sweetly scented, and the scent of some we now have much resembles the Indian Daphne, only not so powerful. I also find the variety Princess Louise to be more sweetly scented than any other new or named sort in our collection. This con- vinces me it is quite possible to transmit this most desirable quality to other strains, and thus add another attraction to an already popular class of plants.— W. L Vallota purpurea.— In a late note " Vero- nica " says : " A white Vallota would be a useful plant for decorative purposes, and may not be an impossibility after all." All will agree that a white Vallota is a great desideratum, and that if introduced it would be very popular. Quite acci- dentally this same subject was discussed by the writer with JI. Ant. Roozen, Junr, a few years ago, and he stated that his firm had had a fine white variety offered them that season, and that they intended to put it in commerce as soon as sufficient stock could be got up. Jlost unfor- tunately, however, it has sixice died in the raiser's hands, otherwise its introduction would have been an accomplished fact ere this. Better luck may attend future attempts. I cannot say whether it was a seedling or an imported variety.— KuBv. Winter Chrysanthemuma.— Mr. E. Woociall snvs, in The Gari.en (p. 4), th.-it to havo plenty of Clirysanthe- niunis at C'luistmas would be a boon to all, I saw a fine display of them the last day of the old year at Idswortb Park, Horndean. They were prodiuin!:; plenty of flowers for cutting, and looked as if they would still fmnish many more. The most noticeable torts were Meg MeriilieB, Bronze Dragon, Yellow Dragrn, and a refle.xed variety named Primrose.— GEO. Caepestek, Rijdens, Walton-nn Thames. Luculla gratleeima.— I find that in order to have this plant in good health and always plenty of bloom, planting out is the best system. 1 tried it in pots every way, but never was satis- fied with the results until it was planted in a small border 18 inches wide, close to the back wall of a vinery, on which it was trained on wires. Here it has done well, and annually gives us a large amount of fine heads of bloom. It is grow- ing in nothing but pure loam, which is very light and sandy in this district. The growths are not long and weak, as would be expected, being so far from the glass, but short and stiff, with a truss on every point. It always gets liberal waterings when the vines get them in the growing season. There is not a plant that gets less attention, and still it gives us a great amount of bloom.— A. H. T. Qladiolus Vllle de Versailles. — My first experiment with this lovely flower out of doors was in 1879, and resulted in failure. It came into bloom so very late that it got destroyed by frost and wet. I would say to readers of The Garden, procure the bulbs now, keep them over until April, use pots 7 inches in diameter, and place three bulbs in each. Put them in a cold frame for a month or so, then stand them out of doors with Azaleas or Camellias, giving a dressing of Clay's Fertiliser three times during the summer, and do not allow the pots to get dry. Jly reason for recommending them to be placed with Camel- lias, i:c , is to insure them proper attention. About October remove them to a cold house, and in November to an intermediate one, and they will bloom to the end of January. — W.ti. B.WLor Hartland, Tvmple Hill, Corlt. Primula Sieboldi. — One of the most beautiful and free-flowering of Primulas is the lovely P. Sieboldi and its varieties, which com- prise all shades of colour. Most of these are very effective. I have seen plants of them in i-inch pots, with trusses from ."i inches to 6 inches in diameter, supported by slender stems and most graceful in appearance. A few of the most dis- tinct in form and colour in addition to Sieboldi are : Grandiflora alba, lilacina marginata, rosea striata, vinc;i-Bora, rosea alba, violacea, laciniata, and Magenta Queen. Nearly all the varieties of Sieboldi can be successfully grown out-of-doors, provided they have a sheltered position and a light sandy soil, but in order to grow them to per- fection it is advisable to keep them in pots in a cold frame or greenhouse, where the bloom is finer and of purer colour than that developed out-of- doors- They like a light rich soil, and during the growing period wateiings with liquid manure. — C. SOXNTAG, 2, Chestnut Ttrrace, Tottrnhuiii. Brugmanslas planted out. — Not only are these very effective when planted out in the conservatory ,'as stated by "J. G. II." (p. IliS), but they are equally so when grown in the same way out of doors, where they make highly ornamental objects for the centres of beds or for standing in isolated positions on lawns, purposes for which they are specially adapted, but when used in these positions it is necessary to train them as stan- dards, as then other dwarf things can be grouped or planted beneath them and their long trumpet- shaped blooms show off to the greatest advan- tage. B. sanguinea I have had standing out for years ; when winter approaches we pack a lot of dry leaves well up around its stems, and to keep them in place we lay on them some Bracken, which prevents the wind carrying the leaves away and gives the mound a more tidy appearance. The frost kills the young tender branches of this Brng- mansia that project beyond the covering, but the ripe and hard ones underneath remain safe and sound. Standards may be dug up and housed, which will do them but little harm, as by potting them in soil and keeping them dry, they may be wintered in any cellar or shed, and when spring comes round all that is necessary is to prune them back and start them ready for planting again, or they may be turned out at the beginning of June and allowed to break naturally out in the open. Being gross-feeders, the soil should be well manured and deeply dug or trenched, so as to give them free root room, and if this isdone and plenty of water given during the summer, the plants will make rapid growth and flower profusely. Those who wish to propagate may do so easily by taking cff any of the young shoots with a heel, when they are about 6 inches long, as then they strike readily, the only thing need- ful to induce them to do so being a little heat and just sufficient moisture to keep them from flagging. To train them as standards they must be potted on, and the leading growth tied up to a straight stick, and all side shoots rubbed out till the plants reach the required height, when by stopping the points they will soon start and form symmetrical heads.— S- D. BougalnvlUea glabra. — The specimen of this planted in the conservatory at Powderham Castle is worth going a long journey to see, for when in flower it is a grand sight. It is fortunate in having just the position that suits it ; it is grow- ing against the back wall with its roots in a good border, and the temperature is slightly h-gher than that of an ordinary greenhouse. In winter the root moisture is reduced, but not so much that the soil gets dust dry. In pruning, which is done in winter, all the small growths are cut back to a spur, the strongest branches being allowed to extend gradually every year. It covers a back wall 10 feet high, and extends on each side of the stem about 15 feet. The strongest shoots reach a considerable way up the roof beyond the height of the wall. When I saw it it had flowering shoots 5 feet long, and as the branches had been allowed to grow pretty much in their own way, the effect was a sort of happy freedom that still further en- hanced its beauty. Plants so grown are very different from trained specimens ; the most skil- fully managed pot plant is poor and insignificant compared with this one. I was also much struck with the depth of colour in the bracts; they were certainly deeper and larger than usual. Doubtless the fine colour was due to the large body of light diffused throughout the house, for although the roof was shaded, owing to the house being a large one, there was ample light for most plants. — J. C. C. Neja gracilis and falcata— Plants that flower nearly the whole year round without inter- mission might almost be counted on the fingers, but, nevertheless, in this category must be placed the two plants here mentioned. After flowering in the open border all through the summer and autumn months we lifted and potted them care- fully, and they have ever since been flowering freely in a cool frame. They are natives of Mexico, and, therefore, not fitted to stand outside during severe winters, except, perhaps, in dry, well-sheltered situations, or, perhaps, under a slight covering, which would serve the double purpose of warding off damp and yet admitting a free circulation of air, for, although of a shrubby character, they succumb readier to damp than to cold. As cool greenhouse plants they would prove most useful, for although their flowers are not bright in colour, they are produced in such quan- tities at all times that they could not fail to be welcome. N. gracilis grows about a foot in height and is neat and graceful in habit, the slender stems rising from the crown being thickly beset with long, round, upright, wiry leaves, densely covered with hairs. The flowers are three quarters of an inch broad, yellow, and produced in abund- ance. N. falcata is rather taller and stronger than gracilis, much woodier, and quite devoid of hairs ; the flowers are also larger, measuring an inch in diameter. They are of the same colour as those of gracilis. Both plants are easily in- creased by means of cuttings. — K. Early potted Lilies.— On examining the different Lilies repotted a couple of months ago I notice that the roots are now in active operation, great numbers of them in many cases having reached the sides of the pots, and in those of the longifiorum section some are even pushing up shoots. Notwithstanding the fact that the evils of late potting have been many times pointed out in The Garden, there are still numbers who delay purchasing Lily bulbs till spring instead of obtaining them in the autumn, or, at all events, as Jan. 17, 1885.] THE GARDEN 51 soon as possible, for in the ca«e of imported decay are removed, and they are either potted or Japanese kinds they do not, as a rule, reach this planted out. As bulbs imported from Japan or country before the middle of November. I from any considerable distance naturally receive obtained some bulbs of the first importation this a certain amount of knocking about before they season of L auratum, and in most cases their roots are finally disposed of, symptoms of decay often are now active, thu* showing that no time should make their appearance when first consigned to the Vanda peduncular is. be lost after receiving them in getting them put in growing order. Drying them after arrival, as is recommended by some to prevent decay, is a mistake. A better plan, and one that always succeeds well with me, is to lay the bulbs as soon as received on a sheltered piece of ground in the open air and cover them with Cocoa-nut refuse. In a f I rtnight or three weeks roots will issue from their I ases ; they are then gone over, all signs of earth, and by laying them in by the heels, as it were, for a short time, an opportunity is thus given for removing any prominent decaying portions, which could not be done were they potted or planted the moment they arrive. In the casj of all bulbs, and especially those of doubtful sound- ness, a liberal use of silver sand placed in imme- diate contact with them when planted will be of great service to them. — T. Orchids. VANDA PEDUNCULARIS. None of the popular works on Orchids, so far as T know, even mention the name of this peculiar plant. In Lindley's " Genera and Species of Or- chidaceous Plants,' p. 216, however, it is describad from native specimens and a coloured drawing, both likely to be now found in the herbarium at Kew. Mr. Macrae discovered the plant many years ago in Ceylon growing as an epiphyte on trees, and I.indley's description is undoubtedly of the plant we now illustrate, since in size and general appearance the flowers reminded him of those of the common Bee Orchis (Ophrys apifera). Lindley's work was illustrated fifty years ago, so that the plant, albeit rare, even if it really does now exist at all in cultivation, is no novelty. In " Walper's Annates," vol. vi., p. 880, this plant is described under the generic name of Cottonia, and the genus is said " to approach Saccolabiam by habit, but differs from all the genera of that tribe in the total absence of even an approach to a spur, by the form of the column, and still more by the unusual form of the lip." It is the Cottonia macrostachya of Wright's " Icones " (v. i.), IS.jl, 1755, and really has been introduced alive to Europe, since Reichenbaoh in- cludes it, under the name of C. peduncularis, in the catalogue of Consul Schiller's Orchids growing at Hamburgh in 1857. There is a woodcut figure of this plant in Paxton's " Flower Garden," vol. iii., p. 43, and Jerdon, a collector, found the plant in Malabar, near ToUicherry, and made a coloured sketch of it. The flowers are described as pale green or yel- lowish, with a deep purple fleshy lip, bordered with green and hairy at the edges, so as to resemble some Ophrys. They are also sweet-scented, and grow in racemes of six to twelve together at the thickened apices of very long peduncles. Now and then these peduncles are branched, and vary from 18 inches to 3 feet in length. In some respects this is not a true Vanda, and of this Lindley him- self was doubtful, although it so stands in his greatest work on the family. Dr. Wight, who was responsible for the name Cottonia, dedicated this plant to Major F. Cotton, of the Madras En- gineers, an indefatigable collector and cultivator of Orchids in India. Collectors in Ceylon should look out for this plant, the peculiarities of which are well shown in our engraving. F. W. B. Orchlda at Lythe HUl.— I saw here the other day some charming Orchids. Vanda snavis (Veitch's variety) was furnished with leaves down to the pot ; I counted 25 pairs on it in good con- dition and very dark green. I also remarked a very handsome plant of Cypripedium Sedeni mea- suring over 3.4 feet through and carrying 1(5 beau- tiful branched spikes of flower. Of Calanthes, which are grown here largely for dinner-table decoration, there was a really grand display ; up- wards of 250 spikes of flowers were to be seen. Some plants of C. Veitchi measured 4 feet high, and amongst them were some very dark varieties, which arranged amongst fine-foliaged plants had a very pretty effect. C. vestita lutea oculata and C. Turner! were just showing flower. Amongst plants of Odontoglossum crispum there was one variety with large flowers, the lip of which was broad, much fringed, and barred ; one spike contained 14 fully-expanded flowers. There was also a narrow-lipped variety nearly white ; these were part of an importation by Messrs. Veitch, which arrived some 15 years ago. Masdevallia bella, M. tovarensis and M. amabilis were grow- ing in a cool house along with the Odontoglossums and doing well ; they will shortly make a grand display. Some fine panf uls of plants of Ccelogyne cristata will be open soon ; C. ocellata and inter- media are just showing. I also noticed some good plants of the lovely Sophronitis grandiflora in bloom. — W. L. Varieties of Lsella anceps.— Mr. E. p. Percival, of Birkdale, Southport, has sent us during the week the finest gathering of varieties 52 THE GARDEN [.Tax. 17, 1885. of Lselia anceps that we have seen, and which show how remarkably rich, as regards valuable plants, his Orchid collection must be. He tells us that he'has had 230 spikes on L;ulia anceps alone, which must have been a sight worth seeing. A large number of these spikes, too, have burne four flowers, and three spikes five [^flowers, one of which he has sent us. Of varieties there are eight in all. The}' include, besides the ordinary form, the very fine dark variety called Barkeri, a kind distinguished at once by its large flowers, dark sepals, and intensely deep lip. In direct contrast with this is the delicately beautiful Percivaliana, which has white sepals and a white lip, margined and tipped with amethyst. Then there a variety of Barkeri labelled as being from Sir Trevor Lawrence. This is remarkable for its very broad labellum and intensely deep colour. Similar to the latter form is another, about which Mr. Peroi- val appears to have some doubt. It has the lip of true Barkeri, but the sepals are different. The other varieties are all distinct from one another, but Mr. Percival has not names for them. Some are delicite in tone, others very deep. The elegance of growth which this Lrelia combines with richness and variety of colour places it in the front rank of winter Orchids, and the fact that it is easy to grow well increases its value. GARDEN IN THE HOUSE. THE TACSONIA AS A ROOM PLANT. To those readers of Tut; Garden who are inte- rested in the room culture of this plant a few more particulars as to its growth and training than were given by me in last year's volume may be acceptable. The name of the Tacsonia in question is Van A^olxcmi. I had it from a nur- f ery in a i-inch pot, the plant then being about 2 feet G inches long. During that summer it made pood growth, and was potted on to a C-inch pot. Next spring, the roots having thickly filled this, it was moved to a il-inch pot, and by its quick ab- sorption of water and good lateral growth showed that it liked it. Kest year I hope to give it an 11 -inch pot, in which it must stop or be planted out. It is, of course, quite possible that it could be well grown in smaller pots. It is trained to one wire, which is not fastened to the pot, but has the two ends hooked for fastening to eyes in the greenhouse, the plant having had to reach this wire from the stage, as a Vine does. It produces tendrils at every leaf along the stem, and these wherever wanted can be twisted round the wire. Lateral shoots can by the same means be fastened to other stronger ones in whatever way one fancies to give a pleasing and informal effect. If neces- sary to remove the plant from the wire, it can be untwisted and will do again. I should say that permanent wires had better be fixed to the window, and when the plant is brought in for the winter, wire and everything could be fastened to them in such a way, that taking it down for a wash once or twice need not be a great difficulty. I prefer one large plant to two smaller ones, for these reasons : firstly, more flowers ; and secondly, I am rather chary about the blinds, and wouid rather not be racked when I hear them go up at six in the morning. In the matter of flowering it is decidedly free, for it produces a bud at nearly every other joint, and sometimes oftener, though it has not strength to bring them all to perfection, and the older shoots freely send out laterals, which bear flowers as they grow, the blooms being about LS inches from the point of the shoots, and the space between having buds in various stages of progress. W. J. Capakn. New flower-pot —The pot and saucer floured in The Garden of December 27 fp. 518. Vol. XXVI.), 3.iid to be iaveuted and patented by Mr. Knight, 13 no new inven- tion ; I liave made them for years, in proof of which I can refer Mr. Kuij;ht to Mr. Z. Stevens, of Trentham, to whom I supplied a qu.'uitity of tliese saucei-s on June 27, 18S1. I therefore contend that I have a perfect right to continue their manufactiu-e without p.ayment of a royalty to Mr. Knight.— J. Matthews, The Rojal Pottery, Weston-mper Mare. Books. DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH NAMES OF PLANTS.* PER[iAr.s the best way to give a f;iir idea of this that the book will prove very useful to garden book is to print a page from the English-Latin , lovers, and perhaps be a first step in the English English names of plants. The Latin-English part shows at a glance the plants which have received one or more English names. We believe Mr. Miller has done the work conscientiously and well, and 40 English Names of CiiUiratcd, Satire, Trillium. American Wood-LUij, Three- leareil yiglit-shade cernuum. Droopinrj Walie-rohin or I)roo])- Inr/ Wood-Lily, of N. America crectum. Seth-root ox Birth-root, Indian- IhAin, LamVs-Qtuirtcrs, PurjJle-florrcred ^\'ood-Lih| eiythrocaqjura. Painted Wood-Lihj grandiflorum. Large White Wood-Lily, Wake-ltoliin of N. America latifolium. Ground-Lily, Indian Shamrock, Itattle-snahc-root nivalc. Dn-arf White Wood-Lily pendulum. Indian, Salin Trinia vulgaris. Uone-n-ort Tx'iodia decumbens. Heath-grass Triosteum. I'ever-ivort, of N. America, Horse- Gentian perfoliatum. Comma?!. Fever-root Tripliasia trifoliata. Limc-herry-trec, of Manilla Triplaris Bonplandiana. Ant-tree Tripsacum dactyloides. Buffalo-grass, (III III 11 -gross, ySViV/ in e-grass TriptoloniEea sp. Viohrt- Wood, of Brazil (?) Tristania albicans and T. conferta. Iiir- pcntine-tree, of Australia conferta (Lophostemon arborescens), Qurenslaiul Box ncrifolia. Water Gnin-trec Triteleia. Triplet-Lihj laxa. Ithiiriets Sjiear lilacina. Lilac star-Jloiver Jlurrayana. Murray's Star-floncr uniflora. Spring Star-llowcr Triticum. Wheat, Wheat-grass :t!stivum. Spring or Siiinmrr Wheat amyleum. Amel Corn, Starch Wheat caninum. Aivned Wheat-grass, Dog's- tooth-grass Cevallos. Trigo Mora Wheat compositum. Mummy Wheat, Pharaoh's Corn dicoccum. Emmer Wheat, tiro -grained Wheat durum. Hard-grained Wheat hybernum. Winter or Lammas Wheat monococcum. S'mgle-grained Wheat, St. Peter's Corn polonicum. Polish Wheat repens. Couch, Couch-grass, CoucJi-n-heat, Bog-grass, " Pelt," Lagoon-grass, of N. America, Quack -grass. Scutch - grass. Shelly-grass, Skally-grass, Sijuitch-grass sativum and vars. Common or Soft-grained Wieat sativamwir.com'pactum.Square-eared Wheat Spolta. Binkel; or Spelt-, Wheat turgidum. Humpy-grained Wheat Tritoma. Chih-lily, Torch-HJy liarchcUi. BurcheU's Torch-lily graudis. Tall Torch-lily media. Intermediate Torch-lily pumila. Birarf Torch-lily Kooperi. Booper's Torch-l'dy Uvaria. Common Torch-lily, Flame-florcer, Bed-hot-pokrr Plant Uvaria var. glaucescens. Glaucous-leaved Torch-lily Tritoma Uvaria var. grandiflora. Large- ffoirered Torch-lily Triumfetta. Paroquet-Bur, of Jamaica, W. Indian Bur-Keed Lappula. Great-nort semitriloba. Bur-lmrk-iree Troehocarpa (Decaspora) laurina. Austra- lian. Beech-cherry or Brush-cherry thvmifolia. Tasmanian Wheel-seed Trollius. Glohe-Jloner, Globe lianunailus, Troll-floKcr asiaticus. Asiatic Glohe-flower europtcus. Bolts, Common Glohe-flowcr, Golden Ball, Lapper, Lopper, Lockin, or Luekin GoKcin, lyoll-Jioner Fortunei. Fortune's Glohe-flomer japouicus. Japanese Glohc-floncr japonicus fl.-pl. Double Japanese Glohe- flon-er laxus. American Globe-floiver, Spreading Globc-Jtoner Loddigesi. Giant Glohe-flon-er napc'llitolius. JVapellus-leari d Globe-tlower Tropffiolum. Garden ^i'asturtinin, Indian Cress, Yellow Larkspur aduncum (T. peregrinum). Canary-bird Kasfurtium, Ca7mry-creeper atrosanguineum. Common Garden ]\~as- turtium majus. Tall Nasturtium minus. Dnarf Nasturtium pentaphyllum. Five-leared Indian Cress polyph3'llum. Yellow Bock Indian Cress speciosum. Flame-flowered Xastwrt'mm or Indian Cress tuberosum. Peruvian Xasturtium,Tuberous- rooted Nasturtium Trophis. Bamoon-tree aspera. Paper-tree, of Siam Tsuga (Abies) Mertensiana and T. Pat- toniana. Hemlock Spruce, of California Tuber a;stivum. English Truffle album (Choiromyces meandriformis). White or False Truffle cibarium. Earth-ball, Truffle (true) magnatum. Piediiiontese Truffle melanosporum. French Truffle rufum (Melanogaster variegatus). Bed Truffle Tulipa. Tulip, Dalmatian Co}) biflora. Two-flowered Tulip bithynica. Bithi/nian Tulip Celsiana. CeVs Tulip. Dwarf Yellow Tulip Clusiana. Clusius's Tulip elegans. Elegant-flowered Tulip erythronioides. Dog's-tooth- ^ lolet Tulip fragrans. Sweet-scented Tulip fulgens. Brilliant Tulip Gesneriana and vars. Common Garden Tulip Gesneriana var. laciniata. Parrot Tulip Greigi. Grcig's Tulip, Turkestan Tulip Hageri. Hager's Tulip illiensis. Cowslip-scented Tulip Kolpakowskyana. Folpakowsky's Tulip Oculus-solis. Su7i's-eye Tulip Orphanidesi. Orphanides's Tulip persica. Persian Tulip prfecox. Large Suns-eye Tulip pulchella. Dwarf Bosy-purple Tulip Dictionar}' of English Names of Plants ~rart I., Latin-EDglish. and one from the Latin- English parts. Its object is a book of reference to all interested in the " " A Dictionary of English Names of Plants,'' applied in Engljiiid and amoog English-speaking people to cultivated juid wild plants, trees, and shrubs. By William Miller. In two parts, English-Latin and Latin-English. London : John Murray, Albemarle Sti'ect. nomenclature of plants, which is sure some day to be attained. It is not likely that a people, whose tongue is now the master one of the civilised world, will for ever go ou speakng, as they do at present, of familiar things in a dead language. Jan. 17, 1885.] THE GARDEN 53 yECHMEAS.* Everywhere there are evidences that a growing interest is being taken in Bromeliaceous plants — an interest that should be encouraged, leading, as it inevitably must, to the introduction into Eng- lish gardens of a large number of beautiful and horticulture prevails has hitherto been practically without Bromeliads as ornamental indoor plants. Next to Billbergias, the ^Ecbmeas are the most usetal among genera comprised in the Bromeliad Order, although there are several species of Til- landsia and of Vriesia which are of exceptional and Foreign Plants, Trees, and Shrubs. 258 Fog. A general term in the north of England for Moss ; also applied to the second crop of Grass, or aftermath Yorkshire. Hnlciis laiuittis Fog;-fruit. Llj>j>ia (Zapanla) lanceolufa Fold Meadow-grass. See Fowl-grass Pool's-Cieely. ^EtJiusa Cynapium Fool's-Parsley, Common. JEtlnisa Ctjna- plum Fine-leaved. JFAli usafatua Fool's-Watercress. Hehsc'iad'uiiii nodi- Jiorum Forbidden Fruit. Small-sized Shaddocks {Citrii.i (h'cH/iiana) Forcible Plant. An old name for Hare's- ear Fore- bid, or Fore-bitten More. Scaiiosa suc- cisii Forget-me-not. Myosotis palustris and, generally, the genus Myonotis. Also an old name for AJuya Chamo'pitys -Alpine. 3Iyosotis alpestris (M. rupicola} American. Myosotis vcrna Azorean. Myosotis a:orica Cape. Anchusa capcnsis Chatham Island. 3Iyosotidiiim noUIc Colour-changing. Myosotis versicolor Creeping. 0 mjjhalodes verna and 3/yoso- .fis rejjens Early. Myosotis dissitiflora {M. vwiituiia) Early Hill. 3/yosotis coUina Field. Myosotis nnynsis Indian. Quanioclit rulyaris Long-flowering. Myosotis semjjerjlorens Mountain. Myosotis rnpicola, Rock. Omplmlodes Lucilice Tongue-leaved. Myosotis lingulata Wood. Myosotis sylvatica White-flowered Early. Myosotis dissiti- tiora var. alba Fork-Moss. See Moss Fountain-Plant. Amarantus salicifolius Fountain-tree. Ccdnis Beodara Four-leaved grass. Paris quadrifolia Four-o'elook-fiower. Mirahilis dlchotoma Californian. Mirahilis calif oriiica, M. mul- ti flora, and M. Ch'eenei Fowl-grass, or Fold Meadow-grass. Foa trivialis Fox-bane. Aconitum Vulparia Fox-cliop. Mesemhryantheinum rtdpimim Fox- Geranium, or Fox-Grass. Geranium Itohertiaiinm Fox-glove, Blue. Campanula Trachelium Common. Diyitalis purpurea Cream-coloured. Diyitalis ochroleuca Downy False. Gerardia flara False. The genera Gerardia and Dasy- stoma Fern-leaved False. Gerardia iiedicularia Great Tellow. Digitalis ambii/ua Ladies.' Vcrhascum Thapsus Large-flowered. Digitalis grandiflora Mullein. Digitalis Tliapsl and Seymeria macropliylla Sierra Morena. Diyitalis Mariana Smooth False. Gerardia quercifolia W. Indian. The genus Phytolacca Willow-leaved. Digitalis ohscura Fox-glove, Woolly. Digitalis lanata Yellow. Digitalis lutea Fox-grass. See Fox-Geranium Fox Rose. Itosa sjjiiiosissima Fox's Brush. Centranthus mlier Fox's-brush Saxifrage. See Saxifrage Pox-tail. Zycopodiiim, claratum Fox-tail-grass. Alopccurus pratensis Fox-tailed Asparagus. Equisetum ma.ri- inum Fraghan, Frocken, or Frughan. Yuccinium Myrtillus Frail Rush. Scirpus lacustris Framboise, or Framboys. Pubiis Ida-us Franok. An old name for Milk-wort Frangipani-shrub. Pbimieria alba and P. rubra Frankincense, Rosemary. Cackrys Liba- notis Frankincense, or Olibaniim, Tree. Bos- n-ellia Carteri and various other species Frankincense-tree, Common, or Gum- Thus-tree. Various species of Pine-trees Fraxinell. Polygonatum. multi^f/orum Fraxinella. Dictamnus Pru.rinella Caucasian. Dictamnus caucasicus White - flowered. Dictamnus Frascinella rar. albus Free-stone. A term applied to some varieties of Peaches and Nectarines, the flesh of which parts freely from the stone. (See Cling-stone.) Preiser. An old name for the Strawberry- plant French. Asparagus. Ornithogalum py- rcnaicuvt French-Beans. Phaseolus vulgaris French-Berries. The fruit of Rliamnus infcctorius and M. catliarticus French-Cotton. Calotropis procera Freneh-Co^vslip. Primula Auricula Prench-Piirse. (Ilex europaius French - Grass. Onohrychis satira and Plialaris arundinacea variegata French Honeysuckle. Hedysarum coro- narium French-Lavender. Zavandula Steechas French-Lungwort. Hieracium murorum French - Nut. Another name for the AValnut Frenoh-Peas. An old name for garden Peas French-Sorrel. Oxalis Acetosella French - Sparrowgrass. Ornithogalum pyrenaicum. French-Wheat. Polygonum Pagopyrum Prench-Tveed. Commelina cayennensis French - Willow. JSpilobium angustifo- lium Presh-water-Soldier. Stratiotes aloides Priar's-Caps. Aconitum NapeMus Friar's-Cowl. Arum Arisarum and A. maculatum Friar's-Crown. Carduus eriopJiorus Prijol-beau. Phaseolus Hernandezii Fringe, Water. Limnanthemum ( Villarsia) 7iymphceoides Pringe-flower, Graham's. Schiianthus Grukami Dictionary of English Names of Plants.— Part II., English-Latin. eminently useful plants of easy cultivation. England alone among European countries where * For details regarding the cxUtivation of .Echmeas see artide by ilr. Bainesin The Gakden, Vol. IX., p. 51. beauty. Of the genus iEchmea nearly 60 species are described by Mr. Baker in his recent monograph of the genus, of which about a dozen are known in gardens both in England and in Continental countries. For the following descriptions of these cultivated species I am largely indebted to Mr. Baker's monograph, prepared from living speci- mens in the Kew collection, and, therefore, more easily understood by horticulturists than any ac- count could be when based on only herbarium specimens. The habit of ^ICchmeas is generally vasiform (j c, the leaves clasp tightly by their bases, so as to form a deep cup or vase) with long, leathery, green, spine-margined leaves, and central flower-scapes. In most of the species the flower- scape is clothed with large, bright-coloured bract- leaves, which are often much more ornamental than the flowers themselves. These latter are much smaller than those of Billbergia, and are red-purple, blue, yellow, or nearly white. Like all the Bromeliads, ^lOchmeas are natives of distinctly tropical countries, where, either clothing tree trunks in exposed sunny places, or growing upon the ground, they are often met with in abundance. In the accompanying illustration a rare and inte- resting species, viz., Ai. paniculata, is shown growing on the ground in a rocky, moist situation. This species is not known to be in cultivation nor has it been seen wild for many years. It is one of the handsomest of the genus, and should it be again found in the Peruvian Andes, where it was first discovered by Pavon in 1791, its introduction into English gardens would be most desirable. JE. BRACTBATA.— A common plant in the West Indies, growing upon trees in sunny positions Leaves spiny, with broad, sheathing bases, lorate. Height of plant, 2 feet. Flower-scape Ih feet long, three parts of which are clothed with bright red sheathing bracts 3 inches to 4 inches long, the fourth and upper part bearing a branching panicle of numerous small yellow flowers. A large boat-shaped bract subtends and half enve- lops the lowermost flower-branches. A gorgeously coloured plant, owing its attractions chiefly to the brilliant red of the large bracts and the contrast between them and the green foliage and the bright yellow flowers. (Syn., Billbergia exudans ) Lod- diges' Cabinet, t. 801. Ai. DISTICHANTHA. — A Brazilian species, with long ensiform foliage, the base of which is broad and sheathing, margins spiny, back of leaves striped with grey. Height of plant, 'Ik feet. Flowers in branching panicles about ,S feet long, much crowded, and subtended by bracts ; the latter and Pea-like flower-buds bright crimson ; flowers when open purplish, almost clear blue on first opening. The flowers are succeeded by berries of a bright red tipped with purple, which remain fresh and attractive for several weeks. (Syn., Bill- bergia polystachya.) Botanical Magazine, t. .5147. M. Veitchi. — A species from New Grenada, introduced by Messrs. Veitoh in 187-t, by whom it was distributed under the name of Chevalliera Veitchi. A small plant of erect vasiform habit, with dark green, channelled, spiny-edged foliage, 18 inches high. Flowers on a stout scape, which is about as tall asthe foliage and erect, crowned by a compact head or cone of pointed bracts and small flowers, bright scarlet in colour. Botanical Maga- zine, t. 6329. Ai. Mari-E-Kegin^. — One of the handsomest of the genus when in flower. In habit it resem- bles the last described species, differing in the leaves spreading more and in the flower-scape being clothed with bright red reflexing bract leaves, which are 1 inches long by 1 inch in width, margined with spines. The flowers are collected in a cone-like head, the calicos being white and urn- shaped, through which the small egg-shaped violet- coloured corolla protrudes. It is a native of Costa Rica, where it is used at the feast of Corpus Christl for the decoration of the altars in the churches. Its local name is Flor de Santa Maria, from which the scientific name has been taken. Introduced by Messrs. B. S. Williams & Co. The richly coloured bracts, which spring from a scape covered with white tomentum and crowned with a cone of white and violet, are strikingly attractive, whilst in the purple-tinted foliage there is sufficient beauty to give this plant a charm even when not in flower. The flowers are usually borne in the spring, about April. Botanical Maga~ cine, t. 6141. 04 THE GARDEN [Jan. 17, 1885. ^-■^^^^^^.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^CHMEAS AT HOME. Jan. 17, 1885,] THE GARDEN 55 >E. GLOMEKATA — A stroDg growing fpecies, with leaves 2 feet long and 4 inches bread, chan- nelled, with broad clasping basesand spine-clothed margins. Height of plant aboat 2 feet, with a f pread of about a yard in diameter. Flowers on an erect branching f-pike 2A feet long, the flowers crowded together on short branches of cone-like aspect ; bracts long, spine-tipped, bright scarlet ; flowers small, violet coloured. Ibis species was in flower at Kew a few weeks ago. The habit of the plant is such as would preclude its cultivation where space is limited, but in large houses it is worth a place even when not in flower. .Botani- cal Ma/jatine, t. 5668. JE. CCERDLESCENS. — A plant well known in gar- dens by the names given below. It is a compact species of medium size, with leaves about lifeet long, 2 inches wide, and small prickles along the margins. Flower-scape a? long as the leave?, erect, wilh a few jjale sheathing bracts. The flowers are in a branching panicle, somewhat crowded, small, with very minute flower-bracts. The flowers are succeeded by deep blue and white berries, which remain in beauty for some weeks ; in fact, the berry-bearing stage is the most attrac- tive one in this plant. A native of South America. (Syns , JE. cccrulea, Lamprccoccus ccEruleerens, Hoplophytum ccerulescens, ) Kegel's Gartenflora, 1871, t. G9t. vE. Melinoki.— A fpecies with bronzy foliage aboui 18 inches high, channelled, and prickle- margined. Flowers on an erect branching spike as long as the foliage, the branches bearing numerous small, crowded, deep red, rose-tipped flowers, v.iiich scarcely open more than suflicieiit to allow the style to protrude. A native of French Gu'ana. Oae of the best known amongst culti- vated /Kchmeas. Botanical Marjazinc, t. 5235. X\. ccELESTis. — In habit this resembles the species last described . It is distinguished by the numerous erect purple-tipped bract leaves which clothe the flower-scape, by the wholly red bracts subtending the flowers, by its white woolly calices, and by the rather large bright blue corolla, which is half an inch long. A distinct and beautiful species, and well known in cultivation tor many years. Native of the Upper Amazon. M. FASCIATA.— An erect vase-shaped plant, the upper portions of the foliage reflcxed, the whole being banded with grey, as in some of the Bill- berg'a?. The scape is erect, whitish, mottled with red, and bearing a few pale red bract-leaves. The flowers are in a dense cone-like head about 1 inches long and broad, the flower-brads, wbicli are long, pointed, and serrated, being bright pink, and almost hiding the small pink flowers. Eio Janeiro. (Syns., M. Leopold!, BillTbergia fasciata, B. ihodo- cyanea.) Botanical Magaiine, t. 1883. vE, CALYCULATA, — Plant not more than a foot high, with green, recurved foliage, minutely toothed along the margins. Scape about 9 inches long, bractless, and bearing a cone-like head of numerous bright yellow flowers, very pretty and distinct, and lasting for about a month. Usually flowers in winter. There are several plants of it in flower at Kew at the present time. (Syns., Hoplophytum calycnlstum, Macrochordiam lu- teum.) Kegel's Gartenjiora, 1867, t. 5H. yK. PiNELiANA. — In habitthis species resembles ^E. fasciata except that instead of the leaves being banded with grey they are banded with dark brown. The scape is erect, and clothed with large crimson sheathing bract-leaves ; flowers in a compact head, small, round, bright yellow, their bases surrounded with a whitish wool. Rio Janeiro. (Syns., Echinostachys Pineliana, Macro- chordium Pmelianum ) A plant well known in cultivation. Botanical Magazine, t. 5321. A'.. LiNDENi. — An erect vasitorm species with channelled spine-margined green leaves, and a scape about 18 inches long. The flowers are borne in a dense head or cone, with lanceolate reddish bracts, the colour of the calyx being deep orange, that of the petals lemon-yellow. A native of Santa Catherina. Cultivated in 1861, and well known in gardens at the present time. (Syn., Hoplophytum Lindeni.) Botanical Magazbie, t. 6565. Other cultivated, though somewhat rare, species are JE. anrantiaca (syn., Canistrum) with leaves a foot long, and orange-yellow flowers arranged in a dense head ; ,E. Legrelliana, with bright red bracts and red-purple flowers ; and A\. Ortgiesi,with red-pnrple flowers in a dense oblong head. P. SOCIETIES. EOYAL HOETICULTUKAL. Januaet 13. Owing to the coldness of the weather there was but a scanty display of exhibits at this the first meeting of the year. First-class certificates were awarded to Odontoglossum Sohroedekianum, a very fine form of O. crispum, belonging to the gutta- tum section of varieties. The flowers are not so remarkable for size as for colour, the white sepals and petals together with the lip being profusely blotched with a bright maroon-chocolate tint, rendering the flowers extremely showy. The plant which Mr, Ballantine showed from Baron Schroeder's garden at The Dell, Egham, bore fourteen flowers thickly set in pairs on one spike. Barkeria elegans,— One of the loveliest and rarest of the Mexican Baikerias, all of which test the skill of orchidists to cultivate successfully. The flowers of B. elegans are larger than those of any other; the sepals are mauve-pink and the broad flat lip is of a brilliant amethyst-purple edged with white. It was shown from Mr, Pbil- brick's garden, Oldfield, Bickley, by Mr, Heims. Amaryllis Comte de Germiny', — A new va- riety of the beautiful race of hybrid Amaryllises, obtained by intercrossing the evergreen A, reticu- lata with the deciduous varieties. It is even more beautiful than its congener?, Mrs, Garfield, Mrs. W. Lee, and others. This new variety has flowers of about the same size and shape as the others of the race, but the colour is richer and deeper, being of a rosy carmine flushed with purple. They have the same beautiful network of veining and each petal has a broad band of white. The perpetual flowering tendency of this race renders it very valuable. Mr. B. S, Williams, who has introduced these hybrids to cultivation, exhibited a fine plant bearing four flowers on one spike. Cyclamen Albert Victor. — A variety re- markable for the deep crimson colour of Its flowers — one of the darkest yet raised. There is a bril- liancy even about the dark colour of this variety which is absent in the others. Shown by Mr, R, Clark, Twickenham, Centropogon Lucyanus.— This old and well- known showy stove plant was shown beautifully by Messrs. Cannell and Son, to whom a certifi- cate was awarded. Its value as a decorative plant during winter was admirably shown by these plants. Orchids comprised the chief exhibits, and some interesting kinds were shown. Sir Trevor Law- rence showed about a dozen flowering plants of a hybrid Cypripedium which he has raised between C. Spicerianum and C, insigne punctatissimum. This hybrid almost exactly corresponds with the hybrid Cypripedium which Jlessrs, Veitch raised and named C, Leeanum, the parents of which were C. insigne Maulei and C, Spiceria- num, The flowers of Messrs, Veitch's plant are finer ; the dorsal sepal being broader does not reflex, and is higher coloured and more copiously spotted. Both are undoubtedly great gains to the list of beautiful winter Orchids. Baron Schroe- der exhibited flowers of a superb variety of Cat- tleya Percivaliana, one of the finest we have seen, the labellum being particularly remarkable for breadth and brilliant colouring. The Baron is the fortunate possessor of a large mass of this ex- ceptional variety. He also showed a plant of a a very handsome and distinct Masdevallia named Shieldsiana ; it is one of the Chimera section, but differs from all others in the colour, which ie a kind of maroon-purple spotted on a white ground. Mr. 'Vanner, of Camden Wood, Chislehurst, sent plants of the pretty little Masdevallia Armini and a fine flowering plant of Odontoglossum Jenningsia- num superbum, which somewhat resembles O. cris- pum, but has more of a yellow tint in the flower. A very beautiful variety of 0. crispum named Josephine was shown by Mr, Measures, Woodland House, Streatham. It seems to be midway between 0. Andersonianum and O. crispum. The blotches on the sepals, being very large and rich, render them very attractive, A group of interesting Orchids was shown by Mr, H, James, Castle Nursery, Lower Norwood, It included a long spike of the extremely curious and beautiful Kenanthera (Vanda) Lowi, commonly called the Necklace Orchid. About three dozen flowers were borne on the spike, which was several feet in length, Mr. James also had a plant of a grand variety of Odontoglossum crispum, named Trianse, the flowers of which were about 4 inches across, wilh pure white and very broad lateral petals, faintly blotched sepals, and a broad lip. There were four- teen flowers on the spike. Another interesting, though not very showy, kind was 0, Dormannia- num, with flowers in the way of O. pardinum, and among the other plants was a beautiful variety of Cattleyachocoensis named amcena, having flowers with broad, pure white sepals and lip, the latter having a conspicuous blotch of amethyst upon it, which set off to advantage the purity of the other part,«. A large-flowered variety of Sophronitis grandiflora, named major, was also shown, the flowers being nearly 3 inches across. Among other plants of interest shown were a few fine new Cyclamens from Mr. Clark and Messrs. Page, Teddington. Those from the latter included one named Acme, a fine rose-pink sort, and Excelsior, a good white. They also showed a double white (alba plena), but many would con- sider it a single white spoilt. Double Cyclamens are surely not wanted. Among a basketful o£ Tree Carnations sent by Messrs. Hooper were such beautiful kinds as Irma and Dr. Raymond, the latter like the old Clove Carnation. Two useful late Chrysanthemums came from Messrs, Cannell, They were Mrs, Charles Carey, with large semi- double white flowers, and Ceres, a large Japanese sort of a delicate blush white, Messrs, Cannell also showed plants of the old Cineraria omenta and the same species " Improved," the latter having brighter and larger flowers. A white Anemone-flowered Chrysanthemum called Late Queen was shown by Jlr. Child, Garbrand Hall, Ewell, which is useful as a late flowerer. Fruit, — The chief exhibit was an extremely fine collection of Apples in excellent preservation, sent by Mr. Ingram from the Belvoir Castle orchards, near Grantham. The collection num- bered about half a hundred dishes, representing as many varieties, and not a faulty dish was to be seen among them. Mr. Ingram stated that the Belvoir orchards are on lias clay, and that last year were very productive. As Leicestershire was not well represented at the congress in 1882 it may be the impression that it is not an Apple county, but Mr, Ingram apparently wishes to dispel this supposition. As this was such a thoroughly representative collection of late-keep- ing Apples, it may be useful to some to know their name.". Among kitchen sorts the most con- spicuous were: — Gloria .Muiiili Betty Gecfon Blenheim Orange Tower of Glauiia Eyraer Mfere de Meuape Bramley's Seedling Hambledon Deu.\ Ads Warner's King Frogmore Prolific Lord Derby Wellington or Ncrnnnton Beanty of fCent Wonder Y'orltshire G.ef-ning Prince Albert Peasgood's Nonsucti Peacfi App e Dessert sorts. Conrt of Wick Old Nonpareil Ponime de Ncige King of the Pippins Golden Russet Co.x's Orange Margil Besspool Kibston Golden Winter Pearniain The kitchen sorts were all remarkable for their large and uniform s'ze. and most of the dessert kinds formed very handsome dishes. A bronze medal was deservedly awarded to Mr. Ingram, 56 THE GARDEN [Jan. 17, 1885. Among seedling Apples sent was one from Jlr. F. Smith, Worcester, and another from Messrs. Elsdon & Co., Waterbeach. The latter was a fine handsome fruit, and the committee thought well of it. Mr. Denning, of Norbiton Lodge, King- ston, showed samples of his new early Cabbage. Scientific committee.— Sir J. D. Hooker in the chair. Sclrrotioids hi Potatoes. — Communications were read from Mr. A. Stephen Wilson, Professor Trail, and Mr. W. G. Smith on these bodies. Professor Trail completely confirms Mr. Wilson's conclusions that the clear oval body coated with calcium oxalate is protoplasmic, in that it absorbs magenta. Mr. Smith has renewed his experiments with re- sults still more confirmatory of Mr. Wilson's views. Lemons leith seeds germinatbuj in situ iritldn the fruit. — Mr. Boulger mentioned instances of this, similar to what occurs ia Pernettya mucronata and Rhizophora Manglesi. Old Itoral 2>hites.—'DT. M. T. Masters exhibited twelve coloured plates of plants cultivated in Kurver's nursery, occupjing the site of the Royal Horticultural Gardens, South Kensington, dated 1730. They were drawn by Peter Casteels, and were remarkable for the paucity of species, and showed little advance upon those known to Gcra'd and Parkinson in 1630. Iffd-sjwtted Potatoei. — A communication was read from Mr. Hawkes, Royal F>ath Hotel, Bourne- mouth. He corroborates the experience of others (reported at the last meeting), that this disease is most prevalent on light sandy soils, and that he has been familiar with it for some years. Magnum lionum was slightly affected in 1S81, but the pro- duce from seed Potatoes saved from that variety was not injured at first ; but as tlie crop began to ripen the spot began to get worse, and many Pota- toes were affected that year. Early Rose, however, was not affected. This year he recommenced with fresh seed of Schoolmaster, Sutton's Ringleader, Myatt's Ashleaf , and JIagnum Bonum, but he could not say which was the worst. Ghost moth and Pa'onies.—'ilT. JIcLachlan ob- served that an instance had come before him of the caterpillar of this moth attacking the stems of the P.'Eony. Doulile Daffodils. — Dr. M. Foster moved that the committee appointed last May should be re- appointed to examine into the question of the origin of double Daffodils, and that the committee should consist of Dr. Masters, Mr. Baker, Mr. r.arr. Rev. C. W. Dod, Mr. Brockbank, Rev. G. Kogelheart, lion, and Rev. Jlr. Boscawen, Mr. I'lUrbidge, and Dr. Lowe as secretary. Dr. M. Foster was requested to communicate with Dr. Lowe upon the method of procedure to be adopted. f'roeus .yieeiiisu.'it rojiid r/nnifh I'/.— Dr. Lowe described this plant as growing in his garden, some coming up through a plant of Dianthus ca3sius, and remarked that at 11 am. one day in September last no signs of the Crocus were visible, but at 8 30 a,m. on the following morning four had appeared through the patch of Dianthus and five or six surrounding it. The former were from 1 inches to fi inches in height, and the average height of those in the open was 6 inches. It was suggested that tliis rapid extension was due more to expansion of cells by turgescence rather than any actual growth in so short a time. Cedrus Peodara. — Mr. Ford, gardener to W. E. Hubbards, Esq., Leonardslee, sent sections of a tree showingdiscolorations within and much fun- goid mycelial growth below the bark. It was generally thought by the committee that the death of the trees — two or three being lost during the last twelve years, from 1,5 feet to 3o feet high— was due to failure of proper nourishment, the soil being of a sandy nature. Mr. Murray was requested to examine and report upon the fun- goid growth. Vnnda Lon-i. — Mr. H. James, of the Castle Mursery, Lower Norwood, forwarded a very fine pike of this Orchid, exhibiting basal flowers of a ich yellow and spotted, all the rest being of the normal red colour, excepting one blossom of an intermediate character. It has been figured and described in Warner's " Orchidacese,'' and Dr. Reichenbaoh found the yellow flowers to be iden- tical sexually with all the rest, and not monoe- cious, as in Cycnoches. Orchids, react atire mwUiplicatiim of. — A com- munication was received from Mr. Webster on this subject, in which the author described the well-known buds produced on the branches of the rootstock, and remarked upon them as ex- plaining the sudden disappearance and reappear- ance of certain kinds of Orchids. He also described Epipact'.s palustris as being provided with vege- tative buds much in the same wny, but in E. ovalis the underground growth is quite different from that of E. latifolia, of wh'ch species it is con- sidered a variety. The new shoots appear close to the base of the oH one, inst'ad of at the end of a sucker, as in E. la'ifolia, and this peculiarity is cons'ant under cultivation as well as in the wild stite. GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. At the general meeting of this institution, held at the Bedford Hotel, Covent Garden, on Wednesday last — Mr. E. Tidswell in the chair — the statement of accounts printed below was passed. The Duke of Westminster was elected president of the institution, and the following can- didates pensioners, viz. : William Birkett, Sosgills, Windermere ; Richard Hawkins, Malvern ; Wil- liam Archer, Stratford, Essex ; Thomas Best, Upper Clapton ; Robert Pryor, Water Lane, Brixton ; Martha Swansborough, Bramley, Guild- ford ; George Urquhart, Glasgow ; Sophia Ware, Midhurst, Sussex. The following were placed on the pension list without election, viz. : Thomas Browne, Tooting ; Hannah Cheall, Lympstone ; and Esther Dominy, Yeovil. STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOE THE YEAR ENDING DECEilBEB. 31, 1S84. National Auricula and Oarnatlon and Picotee Societies (Southern Sections). — At a meeting of the committees of these societies, held at South Kensington on Tuesday last, the rules for exhibitors were revised and the schedules for bothsocietieswereorderedtobe printed. Judges for both societies were also appointed, and the following regulations for the exhibitions adopted : 1. An exhibitor can win one pr'ze only in one class, except in the classes for seedlings, in which there is no limit ; and in single specimens he may not exhibit more than two in each class, but may win two prizes with both exhibits. 2. At the time when the judges commence their wcrk, all persons present save the officers and their assistants shall retire from the exhibition. The decision of the judges shall be final. 3. All plants and flowers shown in the schedule classes must have been the bona fide property of the exhibitor or his employer at least two months previous to the date of the exhibition. 4. Plants and flowers submitted for certificates must be staged separately from collec- tions, in a pl.ace allotted by the committee, and shall be adjudicated upon by the judges only, save that the judges may, at their discretion, obtainthe assistance of other persons in making their de- cisions. ."). No person shall be allowed to compete as an amateur who publishes a list of plants for sale, or who advertises them in any form what- ever, with the exception of seedlings of his own raising. The treasurer was instructed to apply to Mr. E. S. Dodwell for a statement of the accounts of the two societies, and fcr a remittance of the balance of cash in his hands belonging to the re- spective societies. National Chrysanthemum Society.— The annual general meeting of this society will be held on Monday evening next, January lit, at the Old Four Swans, 83, Bishopsgate Street Within, City. The president, Mr. E. Sanderson, will take the chair at seven o'clock precisely. The principal business will be to receive report and balance-sheet for 1881, to elect officers and com- mittees for the ensuing year, and also to adopt schedule of prizes for the next exhibition to be held at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, on Wednesday and Thursday, November 11 and 12. Dr. To Balance, 1?S3 Annual subscriptions Donations.. « Advertisements .. s. d. s. d. 1189 2 786 15 53 11 Dividends on .Stock £2029 8 45G 15 - 2486 3 7 £2852 9 11 Stock in Ttiree per Cent. Consols, £15,950. CR. £ By Pensions 1372 Secretary's salaiy PrinliDL; Statioiury Book of clieques Hire of committte room A(iverti.'*ins .. -. — Expense of annual dinner Postages, travelling expenses, and sundry petty e.xpenses 100 19 5. d 0 0 160 121 20 0 1 1 1 5 0 8 9 74 2 Purchase of £600 Consols £1863 16 . 602 5 Balance?, viz. ; With Treasorcr at bankers' With Secreta'y « £ s. d. 374 15 n 11 12 11 £2466 1 1 SS6 8 10 ■£2S.S2 9 11 BALANCE SHPET OF TUB PEN.SION AUGMENTATION FUND FOK THE YEAR 1SS4. DR. £ B. d. £ s. d. To Balance. 1£83 .. 13 13 2 Amount collected .. 1762 4 3 I>ividends on £24CO . . 0 0 0 \ictoria Bonds ,. 91 0 0 Advertisemeuts .- 3 10 0 isr>n 14 3 £1S73 7 5 £3900 Four per Cent. Victoria Uoiuls depcsited at Messrs. Glyn, Mills & Co. CB. By purchase of £15C0 Victoiia Four per Cent. Bonds Printing Stationary, certificates, etc. .. Postages, cireulars llouoraiium to secrctaiy Balance at bankei-s £ s. d. £ s. d. 1552 15 0 22 5 3 7 6 10 62 4 2 S,S •>. 0 170 17 S 1732 12 140 15 3 £1873 7_ _5 QUESTIONS. 530S.— Peacocks and bulbs.— Are peacocks destruc- tive to bulbs, fiower-litds, or in the garden in any way? Perhaps some of your readers will kindly say. — J. B. ftt^oo.— Lawn sand and Peeonies.— AVill some of your correspondents kindly say liow much of Watson's lawn sand is required to dt-stroy weeds in a tennis ground 7S feet >'y 30 feet?— I mean, of course, for one application. I SOP a list of Tree Fteonies in last number. Can M. Mas Leichtlin recommend a really good rose-coloured one-in fact, one quite distinct from the common kind?— J. H. T. 5310,— Water Lilies. — I am building a conservatory about '21 feet square, with a stage in the middle, imder which I wish to have a tank to grow Water Lilies in. I shall be much obliged for information as to the best and most economical heating apparatus to heat both Ihe water and the eimservatory ; or would the temperature of the conservatory alone heated be sufficient to warm the water, so that I could giow tropical Lilies in the tank ?— W. D. S. Vine book (C. i?.) —Apply to the nearest bookseller, who can easily get it for you. Benealmia nut'^ns.— Can you give me information as to what this jdantis? I am told thn it is a gorgeous stove plant, but I cannot find the name in any catalogue or book —J. Eastek. *^* Kenealmia nutans is the fame as Alpinia nutans, b very handsome East Indian plant l)elonging to the Ginger family. It has growth similar to that of Hedychium, and bears on the fop of leafy stems several f^et high large drooping clusters of flowers, white and orange-red. It i3 an easily grown stove plant.— EP. Names of plants.- G. S.—l, Epidendrum cochleatum 2, Brassavola species ; 3, species of Crassula ; 4, Toxico- phlxa spectabiljs. We cannot help you to name the two sf rts of Oranges you send. — T. B—\, DeLdrobium moni- liforme ; % D. crassioode; 3, Eoidendrum ciliare ; 4, Ada aurantiaca. R. S.— Billhergia nutans. Devon.— 1, Helleborus niger (typical); 2, H. niger altifolius ; 3, H. niger angustifolius. We cannot name the other. T.P. 1 _x, Lycasto lauipes ; 2, L. aromatica. THE GARDEN 57 Ho. 688. SATURDAY, Jan. 24, 1885. Vol. XXVII. " This is an Art Which does mend Nature ; chance it rather ; but The art it.skt.f is Nature." — ShaJ^eftpflars. EEN07ATING CONIFEROUS TREES. From time to time accounts appear narrating the advantages which coniferous trees derive from applications of new soil to the surface of ground occupied by their roots, or by trenching in new material round the circle already occupied by them for the roots to run into, with a view to arrest a premature want of vigour which the trees ex- hibit, but, looking at the growth of a tree from a reasonable standpoint, that is, taking into con- sideration the length of time it takes to reach maturity and the proportions which it should ultimately attain, I would ask. Can such advice be set down as sound ? Are not such operations manifestly devoid of enduring efEects ? The thou- sands of acres of fine old woods with which Eng- land abounds, and the countless magnificent trees that adorn the grounds round old mansions, owe their existence to forethought in providing for the embellishment of the land, and also to correct judgment evinced in choosing suitable trees where- with to effect it, by bygone generations of planters ; but the least possible amount of foresight cannot fail to discern that the operations in ques- tion cannot have more than a passing influence in helping the trees so treated. If tree life was short, there might be some shadow of reason in planting kinds in places that necessitated the adoption of means of the description under notice to keep them going. But the lifetime of trees where soil and climate are suitable must be reckoned by centuries. As a matter of course, in grounds of an orna- mental character no tree should ever be planted where the presence of a tree is not required to improve their appearance, or to shut out the view of some object that it may be desirable to hide. If in tree planting these points were kept steadily in view and acted upon, there would not be much fear of the disappointing failures now to be seen in the numerous places where the selection of the kinds used shows that a liking for novelty has ruled instead of sound judgment. It may be said that if everyone had only planted such species and varieties of trees as had proved their ability to thrive in the situation selected, we should have had few, if any, beyond native kinds. But, as I have before said when speaking on the subject, by all means try all new-comers that show a chance of thriving, but confine them, until proved, to positions where their failure will not cause a gap that will take at least a considerable slice off a lifetime to fill. In half the gardens in the king- dom, from those confined to half an acre each to such as may be reckoned by scores of aeres, may be seen examples of some or other of the kinds of trees for which the invigorating process is usually recommended in a condition of lingering failure whilst yet, literally speaking, they are in their infancy, although perhaps a score of years or more are lost by their inability to thrive, and even if kept going for a time by means such as those spoken of failure would only be deferred, as by the time they have got large enough to give a forecast of their natural size and character they will be beyond the limits when such assistanc can be continued. In the case of such species as Araucaria imbricata and Cedrus Deodara in the greater part of England, excepting in the com- paratively few spots where the nature of the soil is such as to induce a more than ordinary cold- resisting condition, they are doomed to permanent disfigurement by the severe frosts that from time to time occur, and through such inability they are unfit for planting, except in places where the in- fluences named favour them. Respecting other kinds of Conifers that may be hardy enough to bear uninjured our severest winters, but for which the natural soil in places is unfitted, they are equally useless. If there was any scarcity of kinds that have proved their ability to thrive where trees at all can grow fairly well, there might be some excuse for planters yielding to the tempta- tion to introduce these unsmtable trees, but as matters stand there is none. Other mistakes, too, are made in the treatment of trees liable to sufl'er in exceptionally hard win- ters. A very common practice is to prepare sta- tions for them when young consisting of rich soil in considerable quantities; by the use of this strong free growth is secured, thus giving the trees a luxuriant appearance ; but a hard winter comes, cold enough to send the mercury in the thermometer down to zero, and occasionally a few degrees lower, and with it goes the delusive appearance of the trees never to return, and all through the mistaken assistance given in the shape of over rich-soil. It would be difficult to devise any means more mischievous in its efEects than adding anything to the natural soil calculated to induce exuberant growth in trees or plants at all susceptible to injury from low temperatures, to which our climate is subject, and more particu- larly is this so with trees expected to become im- portant features in ornamental grounds. It may be said that such severe winters as injure the trees in question only come at long intervals, fre- quently not oftener than once in a score of years or more ; this is doubtless correct, but such a con- sideration is a very insufiicient reason for'planting them. The seldomer, indeed, such unwelcome visitations occur, the more visible are their efEects consequent on the larger sizes which the trees have reached. Species of so decided a character and distinct appearance as Araucaria imbricata naturally cause a longing by those who are fond of trees to have them even where the conditions of soil and climate combined are not such as to give a pro- spect of their standing exceptionally low tempe- ratures. In many places where this and some other trees sufEer from occasional low tempera- tures the natural soil is quite good enough to grow them, but through its being somewhat too retentive of moisture, the growth made from year to year is too soft to endure much cold. In situa- tions of this kind, if, instead of adding loam or compost of any kind, the ground, as far as the roots were likely to extend, had plenty of rubble, brickbats, burnt ballast, or similar material mixed evenly through it down as low as the roots were likely to descend, much good would be effected, enabling the tree to bear without injury an amount of frost that under ordinary conditions it would be unable to bear. Ic is needless to say that where such a course is taken there should be no half measures. Enough of the material ought to be used to give the required porosity to the soil ; under such conditions the growth would be proportionately slower, and on that account so much more to be depended on. In the southern half of England, where the land is of ordinary fan: quality and where [the subsoil is gravel or rock, this tree and others of a like nature rarely, if ever, fail to pass through the severest winters without the least injury. Additions to the soil, such as here suggested, that will to some extent bring it to a condition like that present naturally where trees of this description are found to con- tinue to go on without injury from frost, is a likelier way to attain the end desired than by the use of matter that produces growth of too spongy a character to stand a trying ordeal. To say any- thing against snch trees as those under notice may possibly be susceptible of misinterpretation, through a supposition that it implies an indiffer- ence to the desirability of having as much variety in the trees used in decorative planting as pos- sible ; but such is not the case. Absence of ability in a tree to keep on in a healthy thriving state, and of enough hardiness to stand the lowest degree of temperature to which the country is ever subject, are defects that no careful planter can overlook. Within the last forty or fifty years there has been a great increase in the number of species and varieties of coniferous trees and their allies introduced to this country, but many of them, after being tried, fail to uphold the opinions formed in their favour, or even to maintain the appearance of which the early stages of their growth gave promise. And although some amongst them, so far as can be judged by their ap- pearance up to the present time, have turned out most acceptable additions to our hardy trees, still, taking the whole of them, good, bad, and indifferent, their presence has not been an un- mixed gain, inasmuch as their numbers have been perplexing to many engaged in planting for decorative purposes, the unwary amongst whom have had reason to regret giving preference to them in prominent positions before others that had given proofs of their merits. Lessons of this kind taught by experience dearly bought — are not likely to be forgotten or go unheeded by those who are conversant with tree life. Not a few, how- ever, will most likely still go on planting kinds that are fashionable simply because about them there is a certain degree of novelty. T. Baines. The Spindle Tree. — In my recent notes from Devon (Garden, Dec. 27, p. 531) reference was made to the Spindle Tree (Euonymus euro- pa3us), which was then covered with its lovely fruit of carmine-pink, like Maltese crosses, adding a charm to the winter beauty of the Devonshire lanes. A lady has sent me the following quota- tion from one of the minor poems of our Poet Laureate : — And after autumn past^if left to pass His autumn into seeming leafless days- Draw towards the long frosts and longest night. Wearing his wisdom lightly, like the fruit Which in our ifinter woodland looks afioimr. The poem in which this occurs is " A Dedication," and the footnote to the line In italics is " The fruit of the Spindle Tree— Euonymus europajus." Why should not this beautiful plant be grown in pots for winter decoration as we now grow the red-berried Aucubas ? It would be a charming plant for Christmas decorations. I see standards of it offered for sale here and there by various nurserymen. These well fruited must be very beau- tiful.—Wm. Beockbank, Jan. 17. Golden Scotch Fir.— Miss Owen (p. 45) need be by no means dubious as to the character of this valuable acquisition being retained in trees of a large size. In a mixed Larch and Scotch Fir 58 THE GARDEN fJ.ix. 24, 18J-5. plantation on the property of Sir William Veruer. Bart, and but a few miles from the shores of Lough Neagh, I have often directed attention to an unusually fine specimen of this Conifer. Ten years ago it was about 16 feet in height, but since that time I have not seen it, although twigs for scientific purposes have been sent me on several occasions. Unlike the specimens mentioned by Miss Owen and " C. A. JI. C." (p. 40), the one in question did not become green in summer, but at all times re- tained its distinct and beautiful variegation. It was a choice plant, and increased in splendour as it advanced in age. — A. D. Webster. ORCHID NOTES. Cypripedium Splcerlantun.— A distinct variety of this Lady's Slipper Orchid has t)een sent to us by Captain Hopegood, of Ferniebank, Bridge of Allan. Its flowers are remarliable for the high colour of the dorsal sepal. Qaite a broad and deep stripe of claret runs up tlie midrile of it, while the base of the sepal is lieavilv stained wi'li tlie same colour. It ia the highest-tinted fomi we have seen. Vanda peduncularie.— In May last year I received from Ceylon a plant of Cottonia (or Vanda) peduncularis. It is now quite established in a teak basket hung up in a small stove, but has not yet flowered. Can any reader of The Garden give me some information about Vanilla Walkeri, Vanda spathulata, V. parviflora, Cymbi- dium bicolor, Liparis longipes, Luisia zeylanica, Oberonia longibracteata.and Josephia lanceolata? They came with the Cottonia, but I cannot find their names in any book or catalogue I have. — M. P. F. Root shoots on Phalaenopals. — In reference to Mr. Woodland's interesting note on this subject (p. 492), I may say that two in- stances have come under my notice recently — one on a small plant of P. Stuartiana in Mr. Coming's collection, and also on the same species in a select collection of Orchids belonging to Mr. Smith, of Troy, N.Y. In both instances the young plants were produced from the ape.x of a half-decayed root outside of the baskets. Not having observed or heard of its occurring in any other variety of Phalasnopsis, I think it must be peculiar to Stuartiana. Young plants are often produced on flower-spikes, and I have occasionally observed suckers on the roots of Cypripediums. — F. GoLD- EISG, Kenifood, Albntvj, -V.I'. Winter-flo'werlng Orchids. — What a charming effect a few well-bloomed Orchids pro- duce at this time of year. My impression is that their singularity of form and flower as well as grace and beauty is only fully realised when they are seen in companionship with fine-leaved and flowering plants of other kinds. Looking at some small, but nicely bloomed plants of Odontoglossum Alexandra, Calanthe vestita, and Cypripediums growing in a general, but well varied collection of plants in Sir John Ellis' garden at Byfleet the other day, I could not but think that many fail to realise the fact that in this way they might invest their warm houses with an additional charm at this dreary season of the year. The Odontoglossnms are growing in a span-roofed house devoted in a great measure to fine-leaved decorative plants, and wherein Callas, Cyclamens, and other flower- ing plants are gently brought along into early bloom. Therefore, they do not get special accom- modation, but get about the same atmospheric conditions as the other occupants of the house ; yet no plants conld look healthier, so that here we have good proof that with a little thought and management Odontoglossnms may be grown in any ordinary warm house where the winter tem- perature does not ordinarily exceed .'i.'i^, and where little or no artificial heat is required in summer. The exceeding grace of Odontoglossum Alexandnr has caused it to become beloved of orchidists and of flower lovers generally,and many will probably be glad to know that they may grow it well even if not possessed of an Orchid house. — By- fleet. Sphagnum for Orchids.— The season having arrived when Orchid grower.=, as a rule, will be potting their Orchids, it may not be out of place to state that in my experience I have always had a decided preference for what is generally termed Scotch JIos.^, which does not grow so fast, and therefore gives much less trouble in maintaining an even surface all over the pots or baskets in which the plants are grown, than Moss which is softer, longer, and consequently more fast growing. Some plants in the late col- lection at Dunlop House top-dressed with the Spliagnum here recommended were the admira- tion of all who saw them. The Moss kept beauti- fully green, besides lasting for a whole season without ever requiring any picking whatever. That got from the hills is short and firm, and keeps much longer in a sweet, healthy state than that which is generally found growing in marshy places. Of all sorts of Sphagnum with which I have had any experience I would say that which is found growing amongst water is the worst that can be used. It does not last much over six months in a pot. So much Sphagnum being re- quired where Orchids are extensively grown, it should be the first consideration to have it of the best quality, and which will always be the cheapest in the end, all things considered. I have often thought that if it were pressed so as to take most of the moisture out of it before being forwarded to anyone, it would effect a great saving in the way of expense. When full of moisture it is so heavy, that when sent any distance the carriage becomes a serious matter. — David Kemp. ORCHIDS FLOWERING AT KENWOOD, N.Y. Though the Orchid flowering season has scarcely commenced on this side of the Atlantic, the houses here are looking very gay. From what I glean from the Orchid notes in The Garden, I think we are fully three weeks earlier in this climate, a circumstance probably attributable to a better ripened condition of the bulbs, the result of stronger sunlight, and to less cloudy weather during winter. In Mr. Coming's rich collection at Kenwood, near Albany, more than 120 kinds may be seen in fiower at the present time. Some of the species are represented by hundreds and even thousands of plants, such, for instance, as Dendrobium Wardianum, Cypripedium insigne, Cattleya Triana, Lycaste Skinneri, Odon- toglossum crispum and Pescatorei, Phala^nopsis amabilis and Schilleriana. These at the present season make the largest display, and are exceed- ingly valuable for affording a supply of cut flowers, for which there is generally a great demand in this country. Among the Cattleyas in flower is the new and much-criticised C. Perci- valiana, represented by a few good, but many bad varieties. This species has been in flower a long time, and is now on the wane. Following close upon it is the Triana; sietion, of which there are a few good varieties open, such as the chastely beautiful white form (alba). Dodgsoni is one of the largest forms, but inferior to many in colour ; the old, but somewhat scarce C. quadricolor is also flowering now. Among La^lias, one of the ele- gans section of La^lia enspatha, named Corningi, may be placed in the front frank. We find that the varieties of L. anceps, Hilli and Veitchi, are much earlier than the type; both are very lovely. The pretty little L. albida may be seen in all shades of colour from pure white to the darkest rose. Among the Dendrobiums the most note- worthy is a plant of D. Dearei, having a spike that has been in bloom since the latter part of June, and some of the flowers are still perfectly fresh. D. Fytchianum is a remarkably free- flowering species, producing spikes of white flowers, on both new and old bulbs. D. marmo- rat um and Boxalli we have proved to be identically the same. The old and curious Veitchiannm is bearing a spike of its curious, but by no means showy flowers. Cypripediam Spicerianum is pro- bably the very best of the whole genus, which is saying a good deal, but no other can equal it in combination of colour, and it flowers and grows as freely as the old C. insigne, though requiring more heat. C. nitens much resembles, and is no better than C. insigne. We have C. Balleniannm well represented, one plant carrying thirteen flowers. It may he described as a poor variety of Hookerfe, though flowering at a different season. A large and very dark variety of Harrisiannm, called Euperbum, is a great improvement on the type, as is also the large variety of selligemm, called majns. The Vandas in flower include the true insigne, which is almost a perpetual flowerer, and the Greyi variety of V. cojrulea, a very late flowering form ; it possesses a fine colour, and the flower measures fully i\ inches across. A fine specimen of Angra:cum sesqnipedale has ten flowers. The Phalainopsis house is not rich in flower- ing varieties at this season, but among other choice forms may be noted the three hybrids, casta, leu- chorrhoda, and Veitchi, all as beautiful as they are rare ; also the dark {rose form of P. Sanderiana, which has proved such a lovely addition to the genus. P. Valentine! is nearly always in bloom with us ; it may be described as a purple variety of P. cornu-cervi. A specimen of the nobilis va- riety of P. Stuartiana is bearing fifty-five flowers on a six-branched spike, and other uncommon Phala;nc.psids included Boxalli (a synonym of P. Manni), and Day's variety of amabilis, the latter being very fine. Among the choicer Odonto- glossnms are the following . 0. prsestans, a hand- some .spotted variety in the way of O. Andersonia- num, of which, too, there is a plant bearing a spike of thirty-five flowers. O. baphicanthum has a spike bearing thirty-three flowers ; there are many poor varieties under this name. The first retains the bright yellow colour of the flowers for five or six weeks. 0. Cooksoni, Wilckeanum and its variety pallens are the best of the large spotted section. A good variety of 0. hystrix, called mag- nificnm, is considered a poor one here. The rare 0. prasnitens elegans has a fine spike of some fifteen flowers. Masdevallia Roezli and Chim.-era are the two best of the Chimseroid section. Crossi racemosa has just opened its pretty flowers, and will prove quite an acquisition. It grows very freely in a temperature of 60° night and day. Last, but not least, are some thirty large plants of Sophronitis grandifloraand violacea, averaging a dozen flowers apiece. F. Goldeing. NOTES ON HELLEBORES. The Biverston hybrid ?~This very interesting variety of H. niger claims more than a passing notice. It is the only example I have come across in which there is combined in one plant the green petiole, purple mottled flower-stalk, and the pink stigma. I therefore came to the conclusion that it was a hybrid from altifolius x angustifolius of the green-stalked variety, probably the Irish form, " St. Brigid'e." The flower, again, is most dis- tinct, very nearly approaching in purity of colour that of the latter variety. It has, however, a sturdier and dwarfer leaf. The pink crown to the style is a marked peculiarity of H. n. altifolius. It occurs rarely in other varieties, but it is always in altifoUus, and it is always in the Riverston variety, and most strongly developed. Mr. Poe's flowers have been on my table now twelve days, and the pink stigma; are still bright, even in decay. Here, then, we have most conclusive evidence of a true hybrid, although the editor of The Garden "can- not regard it as a hybrid." " Possibly," he says, "it may be the true H. niger major; " but this is a well-known plant, and it has not the pink style. Mr. Poe also points out that his variety blooms before H. n. major. H. N. ALTIFOLIUS. — Mr. Stamps, of Bishops- teignton, has been induced to sell his fine plant for a very large sum, and it has, I am sorry to say, been taken up and sent to the gardens belonging to a Scotch castle. The roots were found to go down to a depth of over 3 feet, showing the need for deep trenching and for the preparation of good soil to this depth for large specimens. I should be very much afraid that the removal of so large a plant would be a dangerous proceeding, and that the plant would take a long time to recover. Better far would it have been to have grown younger plants, and they would soon have become big ones on Mr. Stamps' system. SrocMurst. Wm. Brockbank. Jan. 24, 1885.] THE GARDEN 59 SOMERHILL, KENT. Although more famous for historic associations than for its garden, Somerhill, the Kentish resi- dence of Sir Julian Goldsmid, must be placed amongst the noble country seats to which Kent owes so much of its traditional beauty. There are other places more ancient in the county, as, for instance, Penshurst and Ightham, both in its immediate vicinity, but there are few to which belong such a chequered history as that which Somerhill possesses. From what may be gleaned from history, it appears that it had an ill-starred beginning. We are told that Queen Elizabeth granted to the widow of the unfortunate Earl of Essex, as a sort of recompense for the loss she had sustained, a good slice of land in the South Frith, which at that time contained a forest and chase. The countess subsequently married the Earl of Clanricarde, who then commenced to build a this impression, the sky line being broken by the pointed gables in a most picturesque manner. The ground plan of the building takes the form of a parallelogram, and looking at it broadside from the park it has the apj^earance of being of enormous extent, which indeed it is, for since its present possessor became the owner of it he has made extensive additions to it, these being for the most part in strict harmony with the original architecture. Returning once more to the history of the Somer- hill estate, the heir, after the death of the Earl of Clanricarde in 1625 (a year or so after he had finished the house), was his son Ulick, but it appears that he became attached to the cause of Charles I. ; consequently Parliament declared him a delinquent, and sequestered his Ken- tish estates and gave them to the Earl of Essex, then a general in the Parliament and after him the family of the present owner. Somerhill has thus passed through many vicissi- tudes, which add so much to its interest ; and though it has been changed considerably to suit the requirements of modern life, there is still, as has just been stated, an air of antiquity about it. From whatever point it is seen it has an imposing appearance. Apart from the house itself, the principal fea- ture of Somerhill is the park, than which it would be difficult to find another richer in scenery, being most beautifully wooded and diversified by hill and dale. The glory of the place is its Oaks, the deep, rich, clayey soil being just suited to them. One can easily perceive that generations ago this part of the weald was a forest, and the country seats that occur here and there simply clearings in the great wood. Walpole, who visited Somerhill in 17.")2, wrote, " The house stands high. SOMERHILL. From the lawn . mansion on his newly-acquired property. The house was, however, not completed until about the year 1621, when it was named Somerhill, and the earl was afterwards created an English peer under the title of Baron of Somerhill. The spot chosen for the mansion was probably the most appropriate that could be found on the estate. Itoccupiesacoramanding eminence on thenorthern side, overlooking a wide stretch of the surrounding country. The original house has, during the course of over two centuries, been subjected to alterations, not always, perhaps, in correct taste, but as a whole it is still looked upon as one of the finest examples of the architectural style of the period of James I. It is built of stone, appa- rently quarried in the neighbourhood— a sand- stone of a soft grey tone, veined with streaks of red. The original part of the house is very beauti- ful— the stone, tempered by the weather of some two centuries and more, being of that soft, quiet tone which gives to the place such an air of an- tiquity. The outline of the house, too, adds to army. At his death, in 1616, Parliament handed Somerhill over to John Bradshaw, President of the High Court of Justice, in which court King Charles stood his trial. Judge Bradshaw dying in 1659, the estate went to his son, but on the restoration of Charles II., in 1660, Somerhill passed again into the family of the Earl of Clanricarde, who died in 16")!). The heiress to the estate then was Margaret, wife of Viscount Muskerry, and during that time Somerhill was the favourite resort of the courtiers of Charles II. About the same time the virtues of the waters of Tunbridge Wells became known, and their popularity was in no small measure due to I^ady Muskerry, who lived in brilliant style — so brilliant, indeed, that diffi- culties overtook her, and after parting with a great portion of the estate she died in distress in 1698. Somerhill then passed into the hands of a Mr. Dekins, who about the year 1712 conveyed his estate to Mr. John Woodgate, of Penshurst, whose family held the property for a long period, f.'ub- sequently a Mr. Alexander became possessor of it. commaiids a vast landscape beautifully wooded, and has quantities of large old trees to shelter itself, some of which might well be spared to open views." Such is still the case, though perhaps the need of opening views is not so apparent as when Walpole visited the place. In some parts of the park the trees form dense groves, some of which would well stand thinning. Very old trees, such as one meets with at Penshurst, Cobham, and other places in Kent, are not conspicuous at Somerhill. The Oaks appear to range in age from 100 to 200 years ; hence they are just in their prime, and their pon- derous boles, averaging about a yard in diameter, are as sound as a rock, their huge limbs and wide- spreading heads indicating that they are in their heyday of growth. As soon as one enters the lodge gate from Tonbridge, which, by the way, is about Ifr miles distant, one is struck with the picturesque beauty of the park. Whether the groves of Oaks through which the drive is cut were planted or thinned out of the forest it would be difficult to say, but it is evident that whoever thinned or planted 60 THE GARDEN [JiN-. 24, 1885. them had a rare eye to the pictaresque, as they are grouped in a most artistic manner. They do not stand one here and another thereat stated distances apart, all being of the same size : on the^contrary, they occnr in little gronps of from three to half-a- dozen trees, chiefly of different ages and sizes. In some cases one may see a conple growing as close as if planted in the same hole, the weaker of the two leaning away from the stronger. Again, one may see Oaks and Thorns in charming association, and sometimes mixed with Holly. The way in which the park is studded with trees points to the supposition that the original wood, forest, or chase, whatever it may have been, had merely been thinned out to make openings for the green- sward. There is quite a wealth of Oaks in this park, which in bygone days, when " hearts of Oak " were relied on for the "wooden walls of England,' would have been the envy of a timber contractor for the navy. The conspicuous absence of very old trees such as one sees at other places in the county, as, for instance, at Cobham and Pens- hurst, may be probably due to impoverishment of the estate in Lady JIuskerry's ticne. Xo doubt the Oaks, which at that period were in such demand for ship timber, were the first to be converted into ready money, and the fact that the majority of the present large trees are only a conple of cen- turies old seems to corroborate this supposition, as they could have been then but mere saplings, not ripe for the axe. Though about SomerhiU the Oak is most con- spicuous, other trees flourish equally well : for instance, there are some fine Ashes in the park which seem to delight in the clayey soil. Beeches are not plentiful, but a few towering giants may be seen here and there, and in one part near the house a lane is cut so deeply through a grove of Beeches, that their network of roots serves as a wall to keep up the bank. This old lane is so picturesque, that we regret we were unable to illustrate it. Here and there on the rising knolls in the park stand groups of Scotch Fir, old and weather- beaten, rugged, and highlypicturefque, particularly in winter. Some of the isolated specimens of de- ciduous trees, too, are marvels of symmetry, with their branches sweeping the ground on all sides. A wide expanse of water just after the entrance gate is passed forms a beautiful feature, being studded with picturesque islets, while its outline is natural and the margins untouched by art. This lake has apparently been formed by damming a small stream running through the valley to join the Medway. The carriage drive crosses the lake by an old stone bridge, and from this point can be seen one of the best glimpses of landscape beauty about the place. The ground immediately sur- rounding the house is level and rectangular, a kind of broad terrace ; and here is the flower garden, con- sisting of afewbeds of simple design, which in sum- mer are planted with bold groups of showy things, as single Dahlias, Etses, and such like, quite suffi- cient to give an air of cheerfulness to the place, while the house itself is draped with twiners and climbers, which form a tracery of green on the grey old walls. A few fine trees grace the lawn, such as Lebanon and Atlas Cedars, but there is an absence of those pyramidal coniferous trees which in so many cases spoil the effect of lawns ; indeed, in this case it would be a mistake to introduce any of the modem Conifers near the grand old pile ; they would not only detract from its simple grandeur and ancient aspect, but would tend to impart to it a villa-like appearance. The boundary between the lawn and the park is a parapet wall, rather too high ; in fact, as seen from the win- dows of the house, it has rather an awkward appearance, being quite in the middle distance. It is an unfortunate occurrence in this, as in many other demesnes, that a public path cuts through the place, and, in this case, passes close to the house. Formerly the public passed quite in view of the windows, but Sir Julian has had a sunken path made, which is not only effectually out of sight, but gives a shorter cut to the public. This sunk path, recently formed at no small expense, is not such an eyesore in the grounds as one would Imagine ; on the contrary. it has rather a good effect, the retaining walls being built of rough-hewn blocks of veined sand- stone. A bridge across the path connects The kitchen gabden with the lawn. The whole of this department must be regarded from quite a utilitarian standpoint ; nothing is grown that is not useful either for the cook, the dessert table, or the floral decorator, and, as may be imagined, a vast amount of garden produce is re- quired to satisfy the demands of such a great establishment. The kitchen garden is provided with a network of walls, so that abundant space is afforded for fruit trees, which cover every yard of wall. Peaches and i^ectarines thrive here to perfection on the open walls as well as under glass, as may be inferred from the fact that during the last season no fewer than 7000 fr\uts were gathered from the trees. A good many kinds of Peaches and Xectarines are grown, but only those of first-rate quality. Of the less common sorts, Mr. Hopgood, the gardener, speaks highly of such kinds as Stirling Castle, Sea Eagle, llr. Gladstone, Early Sylva, and Dr. Hogg, the two latter for an early crop. Such sorts as Lord Palmerston, though they have fine large fruits, but no flavour, are not tolerated. This wise discrimination of sorts does not stop with the Peaches. It is followed out also with the Grapes, Tomatoes, Jlelons, and other fruits. For instance, one may find here the some- what uncommon sight of a whole vinery devoted to Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat Grape, which is grown to perfection, the bunches being large and admirably coloured. The crop of this Grape which hung in the vineries last September was a remarkable sight. Its fine flavour is much appre- ciated here, although it is not generally considered the most desirable Grape to grow. The Lady Downes variety is also a favourite. Tomatoes under glass are a great speciality. They are grown on upright trellises, the favourite kinds being Vick's Criterion, Hathaway's Excelsior, and Trent- ham Fillbasket. The last named is grown most abundantly, it being so productive, as much as three bushels of fruit being the yield of one house in a season. Such large and clumsy-fruited sorts as President Garfield find no place here, their fruits being rejected by the cooks, who prefer those of moderate size and smooth and symmetrical shape. The big and ugly fruits are only fit for sauces and such like. The favourite Melons are William Tillery and Victory of Bath, two excellent sorts when grown as they should be. The plant HorsES are crowded with a stock suitable either for yielding an abundant supply of cut flowers or for embellishing tables, halls, rooms, kc. For the latter purpose there are stately Palms, Cycads, Anthoriums, and the like ; Maiden-hair Ferns, including the beautiful new Adiantum Vic- toriiE and A. rhodophyllum. The other parts of the garden are in keeping with the importance of the place. Visitors to Somerhill interested in horses should obtain permission to see tie stables, which are fitted in the most elaborate way. W. GOLDHISG. 530". — Ice and icehouses. — In order to have ice keep it should be collected and stored while firm through freezing, and not when a thaw has set in, as then there is much loss in the cart- ing and getting it into the house, for while this work is going on, the water running from it and draining over the whole surface melts it fast, and it does not get together in the solid mass in the way it does whUe frost is still on. The great thing is to break it up small, which can best be done while it is being thrown into the carts, as then each piece as it falls can be smashed by a knock or two from a long-handled wooden mallet, which could not be done when a lot is lying together in a heap at the house. This ought to be lined round with straw tied up in small bundles, and a good thick layer placed over the top, which will exclude the air, while that around the sides will do the same and afford the requisite drainage. An icehouse to be good should be in a cool, shady position, and so constructed that the passage leading to it is sloping down, that the ice when shot from the carts may slide or be pushed in without the labour of lifting. The shape of the house matters little, as it may be in the form of an egg, square, or long, but it must be properly drained, and it is best to be tapering, so as to be a little smaller at the bottom, as the ice then wedges itself at the sides and rests tightly against the straw lining. The point to be particular about is to have the entrance doors close fitting, so as to be as air-tight as possible. — S. D. KEW PLANTS OF 18Si. Prolific in the way of new plants as may have been many of the preceding seasons, the year which has just passed away is not at all behind them in this respect. On the 8th of April ten varieties of Azalea indica were shown by L. Van Houtte, all of which were awarded first-class certificates. These ten varieties were all undoubtedly of superior quality. Souvenir du Due d'Albany was unani- mously acknowledged to be the best and most dis- tinct of this remarkable set. It is without ex- ception the largest flowered white variety yet raised ; its handsome flowers, of snowy whiteness, generally single, but with a slight tendency to be- come double, measure fully 4.} inches across, and in general appearance bear a strong resemblance to those of the beautiful Rhododendron Veitchia- num, the more so, because in this Azalea the edges of the petals are very elegantly crisped or undu- lated. Among the most striking varieties shown at the same time by the same raiser were Comte de Paris, a single flower of very fine form and large size, vrith broad petals overlapping each other of a conspicuous salmon-pink colour, and broadly edged with white, spotted and blotched with carmine. John T. D. Llewellyn, delicate flesh pink ■, the flowers of this are very large and very double, and their petals, which are broadly edged with white, are heavily blotched with crimson in the centre. Baron Kathaniel de Eothschild, also belonging to the double-flowered section, of which it will always remain one of the brightest ornaments, has flowers of a peculiar rich ro-e-purple and very perfect in shape, forming quite a rosette of slightly undu- lated petals. A fortnight later another Continental grower. M. Kossee', also exhibited under the name of Souvenir de Marie Rosseel, an exceedingly handsome and wonderfully free -flowering form of Azalea indica, and one which was unanimously ranked as one of the very best among the already numerous double varieties. The plants shown were only small specimens, but so literally covered were they with lovely salmon-pink blossoms of medium size and perfect form, that they captivated the attention of all those present ; therefore this variety cannot well fail to become a general favourite. Some of our home growers also showed some good Azaleas. Mrs. Alfred Heaver, shown by Mr. Todman, is a very free-flowering variety with pure white semi-double flowers of good substance and form. As it was shown early in March and in capital condition, it may with some reason be ex- pected to be an excellent plant for early forcing. Besides those just enumerated I may also mention as deserving a special notice the home-raised va- rieties— Antigone, Little Beauty, La MerveiUeuse, and Princess of Wales. Oechids. Of Orchids, no fewer than "5 were awarded first- class certificates, a fact indicating plainly what an amount of interest is vested in these deseri-ing plants, many of the best of which only reqnire- cool temperature. Of Odontoglossums alone, 18 were deemed wor'hy oE special distinction, while a dozen or so of Cattleyas and the same quantity of Cypripedinms were likewise successful in the competition for awards. Amongst Odontoglof- sums, the most marvellous plant is undoubtedly O. Alexandre Veitchianum, a variety with flowers perfect in form and beautifully spotted. This became the property of Baron Schroeder. Other fine varieties of 0. Alexandrte or crispum are Bal- lantinei, a charming form, quite different from all others. Its flowers are very large and beautifully shaped, on account of their broad sepals being overlapping, of a pure white and maried with very Jan. 24, 1885.] THE GARDEN 61 large blotches of chestnut-brown, which render the flowers particularly attractive. Roseum guttatum is another of those wonderful forms of Alexandrfe which cannot possibly be passed over in silence. It is not only remarkable for the large size of its well-shaped flowers, which measure nearly 4 inches across, but is essentially distinct from all others through the peculiar and pleasing colouring of their wide and overlapping sepals, profusely marked with large irregular spots of rosy purple on a white ground. Besides the forms just named there are also several others, such as delliense, guttatum, and Souvenir du Prince Leopold, all of which were honoured with first- class certificates. Different from all others is D. crispum aureum, a kind with large, well-shaped flowers, the broad sepals and petals of which, in- stead of being white, as is usually the case, are of a clear, soft, yet bright, canary colour, spotted with cinnamon-red. They are particularly attrac- tive through their being much crisped and crimpled, and also from the fact of their being borne on a tall wavy spike. Of other Odontoglossums not belonging to the crispum or Alexandrse class must be mentioned the beintiful 0. excellens, sup- posed to be a natural hybrid between triumphans and Pescatorei. The flowers of this are equal in tize to those of a good form of the first named species, but its sepals are white, largely bordered with yellow, while its lip, which is of large dimen- sions, shows on a white ground large spots of a chestnut-brown colour copiously dotted all over it. Notice must also be taken of the lovely 0. Oerstedi ; this produces on each of its small bulbs a solitary IJower, waxy white, and spotted in the centre with yellow, making it one of the prettiest of cool-house Orchids. 0. vexil- larium superbum is undoubtedly the handsomest variety of this useful summer-flowering species. Its flowers are deep rose-pink and well formed, the centre being ornamented with a large blotch of maroon-crimson of the deepest hue. 0. elegans superbissimum should also be mentioned ; it is supposed to be a natural hybrid between O. Halli and cirrhosum. O. PoUettiannm is exceedingly fine in form and heavily spotted. O. mulus, poly- xanthum, and Williamsianum belong to the grande type. To Oncidium has been added Jonesianum, a most distinct and welcome addition. This new and interesting species belongs to the section pro- vided with quite round and fleshy or Fiush-like leaves ; its lovely flowers, which measure about 2 inches across, are produced in somewhat lax spikes, and are conspicuous among all others by its sepals and petals, which are greenish yellow in colour spotted with cinnamon-red, and contrasting singu- larly with the pure white ground of the broad lip, which is also spotted with cinnamon. Cattleyas and Lselias may fairly be ranked, as regards use- fulness, next to the Odontoglossums. Of C. Mendeli we have such marvellous forms as marginata and selbornensis, the former pro- ducing large well-shaped and splendidly coloured flowers, the lip of which is adorned with a broad and conspicuous margin of rich magenta-crimson. The most distinctive character of the latter is the exquisite frilling of the lip, the throat of which is a lovely mixture of lemon-yellow and white. Although of smaller dimensions than marginata, the flowers of this variety are equally attractive ; they are irreproachable in form, and the deep rosy lilac colour of their broad sepals is shown off to advantage by the glowing carmine-magenta hue of the lower portion of the large dilated lip. Fore- most amongst varieties of C. Triana; stands Leeana ; this variety is remarkable for the charm- ing Colour of its flowers as well as for their large size, measuring, as they do, 8 inches across the outspread sepals ; the lip, the neck of which forms a prominent sharp ridge, measures 2 inches across and the outer sepals about 1 inch, while the inner ones are not less than 3 inches broad and of such a firm texture as to hold themselves out quite boldly ; they are of a delicate mauve colour, while that of the labellum is carmine-magenta, gradually deep- ening towards the interior of the throat. C. Trianse splendidissima is a fine variety, the flowers of which, though of a much smaller size than those of the preceding, are of perfect form and particu- larly handsome, being carmine-purple with a wide labellum beautifully and conspicuously frilled at the margins. The varieties, C. Gaskelliana and the much-abused C. Percivaliana, are also remark- ably good, but the most striking new member of the genus, with the exception of home-grown hybrids, has undoubtedly been the distinct and attractive C. Schroederiana, a new species inter- mediate between C. Walkeriana and bicolor, and whose flowers, which are about i inches across, have a particularly broad lip of a bright glowing magenta and plum-coloured sepals. As in C. bi- color, the pseudo-bulbs of this new comer reach to about 12 inches in height, and bear at their summit two thick ovate leaves. The genus which in importance comes next to those already treated is that of Cypripedium, a popular class of plants and of easy culture when com- pared with most other Orchids, inasmuch as they succeed well and flower freely when grown amongst other decorative plants in either a stove or intermediate house. Several very note- worthy additions to this genus have been made through home-raised hybrids. The most striking species among the new comers is undoubtedly the beautiful and distinct C. Godefroya3, a near ally of the lovely C. niveum and concolor, from both of which it is distinguished by its foliage, by the re- flexed upper edge of its petals, and specially by the remarkable spotting of its flowers, which are of a French white, spotted all over with magenta- purple. The dorsal sepal, which is suborbicular, is tinged with pale green at the apex ; the petals are oval oblong, broad, and deflexed, as in C. con- color, from which, however, it is entirely distinct. There are two more very deserving new species named C. ciliolare and C. Curtisi ; the latter is very handsome, and is nearly related to 0. argus and superbiens, though entirely distinct from either ; the former, which also belongs to the sec- tion of Cypripediums with mottled foliage, is dis- tinguished from most others by its dark purple pouch, its claret-purple lateral sepals, and by a large dorsal one striped with green and white. Amongst other Orchids may be mentioned Aerides Lawrencise and Sanderianum, both of which may be best desciibed as much enlarged forms of A. odoratum, with flowers of the same colour, ivory- white, tipped with amethyst, but attaining very large dimensions, A. Houllettianum also belonging to the crispum section, but its distinctly coloured, deliciously fragrant flowers, very similar in form to those of that popular species, are produced on a long and pendulous spike ; the sepals and petals are of a soft fawn colour, and contrast singularly with the deep rose-magenta colour of the lip. In Angr^cum fastuosum we have added one more to the list of small gems. This has small, leathery, roundish leaves. The flowers, which are large for the size of the plant, are produced in crowded clusters, and very attractive, being snow-white, ornamented with the usual long spur peculiar to all species belonging to this genus. Trichosma suavis is another good addition to small-flowered Orchids and delightfully fragrant. Its ivory-white flowers are produced in gracefully drooping spikes, the lip being the only part possessing any colour ; it is heavily barred with red, and furnished at its summit with a bright yellow crest. Some famous hybrid Orchids have been produced, of which the majority are due to the exertions of Mr. Seden. It is only four years since Cypripe- dium Spicerianum first flowered, and in January last a lovely hybrid from it was offered under the name of C. Leeanum, the result of a cross be- tween C. insigne Maulei and Spicerianum. The flowers of this are larger than those of C. Spiceri- anum and furnished with a pouch of darker colour than that of either parent ; the broad dorsal sepal, which is nearly all white, is lined and dotted with purple and the habit of the plant is intermediate between that of the two parents. Amongst the many other good things for which we are indebted to the same raiser may be mentioned C. albo-pur- purenm, calurum, and Schroederfe — all wonderful improvements on existing kinds, especially the latter, produced by a cross effected between Sedeni and C, caudatum and partaking of the characters of both parents. The pouch is much larger than that of the species, but the sepals are con- siderably shorter ; they are also twisted in a pleas- ing and peculiar way, and, like the rest of the flower, of a beautiful pinkish colour, C, cardinale, also belonging to the same group, is a decided ac- quisition, a hybrid between Sedeni and Schlimi album ; its sepals and petals are almost pure white and the pouch is of a deep rosy carmine. In the Selenipedium section we have to record a marked addition, in which the flowers are much larger than those of C. longifolium, though somewhat of the same colour. This is 0. grande, a very vigorous grower, and one which throws its spike of flowers well up above its luxuriant foliage. Lastly, there is Cattleya calumnata, of Continental extraction, obtained from a cross between C, Aclandise and Leopoldi by Mons, A. Bleu, who is well known for his successful hybridisation of Caladiums, This partakes of both parents, and produces, we are told, two or three times a year its bright flowers, which are freely spotted on both petals and sepals with magenta-purple on a pale pinkish ground. FlNE-FOLIAGED PLANTS, Of these only some ten species have been distinguished by first-class certificates, includ- ing five of Mr, Wrigley's hybrid Sarra- cenias. The handsomest of all, Wrigleyana, has pitchered leaves, intermediate in size and form between the two parents, S, psittacina and Drummondi ; they are slightly curved, of a reddish bright tinge and prettily netted and mottled with white, each being about a foot in length. Three new Caladiums, Baron James de Rothschild, L'Aurore, and Mitzand, all belonging to the section with bright crimson and red- coloured leaves, have been added to the already numerous list of those highly ornamental and easily cultivated plants ; while of the several Crotons brought under notice. Flambeau, a variety with long and gracefully recurved leaves of a bright yellow, veined and ribbed with car- mine-crimson, and raosaicus, with long narrow leaves of a green ground, mottled and veined with crimson, are about the most distinct. Dieffenbachia Jenmani, with ample and broadly lance-shaped leaves of deep green colour, variegated with transverse bands of white, is, notwithstanding the several kinds already in cultivation, a welcome addition to the genus. The same remark applies to Ficus elastica albo-variegata, a new variety of this most popular species, from which it differs in having its broad, leathery leaves beautifully varie- gated with different shades of creamy white, yel- low, and green. To the section of climbing plants with ornamental foliage, Philodendron grandidens is the only noteworthy addition. This species has long and somewhat heart-shaped leaves, from 12 inches to 15 inches in length, of a velvety bronze green colour, relieved by whitish veins and midrib. The most interesting of all the coloured acquisi- tions is undoubtedly Amasonia punicea, an ex- tremely handsome stove plant of erect, shrubby growth, with large, spreading foliage, which when mature is dark green. This new introduction from Tropical America is extremely ornamental for several months at a stretch, its singular flowers being associated with brilliant bracts, like those of the Poinsettia, but much more numerous, ex- tending, as they do, for about a foot along the stem ; like the leaves themselves, they are lance- shaped and measure from 2 inches to i inches in length by li inches in breadth. Flowering Plants. Had it not been for several remarkably good hybrids amongst Amaryllises and Rhododendrons, last year's introduction of flowering stove and greenhouse plants would have been very poor indeed, for, with the exception of a large and highly-coloured Dipladenia named EUiotti, whose colour is a uniform pleasing deep rose-pink ; two remarkably handsome Epacrises, Diadem and The Premier, the former a very fine variety with wide- tubed flowers of a lovely rosy carmine, and the latter producing long spikes densely set with large blossoms of a beautiful clear rose ; and the beautiful and thoroughly distinct Ixora Westi, with flower-buds of a lovely rose-pink tinge, which when fully open show the interior of a delicate 62 THE GAKDEN [Jan. 24, 1885. blush, quite distinct from all others — no great advance has been made on flowering plants already in cultivation. A goodly array o£ Amaryllises have made their appearance, and, with the excep- tion of A. Mrs. Hird and Mrs. W. Lee, the latter belonging to the reticulata type, being a hybrid between that species and one of the hybrid race, and producing flowers of medium size, of a delicate rose colour pencilled with a deeper hue, all the others are the produce of crosses effected at Messrs. Yeitch's by Mr. Heal, to whom we are also indebted for so many of the beautiful forms of Rhododendrons of the javanicum type. Most of these new Amaryl- lises belong to the bright or dark coloured section, A. zitella being the only one among them with a carmine ground colour, beautifully striped and banded with white. The flowers, which are large, have recurved segments and partake of the charac- ters of the well-known A. marginata. A. virgo is one of the most attractive of its class ; its flowers, which are of ordinary size only, are of excellent shape and vivid scarlet, banded and netted with while. Probably the largest one shown this sea- son was A. Sir Kedvers BuUer, the gigantic and well-shaped flowers of which are of a vivid scarlet, relieved by a broad stripe of white extending the whole length of each petal, and measuring nearly 9 inches in diameter. A. Colonel Burnaby, General Graham, and Ne Plus Ultra are all deep-coloured and remarkably handsome varieties. Different from the above is Mrs. Shirley Hibberd, a kind dis- tinct not only in ground colour or markings, but also in shape ; it belongs to the Leopoldi race, whose distinguishing characters are well-formed flowers with petals tipped with a lighter colour. Those of the kind just alluded to are deep crimson tipped with white. In Rhododendrons, the Javanese section has supplied us with novelties for this sea- son. Empress is a lovely variety, distinct from all others already known. It has large and finely shaped flowers, bordered by a ring of very pale pink, the rest of the colour being salmon-pink — nearly orange ; President and Princess Beatrice, both of which produce massive trusses of flowers, circular in outline and thick in texture, are of vigorous habit. The flowers of the former are reddish orange in colour flushed with pink, those of the latter of a most delicate shade of salmon- pink. R. Curtisi, a native of Sumatra, where it is met with at an elevation of 3000 feet, is un- doubtedly the most interesting species introduced for several years, and although not in itself a very decorative plant, it may be found useful in the creation of a new race of dwarfer and more busby plants than those already in commerce. It only grows about 2 feet in height, and has slender branches of a somewhat spreading habit. It is remarkably floriferous, producing at the extremity of each twig little clusters of three or four cam- panulate flowers of a waxy texture and of a pecu- liarly deep crimson-red. Ferns. These have been tolerably well represented. In Adiantum cuneatum strictum we have a variety of the common species with a peculiar upward mode of growth, all the fronds, large and small, being borne erect — characters which give it quite a dis- tinct aspect. A. rhodophyllum is unanimously acknowledged to be one of the very best produc- tions of recent years. It is of dwarf, compact growth, seldom exceeding 9 inches in height, and its coriaceous fronds are in a young state of a 1 lively coppery red tinge comparable with those of the better known A. rubellum, macrophyllam, tinctum, Veitchianum, &c., but more effective on account of the pinnules being larger and the whole plant being also of a better habit than any of the above. As is usually the case with tinged fronds. Ferns that colour gradually pass through dif- ferent shades until they become of a deep green hue, showing the perfect maturation of the fronds. A particularly bold-looking Fern is Asplenium horridum, a kind with long and simply pinnate fronds of a leathery texture and deep green colour, gracefully reflexed on all sides of the plant. Cyathea microphylla is a very distinct species, having very little similarity of habit or vigour with any other known kind ; it is a dwarf Tree Fern with slender stem and very large, but finely divided, fronds, spreading widely and forming a flat, yet very graceful, head. The most distinct Fern of last year's introduction, however, is the exceedingly pretty Nephrolepis Bausei, a form of N. pluma, the deciduous character of which it shares to a great extent, keeping its light coloured foliage on until mid-winter. Its fronds, which are about 18 inches long, are abundantly produced from small transparent bulbs, similar to those of the common N. tuberosa, and through their pinnie being deeply cleft into numerous fine segments they have a feathery appearance, entirely absent in all other kinds belonging to the same genus. Among new Ferns lately brought out may be named Adiantum Weigandi, Davallia Mariesi cristata, a most elegantly tasselled form of the Japanese species, introduced some five years since: Gymnogramma chry'sophylla Alstoni, Lomariopsis buxifolia, and Pteris serrulata cristata compacta. The last has a peculiarly dwarf and dense habit, each frond being broadly tasselled and very graceful Florists' Flowers. Among Auriculas should be named the lovely white-edged Conservative, the flowers of which are good in form and of medium size ; it is a show variety, with a black body colour, dense white paste, and gold tube. Also a very fine self-coloured variety named Hetty Dean, the flowers of which are of fine form and clear yellow, with mealy- white centre. Likewise a very fine alpine variety named Mungo McGeorge, a kind with large yellow flowers, the ground colour of the centre being a deep maroon, shading to a paler hue. Of Begonias, no less than thirty varieties received last year first- class certificates, and though the enumeration and description of all the prize-winners would occupy more space than could be well afforded, I could not pass over in silence, in the section with single flowers, such varieties as Her JIajesty, a variety which produces large and symmetrically-shaped flowers with white petals, edged and also suffused with delicate pink ; Torey Laing, a sort with large flowers of good substance and perfect shape, aho well worth notice'; as is likewise Mrs. Weekes, a lovely and distinct variety, with finely- shaped pure white flowers, having a distinct margin of rose-pink. These stand out boldly amongst all others. In the double-flowered section, Octavia is probably the finest white yet raised ; Canary Bird produces perfectly double flowers of a pleasing soft canary -yellow ; like the preceding, the habit of this variety is vigorous, dwarf, and floriferous. Double reds have been produced in profusion, and it is somewhat difficult to decide as to which deserves most notice. Sou- venir de W. Saunders, however, is one of the most remarkable amongst the deep coloured ones, on account of its dwarf sturdy growth and the rich crimson-red colour of its large flowers. Rhum Von Erfurt is another remarkable for its sturdy habit and the brilliancy of its flowers, which are of a vivid scarlet : while Madame Arnoult and Madame Crousse are among the very best of the soft salmony buff and clear salmon-rose tints. Carnations have been tolerably rich in novelty ; most distinct among kinds belonging to the tree or perpetual flowering section are Mrs. JIacLaren and Mrs. Keen, both of which produce flowers of perfect shape, the former being of a pale pink colour flaked with various shades of crirason,while the latter is a self-coloured flower of peculiarly rich deep maroon-crimson. W. P. Milner is one of the best white border varieties ever produced ; its flowers are of good form and the whole plant is vigorous in habit. The same remarks apply equally well to Celia and JIary Morris, both of which are pink andfirst-rate in constitution. AmongChry- santhemums the Japanese kinds certainly have had the preference, and foremost amongst them must be mentioned such varieties as Mons. Henry Jacotot, roseum superbum, and Mdlle. Lacroix, all of very great merit. Cinerarias, Primulas, Cycla- mens, and Dahlias have also been fairly well re- presented and generously rewarded, while in Pelargoniums nearly all those which have been deemed worthy of high honours, such as Erl King, Belle Xanciene, Isidor Feral, and Mme. Thibaut, belong to either the zonal or Ivy-leaved section. The best show Pelargoniums have been Phyllis, a pretty fancy ; purpureum, the perfection of what an ideal show Pelargonium should be ; Harvester and Jack Sheppard, both of which belong to the decorative section, and have extremely handsome flowers and excellent constitutions. I cannot finish this review of the new plants of 1884 without giving also the names of a few of the most decorative trees and shrubs destined to contribute largely to the ornamentation of our parks and gardens. Among those grown for their foliage only may be noticed Acer japonicum aureum, palmatum aureum, Comus brachypoda aurea. Ilex laurifolia anreo- marginata, and Prunus Pissardi ; while among new plants remarkable on account of their flowers the most meritorious have been Clematis coccinea, Indigofera floribunda alba, Kalmia latifolia splendens, Spirsea buUata and purpurea, and Syringa vulgaris fl.-pl. Lemoinei, a very good double-flowered form of the common Lilac obtained from seed by M. Lemoine, of Nancy. I had nearly omitted Comte de Brazza's Neapolitan double white Violet, a charming kind. It is exactly of the same size as the ordinary Neapolitan, but pure white and extremely flori- ferous. S. G. Indoor Garden. RHIPSALIS HOULLETL The thirty species of which the genus Rhipsalis is comprised are remarkable for their wide variation in habit and for their generally singular shapes, all more or less interesting botanically perhaps, but scarcely any of them ornamental enough to find much favour as garden plants. For so small a genus, the many different forms which the spe- cies assume is quite exceptional ; the wide range from R. sarmentacea, a small creeping species with spiny stems, not unlike caterpillars, and when not in flower, easily mistaken for a small Ceieus, to the Mistletoe-like R. Cassytba and the flattened- stem, leaf-like species represented by R. Honlleti, is filled up with other curious forms. This genus may be looked upon as the connecting link be- tween the fleshy, leafy, spine-clothed genera of Cacti and the outlying leaf-bearing, shrub-like Pereskias, well known horticulturally as the best stocks on which to graft Epiphyllums, and botani- cally as possessing characters so much like the Gooseberry, as to have led to the union of Cacti and Ribes under the same Natural Order by Jussieu. The most curiously marked kinds of Rhipsalis are R. paradoxa, with long, pendent, chain-like branches, anomalous enough in form to ren- der the name most apt; E. saglionis and R. salicornoides, both of which have nume- rous round, swollen branches, without leaves, and the habit of a miniature tree ; in R. Cassytha, the Jlistletoe-like species, berries, habit, everything in fact about the plant except leaves mimick that parasite ; the tiny species, R. mesembryan- themoides, hardly as long as its name, is made up of little fleshy branches which are more like the fo- liage of some Mesembryanthemums than branches of a Cactus; and lastly, the flat-stemmed kinds, such as R. rhombea and E. HouUeti, which are Epiphyllum-like in habit, as will be seen in the adjoining woodcut. Some of the species bear small, but pretty, berry-like fruits wliich remain on the plants for a considerable time ; others have orange or yellow flowers, generally small, but as a rule attractive. The species here figured is by far the handsomest flowered amongst the cultivated kinds of Rhipsalis. as well as being graceful in habit. It has been grown at Kew for the last twelve years, as also have the whole of those kinds named above, and it flowered there in December last, when our drawing was made. The charm of the plant resides in the graceful curves of its long slender branches, which are partly terete and partly widened out into a blade-like expansion similar to the flat branch of a Phyllocactus. In the crenatures along the edges of this blade-like Jan. 24, 1885.] THE GARDEN 63 portion of the branches the flowers are formed, and when a long branch is thickly clothed all along each side with flowers the effect is very pretty. The stems grow to the length of 3 feet or 4 feet, probably much longer in nature. The flowers are about 1 inch across, creamy white, fragrant, and remain open for several days. For their cultivation the Rhipsalises require a tropical temperature, moisture when growing, a dry at- mosphere when at rest. They do not require so much sunlight as the majority of Cacti do ; but, like the Epiphyllums, they thrive best in a position where they would be shaded from the hot- test sunshine with- out being shaded all day. Although where these plants are grown it is usual to plant them in soil in pots and treat them as terrestrial plants, yet in their native haunts the whole of the spe ■ cies of Khipsalis are epiphytal on trees, from the branches and trunks of which they hang down often to a great length, present- ing a very different appearance from what they do here in our stoves, where we are compelled to grow them as small shrubs. Like all the Cacti, these plants are easily propagated by cut- tings, and, except R. sarmentacea, they all grow freely, the stronger kinds grow- ing into sturdy little specimens in about two years. R. HouUeti is deserving of populai ity as a pretty and grace- ful winter - flowering stove plant, easy of cultivation, and of very distinct habit and appearance both when in and out of flower. W. W. periment shows that it is not possible to force the Snowdrop into flower by means of a high tempe- rature.—J. C. C. FUCHSIAS IN AND OUT-OF-DOORS. Fbw, if any, of the old-fashioned plants with which we are acquainted are so graceful and effec- tive either for greenhouse, conservatory, or window decoration as a well-flowered Fuchsia. It is also easily cultivated, but, nevertheless, considerable skill is required to grow really fine, clean, healthy. Forcing Snow- drops. — Some enqui- ries were made about this time last year re- specting the possibility of getting Snowdrops to flower earlier than usual by forcing them. Mr. Groom's experience in the matter was not, if I recollect rightly, at all encouraging ; I therefore thought that I would test the matter thoroughly this sea- son, and here is the result : At the end of July last I put about ten bulbs in some ij- iuch pots and placed them in a shady frame, in which they remained until early in November. There being twelve pots, the number was divided into three sets, four in each. One set was placed with some Pines that required a temperature of 70° to 80° to ripen them ; another was placed in a house in which the temperature ranged from 55° to 60° during the day and about 10° less at night ; the last were kept in a cool greenhouse. Those in the coolest house were the first to open their flowers, those in the intermediate house next, and those which had heat sufficient to ripen Pines satisfactorily are fully a fortnight behind all the others. This ex- Ehipsalis Houlleti (detached brauch and Dower natural size) ; colour trauspareut white. Drawn at Kew In November well-flowered plants. In order to have fine plants in one season, cuttings should be made of shoots that have not exhausted themselves by producing flowers. They should be inserted singly in 2^-inch pots, or a quantity in 4|^-inch pots will serve the same purpose. They should be plunged in a mild hotbed or propagating pit, and given a gentle watering through a fine-rosed can, which will keep the foliage fresh, and also settle the soil about the base of the cuttings. In a few weeks they will emit roots, when they should be potted off singly in 3-iuch pots. They should be kept close for a few days, until the roots begin to push into the new soil. A good compost for Fuchsias is a mix- ture of loam, leaf-mould, and either cow manure or horse droppings in a decomposed state, about three parts of the former to one part each of the latter, with a good dash of sand to keep the whole porous ; mix all well together previous to potting. When the young plants begin to grow the shape and size of the plant should be determined ; if for a standard, the leading shoot should receive every encouragement and be kept tied to an up- right stake, rubbing out all side eyes until the desired height is reached, when the formation of the head should be encouraged by remov- ing the points of the leaders, and afterwards pinching to every pair of leaves made until the desired size of head is obtained. If a pyramid be the shape aimed at, it will be necessary to pinch the leaders at an early stage of growth, to induce a bushy habit from the first, taking care, however, to train up another shoot as leader as the plants progress ; it may also be necessary to conti- nue to pinch the side shoots several times in succession, in order to induce a still more dense habit, particu- larly if a large speci- men is required. If this method of pinch- ing be neglected in the earlier stages of culti- vation,itwill be almost impossible to obtain well-grown pyramidal specimens, no matter how diligently the cul- tivator may attend to their requirements af- terwards. Cuttings struck in September, which is a good time to commence specimen Fuchsia growing, should be thrifty little plants by the end of October; they should then oc- cupy a position near the glass and where the temperature does not fall below 50°, bearing in mind that it is not desirable to encourage much growth at that period. They should succeed in the position just indicated until about the beginning of Jan- uary, when they may be given a little higher temperature, such as that of a vinery which is being forced would afford, or better still, a position on a bed of fermenting material, the atmosphere abont which appears to exactly suit them. They will now begin to grow freely in either of the positions just named, and should never be allowed to flag from want of water. As soon as the roots begin to show themselves at the sides of the 3-inch pot, shift into 4 J-inch and 6-inch pots, using the compost already recom- mended, but in a rougher state than before, and with the addition of a little bone meal. They should be turned round to the light at least cuce a week to induce a uniformity of growth, and they should be allowed all the sun obtainable for some 64 THE GARDEN [Jan. "24, 18F5. time to come. A moist atmosphere should be maintained ; therefore syringe overhead in tlie morning and afternoon whenever the weather is favourable. When the 4.J-inch and G-inch pots are well [filled Jwith roots, shift into 8J-inch and 9|- inch pots, which will afford room enongh in which to grow the finest specimens. When giving the final shift, pot rather firmly ; the soil is apt to re- tain moisture for too long a period if potted loosely, and consequently it may become sour before the roots have occupied it. Thorough drainage should be secured during all stages of growth and the plants should be kept in a warm, moist, growing atmosphere after their final shift, gradually inuring them to more light and air. As the days lengthen and the weather becomes bright it may be necessary in certain cases to afford them a little shade for a few hours at mid-day. Fire heat may be entirely dispensed with from May onwards, and cold draughts and sudden changes of temperature should be avoided. Training.— Tt is not a good practice to stake or train the Fuchsia to any great extent, and, indeed, such a practice would be superfluous in the case of many varieties ; but, while bearing this in mind, I have found it to be beneficial to insert a few thin, short stakes around the sides of the pots to enable me to tie out the branches of some of the closer growing varieties when intended for specimens, thus forming a basework on which to rear my future specimen. When the pots in which the plants are to be flowered are well filled with roots, liquid manure may be given, rather weak at first, but increased in strength as the plants get accustomed to it. Green and black fly sometimes make their appearance, and also thrips and red spider, particularly if the atmosphere is dry, and therefore an outlook should be kept for such unwelcome visitors. Never allow them to establish themselves on the plants ; should they do so, they will be the means of making them cast their foliage, and that in a very short space of time. An occasional syringing with soft soapy water or with Fir-tree oil diluted in the usual way will keep the plants clean and free from the pest just named. It is not desirable to retain many old plants over winter, unless very large specimens are required. A few plants started in a brisk heat in January will in a short time yield abundance of cuttings, which can be grown to a good size during the early spring months for greenhouse or conservatory decoration. Growers for Covent Garden Market seldom, if ever, use any pot larger than a 4^-inch, and the result's ob- tained in this sized pot and by the judicious use of stimulants are wonderful. When done flower- ing they may be placed out-of-doors to ripen the wood, and when frost sets in they should be brought indoors and placed on a border from which they can absorb a little moisture, as they never break freely in spring if dried to too great an extent. Old plants should not be repotted until well started into growth. Fuchsias are very ornamental in beds or borders out-of-doors when judiciously blended with other plants ; indeed, it is surprising that they are not more e.xtensively used for outdoor decoration than they are. I mean, of course, va- rieties different from gracilis or Riccartoni, the only kinds usually met with out-of-doors. D. Sheahan. Brachysema lanceolatum.— For forming a screen, say at the end of a greenhouse or conser- vatory, or as a pillar jilant therein, this native of Australia commends itself to favourable considera- tion, more especially from the fact of its flower- ing at this season of the year. It is of a ram- bling rather than a climbing habit, and when well established will quickly cover cover a considerable space. The leaves are green on the upper sur- face, but silky white beneath, while the flowers are of a rich scarlet-crimson, and borne freely during winter. Its roots are by no means gross feeders ; therefore, in potting, care must betaken to have a good open compost combined with thorough drainage ; indeed, such conditions as those in which its allies, the Chorozemas, delight. If planted out in the conservatory the same rule must be observed, for if kept too wet large plants will sometimes go off without any preliminary warning, and they are then somewhat difficult to replace. — T. PROPAGATING LUCULIA GRATISSIMA. This and a few other plants used to test the pro- pagator's skill, but why, I could never understand, for under certain conditions the Luculia roots freely enough. As to seedlings, I presume they would not flower so freely and early as plants raised from cnttinf;?, and would probably require more attention in a small state. In England Lu- culia seeds would not mature, but I have no doubt they would ripen in this country if the plants were not cut down. As regards flowering this plant in pots, I have done so in r>-inch ones, in which the plants were only a few inches in height, but the only satisfactory way with Luculias is to plant them out, and I consider a Camellia house the best place in which to grow them, although I have some recollection of seeing this plant growing in a Palm house many years ago, but the house was not so hot as Palm houses are kept now-a- days, and there was usually a strong smell of Tobacco smoke in them to keep down thrips and green fly, to which this plant is very subject, espe- cially when grown in a temperature warmer than that of an ordinary greenhouse. Koth in England and in this country I have planted the Luculia in Camellia houses, and when the flowering season was over I cut the plant back to a few eyes, and gave little water until it had made shoots a few inches in length ; then I selected the small shoots and removed them with a piece of the old bark at- tached, put them into 2.^-inch pots, and placed them in a close, brisk bottom heat ; under these conditions they usually rooted as freely as Gar- denias. I have also taken ofi: small shoots later in the season, which root, but not quickly. I must, however, note that Luculia cuttings must never suffer from lack of moisture, or there will be no success. With attention ninety per cent, of the cuttings jiut in root easily, but the plants must not be kept in the propagating house longer than is necessary. Jas. Taplin. JUaijKood, Bergen Co., Ke7v Jersey. 53 10.— "Water Lilies.— "W. D. S." will, I think, find a tank beneath a stage— i.e., a stage usually employed for pot plants — too shady for the successful culture of ^Vater Lilies. Tropical Lilies require all the sunlight which our dull climate can afford, and even where that is assured, the bright season is so short, that by the time the summer growths are formed and flowering in full progress, autumn sets in and blights our pro- spects. The water in the tank should not be below 50°, though upwards of (W would better accelerate growth. — William Eakley. Azalea narclSSiflora.— Wherever Azaleas are required early in the season this is one of the best, either for supplying cut blooms or in the shape of plants for decorative purposes. It forces readily, and the blossoms, which are semi-double, are of the purest white, and last in perfection longer than those of the single varieties. Like all other early kinds, if forced every year it may be had in bloom some time before Christmas with far less trouble than plants that have not been before subjected to the process of forcing. In order to insure this they must not be neglected as soon as the flowers are over, which is too often done ; on the contrary, the growth must be completed in a genial temperature, and when that is finished the plants should be hardened off. — T. Arum Lilies.— It is often said that the best results in the culture of Arum Lilies can only be obtained when they get a supply of fresh rich compost annually. Some growers shake them out and replace them in the pots in spring or early in summer; others plant out for the summer months in good soil in a semi-shaded moist situation. Some plants now in flower grown by Mr. Bissett, gardener to Sir John Ellis, of Byfleet, seem to prove that this trouble is by no means indispens- able. The plants in question are in 8 -inch pots and have had no fresh soil for two years. Finer or healthier specimens I never saw ; indeed, in several instances the blooms are larger than any I have ever seen at this time of year — quite equal to the finest samples brought into Covent Garden during the month of May, when their development is of course aided by the longer days and stronger light. Mr. Bissett tells me that his plants are liberally fed when growing, and I noticed that they were top-dressed with cow manure. I think plants grown in this way have a higher decorative value than when two or three or perhaps but one crown is put into a pot. The plants have a richer appearance, being fuller of foliage, the smaller growths clothing them down to the base with leaves. These Callas help to confirm what I have more than once asserted in The Garden, viz., that we too often repot when we could give the need- ful support more easily in another way. Recently I gave instances of the satisfactory growth made by Japan Lilies when grown two years in the same pots. Nile Lilies, it appears, can also be grown in the same manner. — J. Cornhill. LAPAGERIA LEAVES DYING AT THE TIPS. Referring to what has recently been written on the subject of the leaves of the Lapageria becom- ing brown at the tips, I may mention that sudden atmo.epheric changes will cause the points to wither. Indeed, in nine cases out of ten I fancy this would be found to be the only cause of their doing so. Lapagerias appear to be peculiarly sensitive to a sudden rise of temperature accompanied by much aridity, and in houses where this is often likely to occur they will not, I think, be likely to thrive with any great degree of vigour, and will become denuded of foliage at the base. Where a hot dry atmosphere prevails during a great portion of the day the plants have a weary, suffering look, and the leaves quite lack the lustrous hue similar to that of the Laurel which they possess in a per- fect state of health. Several years ago I became possessed of a small plant of the white variety, and attempted to grow it in a small lean-to green- house in a south exposure. It made roots very freely, and pushed up every spring several strong shoots from the base, but although they grew very vigorously for a time, the points invariably turned yellow during the first period of hot weather at the latter end of May or June, and the tips of the leaves withered, the oldest ones dropping off. In the past season the young growths were stronger than ever, but the summer was very parching, and they absolutely refused to move after the begin- ning of June, ultimately going blind, and the whole plant looked so bad, that I feared it would die. I then turned it out into the open air in a position where no sun shone on it and where Ferns grew well. The change was marvellous. The leaves immediately took on the hue of health and it broke anew into growth, which continued until late in autumn. The leaves were perfects not a sign of decay in them — until I re-housed the plant, when a few hot days came and the tips of many of the leaves went brown. This showed me pretty conclusively the true cause of the L'ipa- gerias thus suffering ; they cannot bear the sudden change from comparative humidity to aridity which they experience in many glass structures. J. C. B. PARIS DAISY ETOILE D'OR. I DO not think that I over-estimate the meiits oE this plant when I say that everyone having space for a score of plants should include it in their collection. It is one of the few things that bloom in winter in a house which is only heated to keep out frost, and for this reason it should be valued by those who, desiring flowers in winter, have no warm house in which to bring them along. There is scarcely a plant in cultivation that can equal this Marguerite in continuity of bloom; the same plants will flower uninterruptedly during nine months of the year, but this is, however, more than should be expected of them. Plants in- tended for winter blooming ought not to flower in summer, but should have the buds picked off nntil the end of September, after which time they Jan. 24, 1885.] THE GARDEN 65 may be allowed to develop, and will open from the beginning of October onwards through the winter and spring. Cuttings strike with the greatest freedom either in warmth in early spring or later on in a cool house or frame, and, growing freely, will come into ii-inch pots early in autumn. In the form of bushy specimens, clothed with healthy foliage and full of bloom, this Paris Daisy is very attractive, but its great value lies in the fact of the flowers being so admirably suited for cutting. They are symmetrical in form, and have long, slender, bat strong foot-stalks. Those who need plenty of cut flowers should grow this plant in quantity, as if kept in a constant temperature of from ,")0° to 55°, the beautiful clear soft yellow blooms will be continuously and freely produced all through the dullest months of the year. J. C. 15. CINEKAKIAS IN MID-WINTEE. When looking through a garden a few days ago I came across a number of Cinerarias in a greenhouse growing in a temperature far too hot and dry to ensure the well-being of the plants, I saw the leaves were browned on the edges, small, wanting in ro- bustness, and decidedly unclean, which was not to be wondered at. This is unfortunately the condi- tion under which not a few Cinerarias are grown during the winter months, and it is not a matter for surprise if the head of bloom is altogether unsatisfactory, and I was all the more impressed with the grave mistake committed by growing Cinerarias in this way when about the same time I saw another collection in luxuriant health, and full of promise of yielding fine heads of bloom. The main flowering tops bad been stopped ; the result was the throwing out of stout lateral shoots, all of which will produce rare trusses of bloom. Such plants must now be kept in a healthy and growing condition, taking care to keep them clean by occasional fumigations, giving air freely on all favourable occasions, but, as a matter of course, excluding frost and cold winds. The best quarter for Cinerarias at this season of the year is a frame heated with one line of hot-water pipe, the pots standing on an ash bottom and the heads of the plants within 3 inches or 4 inches of the glass. The Cineraria is a much hardier plant than is generally supposed, and during severe weather a little air may be given with advantage, provided there is heat enough in the pipes to temper the in- coming atmosphere. Cinerarias can be best grown in such a place ; and, indeed, they might be wintered in an entirely cold pit, only removing the plants to a greenhouse when the weather is unduly severe. While they have to be grown in an unheated pit they are in danger of receiving a check, and really the plants should not have any such check. Plants in a healthy condition and at the present time in 8-inch pots, if stopped with discretion and carefully tied out, will make a fine display in February and March. ' Such plants might have another shift this month, or a portion of them, but they should not be further stopped, and they will flower in April and May. I suppose the practice of growing from cuttings has nearly died out. The Koyal Horticultural Society give certificates of merit to new varieties, but one never hears of their being propagated and sent out in the usual way with new plants. A good com- post for the Cineraria can be made up of yellow loam one half, another half of thoroughly rotten manure and leaf-mould, the latter preponderating, and with some rough silver sand mixed with it. K. D. ASPHALTE WALKS. The remarks on this subject at page 23 show that the writer is very imperfectly acquainted with the subject, as I shall show, and they are calcu- lated to dissuade people from making walks in their kitchen gardens and other premises that for everything that makes a good walk desirable beat every other description of walk. We are told that very much more can be said against asphalte walks than in their favour —that they are of un- mitigated ugliness, that there is ever present more or less stench from them when the sun is shining, that they are slippery in frosty weather, and on the whole generally objectionable, all of which statements are incorrect. As far as ugliness is concerned, where is the ugliness in a perfectly even, clean walk of any colour you like to make it, and which never needs any weeding ? A properly asphalted surface is quite smooth and even, does not clatter under the feet like flags, and the surface may be completely hidden by gravel rolled in or put on afterwards loose in the ordinary way, but not deep enough to encourage weeds. Some neighbouring gentlemen's places about here have their carriage drives asphalted, and nothing could look neater, cleaner, or better. If I am not mistaken, the broad walks in the Shefiield Botanic Garden are of asphalte. As for the stench, the assertion of " T. B.'' is a gross ex- aggeration. In very sunny and hot weather, such as we have not experienced here for years, ill-made walks not properly drained sometimes yield a little and smell, but it is the exception, and I will undertake to lead " T. B." with his eyes bandaged over asphalte walks and defy him to tell by the smell that he is anywhere near gas tar. The disadvantages which he enumerates are imaginary. 1 do not, however, approve of asphalte in the case of the flower garden and pleasure grounds myself, because they have not a gardenesque ap- pearance, having a too smooth and artificial look ; but for kitchen gardens, back walks, and wherever there is much trafflc they cannot be approached if well made. They want absolutely no keeping ; whereas gravel walks are the most expensive item in the garden and woods, and I have a very accurate notion of their cost here. All asphalte should be laid on a bottom of dry rubble 2 inches or 3 inches deep; next, the asphalte itself should be made of sifted ashes without much or any fine ash ; and lastly, only suflicient tar should be put on it to make it sticky. This composition, put on 2 inches or 3 inches deep and well rolled, sets as hard almost as cement, and when taken up years afterwards has to be broken with hammers like bricks. The cake becomes quite hard and dry, so hard as to resist the hardest frosts and warmest sun. S. W. CHURCH DECORATION. It could hardly be expected that the question of the floral decoration of churches would meet with universal approval ; I was not, therefore, surprised to see Cp. 20) "Northerner's " adverse remarks on the subject. His mention of the curate who felt " like an owl in an Ivy bush " and the cartload of Laurel convinces me that the art of church deco- ration is of the most primitive kind in the locality in which he resides. Southerners have long ago discarded the old " smother " of common Ever- greens and have substituted light festoons of flowers and a few plants in pots. The taste for gardening in all its branches has spread of late through all classes from the highest to the lowest ; flowers now enter into every phase of public and private life. No meeting of any kind,whether public or private, is considered complete without more or less of floral decorations. Not only are the conserva- tories of the wealthy more richly stocked with flowers than formerly, but every villa has its greenhouse, and nearly every mechanic in this locality has his garden frame or miniature glasshouse, and those who are not possessed of either have their window plants or some contrivance whereby they can en- joy a few flowers at all times of the year. Cut flowers are now worn by everyone, and they are sent as presents to friends. I see daily troops of children, too, placing fresh flowers on graves; therefore how can we banish them from our churches ? As to the question of good or bad taste, who is to be dictator in such a matter ? Why, no two people, it is said, tee a thing in the same light. Clergymen from northern and manu- facturing districts, who come to the Isle of Wight to seek a genial climate, bewail the backward condition of floriculture amongst their parishioners as compared with what they find associated with the humblest cottage in the south. The use of flowers indoors is not so much a question of means as of taste ; our workmen spend their leisure time in tending their flowers, which formerly was spent in less elevating pursuits. As to folks being de- terred from sending flowers to a church at Christ- mastide because it is an inclement season, why should it be more difiicnlt to send them there than to any other place at that time? In this locality many growers for market prepare whole housefuls of plants for the occasion and for supplying cut flowers. In fact, the continuous demand has made such work quite an industry, and many a gardener who has of late years taken to this branch of the flower trade would fare badly if "Northerner's" ideas were but partially adopted. There is, however, little fear of that, as the demand for flowers is still spreading in all quarters, and there can be no question that they exercise a softening and humanising influence, even on the most hardened natures. Therefore, if flowers en- hance the pleasures of life, let us not seek to dis- courage their use by setting up questions of taste ; and as regards our churches, if flowers draw some there who have never been there before, they will have done some good, and their sweetness will not have been wasted on the desert air. J. G. tiosjjort. NOTES FROM FRANCE. Cypripedium Godefroyee —This newspe- cics ot Lady's Slipper has been successfully grown and flowered by M. Bergmann, Earon Roths- child's gardener at Ferrieres, and was exhibited by him at a recent meeting of the French National Horticultural Society, when it was accorded a first-class certificate. Apparently there should be but little difficulty in growing it, for it is probable that few plants have had so many adverse circum- stances to contend with on their journey home from their native land to Europe as this has had. In 1880 JI. Godefroy sent to Singapore a collector, who, being quickly affected by the climate there, made up his mind to push on to Tonquin in the hope that a change of climate might restore his health. Making his way into the hitherto un- explored region of Laos, he discovered this C'jpii- pedium growing on the east side of a mountain. Soon after gathering about fifty plants he died, and the case containingthem, being deposited with the English consul, was refused transit by several vessels on account of the cholera which prevailed there at the time. It even remained for a period of three weeks on the quay. At length a passage was secured for it to Marseilles, but only again to experience a vexatious delay of forty days, the custom house officers at that time refusing to pass it because it was not accompanied by a certificate attesting that the country from which it came was free from the Phylloxera. Naturally the plants had suffered much from this lengthened confinement, but those that remained alive were consigned to the Messrs. Veitch, and one of them has lately been exhibited in bloom by M. Bergmann. The flowers are large, pure white, with purplish brown lines running down them, the petals are broad enough to overlap, and the foliage is prettily marbled, dark green on a lighter tint on the upper sides and reddish purple underneath. This new Cypripcdiumis undoubtedly a valuable acquisition, and will probably be rare for .some time to come ; indeed it is possible that it is not plentiful in its native land, for the collector who discovered it found it growing in a limited area, and probably secured all that he saw. It is said that the plants now in cultivation show considerable divergence as regards habit, thus indicating the presence of several varietal forms of this Cypripedium. Peach culture at MontreuU.— In Erg- land we are apt to think that in the sunny land of France fruit growers are so specially favoured by climate as to render their work as easy and pleasant as it is profitable. That they have their trials, and tliat the good results obtained by them are principally due to an excellent system of cul- ture and constant supervision and painstaking care, the following extract from the pen of M. Wichelin in the " Journal of the French National Horticul- tural Society " sufficiently proves. " The Peach in our Paris climate demands the shelter of a wall. At Montreuil the walls are built especially fcr 66 THE GAKDEN [Jan. 24, 1885, Peaches, and are therefore bound to answer. The number of kinds grown is restricted, consisting principally of the Mignonne, the Madeleine, Belle Beausse, Bon Ouvrier, Galande, Belle Imperiale, Blondeau, Reine des Vergers, and Vitry. These are good and fine varieties which have been thoroughly proved, and to which are added some new ones, par- ticularly those which ripen early or late in the season. In soils long under cultivation the trees are liable to become covered with Lichens and Mosses, against which remedial measures are constantly being taken, a mixture of lime, black soap, sul- phur, and glue being found very efficacious. The constant warfare which Peach growers have to maintain with fly and other insect pests is the most important item in the culture of this fruit. Without it failure would be almost certain. For white louse, which fastens on the roots and which sometimes seizes on a tree and causes its death in a few days, there is, however, no certain cure. Trees thus destroyed are replaced by other kinds of fruit trees, such as Apples, Pears, and Cherries, as blank spaces on the walls are not tolerated. Such as may occur at the foot of the Peaches are filled with Apples grafted on the Paradise, the fruits of which materially help to swell the winter receipts. But everything grown on the walls, whether Peaches, Apples, Pears, or Cherries, get the best of care, and far the greater part consist of those choice kinds of which the sale at good prices is pretty well assured. Disleafing is an operation which gives colour to the fruits ; it is performed progressively and in such a manner as to be com- pleted just when the fruits have attained their com- plete development, that is to say, about a fortnight before they are ready forgathering. This period generally suffices to impartagood colour to Peaches. The ranges of walls are erected in parallel lines, with a space of between 30 feet and 40 feet be- tween them. They are generally about 9 feet in height, and the dividing spaces are occupied with such things as best suit the interests of the owners to cultivate. Fruits, flowers, seeds, vege- tables of such kinds as sell in the Paris markets find a place there." In the neighbouring commune of Rosny Peach culture appears to be largely prac- tised ; indeed, it seems probable that in the course of time the pre-eminence which Montreuil has acquired in this respect will be transferred to its neighbour, as in the latter place the land is be- coming so valuable for building as to render the extension there of fruit culture in a measure im- practicable. The most noted of the Eosny Peach growers is M. Bertaut, who owns a garden enclosed by walls containing nearly 5000 square yards, and the walls of which, running from 8 feet 9 inches to 9 feet in height, are about 500 yards in length. The culture is about the same as at Montreuil, but the details are it possible more minutely fol- lowed, M. Bertaut growing as much for pleasure as for profit, and not having so great an area to supervise as the Montreuil growers generally, very few kinds are grown, the Mignonne being one of the principal, but the most highly esteemed is the Blondeau, a variety which originated at Montreuil, and which M. Bertaut finds a profit- able one, as it unites beauty with fertility. A portion of the space is given to the early and late bearing kinds. The Oalvllle Apple.— M. ISertant devotes a considerable amount of space to this fine Apple, which is so highly esteemed in our markets and in those of Paris, and which the French growers export to all parts of Europe. These Calville Apples are either grown indiscriminately among the Peaches or on walls by themselves. In any case they get the same cultural care, the conse- quence of which is that the Kosny Calvilles are renowned for super-excellence. Two south walls are especially reserved for this Apple, on one of which some 120 feet in length are trained twenty trees some twenty-five years old. The branches, striking upwards from the base, run to the top of the wall, and last year bore about 1500 Apples, which were sold at a minimum price of seven- pence each. This wall is completely covered with fruit-bearing wood, there being no blank spaces. Another wall about the same size is covered with younger trees. These trees are all on the Para- dise. The principal points kept in view are the training of the branches sufficiently wide apart to allow of the wood and fruit being exposed to light and a free circulation of air, a system of pruning which keeps the fruit near the main branches, thus protecting them against the full influence of the rays of a scorching sun. This is accomplished by drawing some of the foliage over them, which is, however, gradually withdrawn as they approach maturity. \Vith this attention they acquire that delicacy of colour so much prized in this fruit, and which in its highest development imparts a high value to it, so that in the winter season some of the finest specimens may be sold at from two francs to three francs each. Thus we see that all is not owing to climate, and that the superior quality of these fine Calville Apples, which many think can- not be produced in this country, is due to the in- telligence and care bestowed upon their growth. That similar fruits could be obtained with us there can be but little doubt, for our climate is, on the whole, as favourable to the Apple as that of Paris. The question is, would it pay to grow them ? Would it pay to erect walls in the way that the Montreuil Peach growers do and devote them to Apple culture ? Considering the high prices ob- tainable for such choice samples, one is tempted to think it would. Of course, nothing must be left to chance ; the safety of the blooms must be assured against frost, and this is all the Apple needs to render crops ctrtain in this country. Peaches and Apricots die away, but the Apple lives for many years, and I am of opinion that in many in- stances it would be more profitable to grow choice Pears and such a valuable Apple as the Calville on walls than stone fruits. Two shillings is a high price for an Apple, and one would think that the culture of the Calville might be made a pro- fitable industry with us. Verbesina Mameana. — This is one cf M. Andres introductions, and was accorded a certificate at a meeting of the French National Horticultural Society. It comes from Ecuador, and is remarkable for its quick growth, attaining a height of ti feet in the course of the summer in the open air when raised from seed in spring. The foliage is very large when fully developed and of an ornamental character, so that this plant falls into the category of those fine-leaved things which are now used for summer bedding. Verbesina gigantea and pinnatifolia are well known, but this new species is said to exceed them in beauty. New hybrid Gesnerad.— The latest pro- duction of M. Vallerand, of Bois Colombes, the well-known raiser and originator of the spotted Gloxinias, is a hybrid between the Na;gelia and the Achimenes. It is said to be a fine plant, the parentage of the Nfegelia being most fully de- clared in the foliage, whilst in habit it is more robust than the Achimenes. What recommends this new hybrid more particularly is the length of time it remains in bloom — plants which commenced to flower in the beginning of June being exhibited the last week in September in excellent condition, and seemingly likely to produce flowers for some time after that date. It, therefore, seems pro- bable that this intermediate form will prove of considerable decorative value. Cyclamen persicum splendens. — M. Eberle, nurseryman, of 1J6, Avenue St.Ouen, Paris, thus names his strain of the Persian Cyclamen, which, by the way, appears in a fair way of becoming as popular in France as in this country. He states that this strain is the result of crossing tlie Germm strains with those most highly esteemed in this country, the object being to obtain a race of plants dwarf in habit, bearing large flowers, and with foot -stalks sufficiently stout to obviate the necessity of supports. A group of plants in flower recently exhibited at a meeting of the French National Horticultural Society was awarded a first-class certificate. Byfleet. especially troublesome in many ways, and if "J.B."' values his bulbs more than his peacocks he will take precautions to keep them out of the flower garden. When peacocks walk over beds of Hyacinths, Tulips, and other spring flowers their long tail sweeps the blossoms off wholesale, and in the summer garden Calceolarias and other plants of a brittle character get very much broken in the same way. In the kitchen garden, too, they will be found to be very destructive daring spring when young crops are coming up.— J. G., Hants. Peacocks do not harm bulbs when below the soil, but during cold, frosty weather they will occasionally injure any casual tips of green that appear above ground, especially if not fully fed by hand, as they should be. One prominent winter garden plant they treat as an especial delicacy, however, and that is the Hellebore, more par- ticularly the large white flowers of Helleborus niger.— William Eabley. Garden Flora. 5308— Peacocks and bulbs.— In reply to "J.B," who asks if peacocks are destructive in the flower garden, allow me to state that they are PLATE 476. THE SDNFLOWERS. (WITH A FIGURE OF HELIANTHUS MULTIFLOKUS MAJOR.*) The genus Helianthus is almost entirely North American, and for the distinction and limitation of its species we are indebted to the labour of Dr. Asa Gray, now universally recognised as the highest authority on North American plants. In the recently published second part of his " Synop- tical Flora of North America " he has described thirty-nine species, six of which are annual. The synonyms and cross-naming adopted by previous authors have led to much confusion, which pro- bably will not now be altogether cleared up, for Dr. Gray warns us that the characters of some of the species are variable, especially in cultivation. It may be added that some at least of the species readily form hybrids. There is always more or less difficulty with a variable genus in making garden plants fit wild specific types, but in the following notes 1 have described no kinds which I have not myself cultivated, selecting the best forms and giving them the names assigned sever- ally by Dr. Gray to the species to which our garden plants seem to come nearest. Helianthus multiflorus, or, according to Asa Gray, speaking botanically, H. decapetalus hort. var. multiflorus, is mentioned first, because it is the subject of the coloured illustration. The name multiflorus is established by long usage, and perhaps was originally given in contrast to the few-flowered habit of H. annuus, for the type of the species is more floriferous than the variety, of which Asa Graj' says that it is " known only in cultivation from early times, must have been derived from decapetalus," a statement which gardeners would hardly have accepted on less in- disputable authority, as they will all think the habit and appearance of the two plants widely different. The variety multiflorus has several forms ; the commonest form is double, the disc being filled with ligules much shorter than those of the ray flowers, after the form of many Daisy- like composites. In this double form the ray flowers are often wanting. It is common also on old plants in poor soils to see double and single flowers from the same root. In the single forms the si ze of the flowers varies, the difference being due to cultivation as often as to kind. I have obtained by far the finest flowers by the following treatment : In early spring, when the young shoots are about an inch high, cut some off, each with a portion of young root, and plant them singly in deep rich soil and a sheltered, but not shaded situation. By August each will have made a large bush, branch- ing out from one stalk at the base, with from ber. Drawn iu Messrs. Paul's nursery, Cheshunt, in Septem- I tit. UAKL'EN. 1^ ■jf^ «r J."1I1:_. ^.i^iq ^'^"^1 TJFLOP'f ' ^^ OR Jan. 24, 1885.] THE GARDEN 67 thirty to forty flowers open at a time, each 5 inches across. The same plants it well dressed produce good flowers the second season, but after that the stalks become crowded and the flowers degene- Flower of Heliauthus argoph;Ilus. rate. The same treatment suits most of the peren- nial Sunflowers. The following kinds are men- tioned in the order in which they occur in Asa Gray 's book : — Annuals. H. AEGOPHTLLUS (white-leaved, not argyrophyl- lus, silver-leaved, as written in some catalogues). — An annual with woolly leaves, neater and less coarse than H. annuus, with which it is said soon to degenerate in gardens if grown together with it. H. ANNUUS. — The well-known Sunflower in end- less varieties, one of the most elegant having pale lemon-coloured flowers ; these, too, liable to pass into the common type if grown in the same garden. H. DEBILI3 VAE. CUCUMEEIFOLIUS.— I have never seen the typical species, but the variety was introduced a few years ago by Mr. W. Thompson, of Ipswich, from whose seed I have grown it. It becomes 4 feet or 5 feet high, with irregularly toothed deltoid leaves and spotted stalks, making a widely branched bush and bearing well-shaped golden flowers more than 3 inches across, with black discs. It crosses with any perennial Sun- flower that grows near it, simulating their flowers in an annual form. I had a very fine cross with it and H. annuus, but the flowers of this produced no good seed. Perennials. H. OBGYALIS (the Fathom-high Sunflower).— The name Is far within the true measure, which is often 9 feet or 10 feet. A very distinct species, increasing very slowly at the root and throwing all its growing efforts upwards. The long linear ribbon leaves, often exceeding a foot, spreading in wavy masses round the tall stem, which has a Palm-like tuft of them at the summit, are a more ornamental feature than the flowers, which are moderate in size and come late in the axils of the upper leaves. H. ANGUSTiFOLius. — A neat and elegant species, which I first raised from seed sent by Mr. \V. Thompson, of Ipswich. It has a very branch- ing habit quite from the base ^like a well-grown bush of the common Wallflower. The flowers are abundant, about 2^ inches across, with a black disc. The plant, though a true herb, never comes up in my garden with more than one stalk each year. H. RIGIDUS is well known as the best of the perennial Sunflowers, and has many ^synonyms, the commonest being Harpalium rigidum. It need not be described, but one or two things about it may be noted. The shoots, which come up a yard or more from last year's stalk, may be trans- planted as soon as they appear without injury to the flowering, but if put back to the old centre, the soil, which should be deep and light, ought to be enriched. The species is variable, and improved forms may be expected, as it produces seed in England. The number of ray flowers is often very large. I have one form which has several rows of them, nearly hiding the disc. A variety is figured in Botanical Magazine, tab. 2668, under the name of H. atro-rubens. Another comes in the same series, tab. 2020, as H. diffusus. Other synonyms are H. missuricus and H. mis- souriensis. Its native range extends across North America in longitude, and covers many degrees of latitude. It likes a dry soil. In wet soil and wet seasons the flower-stalk is apt to wither in the middle, and the bud falls over and perishes pre- maturely. H. L^ETIFLOKUS. — Under this name we grow in England a tall, much-branched, late flowering kind, with smooth and very stout and stiff stalks, sometimes black, sometimes green. It increases at the base of the stalks ; it makes close growth, and shows little disposition to run at the root. The flowers are rather small, not more than 2 inches across, but so durable and so well dis- played by the numerous spreading branches as to make the plant very useful for late decoration. I own that I cannot identify this plant with the Isetiflorus of Asa Gray, which he tells us resembles tall forms of H. rigidus, with rough stalks, and bears flowers with numerous rays 1| inches long. H. occiDENTALis.— Recently introduced by Mr. W. Thompson, of Ipswich, who gave me the plant <^ Helianthiis argophyllus, showing habit of growth. two years ago. It is a neat species, growing about 2 feet high, well branched, and producing at the end of July abundance of flowers about 2 inches across. The lower leaves are small and broad, with long stalks, ovate in form. H. MOLLIS, so called from the soft white down with which the leaves are covered, grows about i feet high. Leaves large, ovate, and sessile Heliauthus orgyalis, showing liabit of growth in autumn. growth of the plant upright, with hardly any branches ; flowers pale yellow, about ,3 inches across, not very ornamental. Cultivated at Kew, whence I had it. H. GIGANTBUS grows 10 feet high ; stem much branched and disposed to curve. Flowers about 2J inches across, produced abundantly in August ; rays narrow and pointed, cupped, with the ends Heliauthus multiflorus, showing habit of growth. turning outwards ; leaves lanceolate and sessile ; rootstock creeping, forming tuberous thickenings at the base of the stems, which Asa Gray tells us were " the Indian Potato of the Assiniboine tribe," mentioned by Douglas, who called the plant H. tuberosus. H. Maximiliani. — Half the height of the last, which it resembles, but the stem is stouter, the leaves larger, as are also the flowers, which are produced later. It is not so floriferous and orna- mental as the last. H. L^viGATUS. — Smooth stalked, very dis- tinct, does not spread at the roots, which are composed of finer fibres than those of most of the 68 THE GARDEN [Jan. 24, 1885. genus ; stalks slender and black, growing closely together, branched near the summit, 5 feet high ; leaves narrowly lanceolate and acute ; flowers M> '^'^ii{ ^^^U 't^^'- Jerusalem Artichoke (Heliauthus tuberosus). plentiful and about 2 inches across ; rays few and disc small. AVe are warned that the following species are "difficult of extrication," either confluent or mixed by intercrossing : — H. DORONicoiDES. — I place this, the third in merit, amongst perennial Sunflowers, H. rigidns IleHaiithus auuuus globulus flstulosus. and H. mnltiflorus being first and second. It is 6 feet or 7 feet high, upright in growth, with many tal ks. Flowers 3.J inches across, produced from the end of July to the end of September, bright golden yellow ; leaves large, ovate, tapering from the middle to both ends; stalk leaves sessile and nearly connate, that is, clasping the stalk by their opposite base. The plant spreads rapidly by run- ning root-stocks, and ripens seed in abundance. Figured as H. pubescens in Jiotaniciil Muffazine, tab. 2778. H. DIVAEICATUS resembles the last, but is in- ferior, being a smaller plant in all parts, especially in the flowers, which come out a month later. The Ilelianthus rigidus (syn., Harpalium rigiduir). cauline leaves are stalked and diverge widely, which habit gives its name to the plant. A casual observer would hardly notice the difference be- tween this species and the last, but when grown together the ^uperiority of doronicoides as a garden plant is at once evident. H. STRUMOSUS.— Fully 6 feet high ; growth up- right; rootstock less spreading than the last two leaves on very short stalks, broadest at the base, ovate tapering by a long narrow point; flower- disc narrow, but rays large and orange-yellow ; flowers showy, ." inches across; they come out late in August. I had this plant from Kew. The Ccmnion SuL flower (H. aunuus), showing hahit of growth. shape of the leaves would have led me rather to refer it to H.trachelifolius, a closely allied species. II. DECAPETALUS. — Five feet high ; flowers from end of July; makes a dense forest of weak, slender stalks, much branched at the top ; spreads fast; leaves i-erratp, oblong-ovate, rather large; flowers abundant, pale ■yellow, about 2 inches across ; rays nearly^ always more than ten, in spite of the name. H. TUBEEOSUs.^The well-known Jerusalem Artichoke : not a plant grown for ornament, being tio coarse and late in flowering, but several things in its history may be mentioned, as Dr. Asa Gray has spent labour and study over it. It is believed to have been cultivated by the natives before the discovery of America, and the edible tubers are thought to be a development of cultiva- tion. Forms o£ it without tuberous roots are found wild, but whether indigenous to the place or de- generate from cultivation was for long uncertain, Several species of Ilelianthus have a tendency to Flower of Helianthus aniiuus. produce similar fleshy tubers at the top of the roots. Dr. Gray u.sed to refer the origin of this species to H. doronicoides, but it is now believed by him to be a distinct species, though one of which it is difficult to identify with certainty the typical form. I omitted to say that the word Helianthus is Greek for .Sunflower. After several years' careful observation, I believe the notion that the flowers keep their face to the sun is quite a delusion. iVA/c Ball. C. W'OLLEY DoD. Kitchen Garden. THE MOST TEOFITABLE PEAS. NuMEBOUS as Peas already are, new varieties are added every year. To this there can be no rea- sonable objection provided the new comers are distinguished by superior qualities, and the public reject some of the old sorts superseded. This would be a boon to the trade, seeing that so many are named as different varieties that are in reality so much alike, if not identical, that it is impos- sible to distinguish them. Every Pea that pos- sesses any well-defined characteristic quality should have a name, but names without distinc- tion are a disadvantage to all concerned. And here I must protest against calling Stratagem " a sturdy branching form of Telephone," which it is not. It is a sturdy branching form of Pea, but not of Tele- phone. The latter may be properly defined as a blue-wrinkled marrow, pods long, large, slightly curved, and well filled with Peaa of a delicious flavour, second early, about twelve days after the earliest, height i^ feet, while Stratagem is 2 feet in height, more or less according to cultivation. It also differs from Telephone in the Peas being larger and the pods of a different shape. There is an equal impropriety in calling Pride of the Market a dwarf Telegraph. Who has ever seen a dwarf Pea 4.} feet high ? " W. I. M." seems to have aimed a heavy blow at these Peas, but nothing less than the bringing- in of superior varieties can harm them. I for one should not be sorry to see them beaten, as in that case all would be gainers. Culverwell's Giant Marrow is a grand Pea, and may stand very close to Telephone, but I have not yet seen one that can come near Stratagem. It will not be easy to persuade the public that large Peas are not the best. A Pea, be it recollected, may be large without being coarse. How a grower and a market salesman could speak against Stratagem and Pride of the Market is beyond my comprehen- sion. It appears that by thick pods " W. I. M." means thick shells. Large pods well filled will compensate for very thick shells, and I would challenge " W. I. Jl." to name a variety that will produce an equal measure of Peas from the same number of pods, as will any of the five following. Jan. 24. 1885.] THE GARDEN 69 viz., Stratagem, Pride o£ the Market, Telegraph, Telephone, and Calverwell's Giant Marrow— I mean a variety that shall be different from any of the above, and I would further request him to name a variety ttat will from the same measure of pods produce an equal measure of Peas as Stratagem. The pods of The Baron, " W. I. M." Bays, are veritable " wind bags " ; with us they are large, straight, and well filled. Evolution he says is a promising sort. I have grown this two years, and find it to be a mixture of four or five distinct varieties, the characters of which do not appear to be yet fixed, but from which, as the name implies, something good may yet be evolved, and then let us hope for the " survival of the fittest." " For sowing in frames, under walls, and on warm bor- ders, the dwarf American Wonder is invaluable," as •' W. I. M." says. It of course spoils the palate for round-seeded sorts, but no one need regret that, as we have now so many early wrinkled varieties, that a continuous supply may be had without going to round-seeded kinds. For in- stance, if we. commence with American Wonder, we may go on with Premium Gem, Turner's Emerald, Laxton's No. 1, Alpha, William Hurst, Bijou, Little Wonder, Dr. Hogg, and Bliss's Abun- dance, and thus without difficulty we can reach Telephone, which with the same treatment is about twelve days later than the first named variety. — K. G. Notwithstanding all that has been said (p. 47) in favour of Telephone and Stratagem Peas, I quite agree with " W. I. M.'s " estimate of them, that they are not of sufliciently high quality to grow for high-class consumers. I have to study quali y in what I grow, and although excellent as Telephone is for exhibition, that in my opinion is the only merit that it possesses. — J. C. C. Following up the remarks of " W. I. M." (p. 7), I am induced to give your readers my ex- perience under this head. I grow a very large quantity of garden Peas for table every season and in great variety, and whilst admitting the sterling all-round qualities of such popular sorts as Ne Plus Ultra, Dr. McLean, and Marvel — this latter being an especial favourite of mine — I can honestly say that I never grew such wonderful kinds as Stratagem and Telephone, their habit, size, and abundance of pods and quality of the Peas beiog totally distinct from all other sorts with which I am acquainted. I am not alone either in this opinion, as our " chef de cuisine " has also discovered these superior qualities, and is continually asking for the "Peas in the big shells; " and further than this, their fine flavour has elicited remarks from the table. In writing to Messrs. Carter, who introduced these Peas some years ago, I then told them that I considered their Stratagem the best Pea I had ever seen, and I have no reason to-day to alter my opinion. I might also add, I am in the habit of adjudicating at local shows in the summer months, and it is really astonishing to notice how popular these Peas must have become, as they are to be found in almost every amateur's collection, and in those classes assigned to Peas only they seem to carry al) before them ; one does not find, moreover, such "fleshy pods" amongst these contributions as when produced under a very high course of cultivation. — D. M. T. . The lively discussion originated by "W. I. M." with respect to Peas is in danger of being deprived of its usefulness when it turns upon the merits or demerits of this or that kind only, and deals not with so important a vegetable in its higher or most interesting aspects. There seems to be an assumption that if certain kinds of Peas yield well, give, in fact, a large produce, all is obtained that is required. The same claim has often been urged in favour of large and heavy- cropping Potatoes, that they were profitable, and therefore good kinds because they filled the bushel. I am not prepared to say so much con- cerning Peas, but certainly it is the case with re- gard to Potatoes, that just as the tubers are large so are they proportionately lacking in good quality, and especially flavour. Filling the basket is one merit, but it is a merit of a totally different order from having good quality with bulk, and if that be lacking, how much is the bulk worth ? There is just now a strange run on large Peas. I mean not merely large-podded Peas, but kinds which give large Peas when shelled. Now, what is much more worth discussing than is the prolificacy or otherwise of some one or more given kinds is that of relative table quality and fitness as found in large and small Peas. I have heard many good growers decline to grow large kinds of Peas on the ground that ihey were held objectionable at their employers' tables. That is a point worth dis- cussing, because it is of far more moment that one should grow kinds which give satisfaction than that we should grow merely prolific kinds. Apart, however, from the question as to whether small kinds of Peas— and in using this term I do not necessarily mean small croppers — may have better flavour than larger ones have or not, there is the further question as to whether large Peas, be they ever so good, are so much esteemed as smaller ones are. Many of our new kinds of Peas, unless when shelled before half matured, give a sample that rivals Hazel Nuts in size. Is not that too large for the general, or, perhaps I had better say, refined taste of consumers ? I am specially struck with the fact that our metropolitan market Pea growers do not favour large kinds, al- though they are glad enough to fill the bushels well. William the First and Kentish Invicta, Champion of England and Hundredfold, Veitch's Perfection and G. F. Wilson— these still rank amongst the most favoured of market Peas Growers would be glad enough to grow larger podded kinds if their customers would have them, but the preference remains for flavour allied to samples of moderate size. I do not wish to put the matter dogmatically, because there is much to be said on both sides, and the discussion ought to be carried on without bias for certain Peas, if that be possible. It is unfortunate when the truth is obscured by a strong desire to favour some one thing or other at its expense. — A. D. Judging from what appeared in The Gab- den last week (p. 47), I am altogether wrong in my estimate of the value of Telegraph, Telephone, Stratagem, Pride of the Market, and Giant Jlar- row Peas— in fact, it would appear I know but little about Peas, especially those best adapted for market work. Worse still, Messrs. Carter accuse me of having started with the determination to elevate into prominence certain Peas that had hitherto been in obscurity at the expense of four varieties that are admitted to be unequalled for exhibition, &c. Now, I rather pride mj'self in being independent and impartial, but if Messrs. Carter are correct, then I am guilty, to say the least, of gross partiality. This I positively deny. If the Peas just named are of such inestimable value as they are said to be, I think Messrs. Carter might have trusted to their customers who have presumably so largely benefited by their introduc- tion to come forward in their behalf without any special effort in the matter. Besides, these Peas have now become common property ; any seeds- man in the country is in a position to supply them, and I hold that I have a perfect right to give an opinion upon their merits. As it happens, I have grown Telegraph, Telephone, Stratagem, and Pride of the Market probably as long as any private gardener in the country. Telegraph we had when the seeds were mixed and before the white wrinkled portion of this variety was converted into Telephone. Surely, therefore, I ought to be competent to estimate their merits. All four are essentially second early sorts, and as such are valuable, but without much extra trouble, in the shape of trenches filled with turf and manure, or prepared as for Celery with plenty of water and liquid manure, they are of no real service either for main or late crops. The majority of us are not in a position to devote much labour upon the Pea ground, and what we want are sorts that yield the most heavily with a minimum of labour and expense expended on them. I have grown and recommended others to grow Telephone from the first, or, if a dwarf sort is preferred, to substitute Stratagem, either Tele- graph or Pride of the Market being suited to those who prefer a greener and less sweet Pea. It appears, however, we ought to grow them all, but will my opponents explain why ? We make two sowings of Telephone at an interval of a fortnight, a long row of each, and this we find ample, but I suppose the correct practice would be to sow four small rows each of the four indispensable sorts. This may do for exhibitors and amateurs, but would be a very unwioe practice where much pack- ing has to be done. In my original remarks on the varieties under notice I plainly stated that they "rarely fail to fill well," and but for the unfortunate omission by the printers of one small word, Mr. Marriott would have had still less cause to complain. Con- cerning those four varieties, I remarked that " all were good second early sorts, but to grow them all (as it should have been), except for exhibition pur- poses, would be a mistake." Are they such wonderful croppers ? or do not the dwarf sorts especially produce more haulm and fewer pods than such less showy and, I repeat, thinner podded sorts as Dr. McLean, Marvel, Gladiator, and Wordsley Wonder, which I am supposed to be lifting from obscurity ? Does " A Pea Grower " seriously assert that the big- podded sorts which he named produce double the quantity of Peas that either Champion of England or the early form of it, Hunting- donian do ? If he is correct, then I readily admit I have much to learn in Pea culture. "A Pea Grower" admits that he knows but little concerning the comparative market value of large-podded Peas, and yet he tries to prove that I am equally inexperienced in the matter. This is anything but complimentary to me, especially seeing that I have spent several years among growers for the markets. At first Pride of the Market did sell well, but soon came down to the level of the rest, and was actually of less value than Dr. McLean, the latter also being the heaviest cropper. " The Pea trade (as it is termed) has gone from bad to worse " was the last report I had this season, and if Mr. Waterer or anyone else " has cleared a large sum " vrith Peas during the last season, I shall be agreeably surprised. Will " A Pea Grower " give us a clearer idea of the space devoted by his neighbour to Pea culture, the quantity of Peas he sold, and the " large sum he cleared ' ? The other Welsh seller who made the regular market grower feel so uncomfortable will be fortunate if he or she is able to annually and successfully repeat the experiment. Much the same thing happened here years ago, but the game is played out. Have market growers taken to the private gardener's method of growing Peas— ttiat is to say, with the aid of stakes ? or do the Messrs. Carter assert that the liundreds of bushels of Telegraph they have sold to them are to be grown in the open fields, and, as usual, without stakes ? I do not believe it will be a profitable speculation if stakes have to be bought, and it is very certain that tall-growing Peas, or those, say, which attain the same height as Telegraph, viz., from 5 feet to G feet, cannot be profitably grown without stakes. When writers recommend tall-growing Peas for market growers, I at once conclude they do not know much about the matter. — W. I. M. HEAVY POTATO CROPS. The Potato is the most important of our garden crops, and that being the case, it is very desirable that the best methods of planting and cultivating it should be well understood. The late Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight made some successful experiments with Potatoes. In 1832 he says : " I had a crop of Potatoes dug up three days ago (of a new and early variety just obtained from seeds) in the presence of several farmers and gardeners, and accurately weighed, when the produce per acre was found to be 9C4 bushels of SO pounds each and 04 pounds over, or 34 tons, 8 hundredweight, 3 quarters, 25 pounds, and I do not entertain any doubt of being able, if I live long enough to gain proper varieties, of raising 1000 bushels of 80 pounds from an acre of ground. I am further confidently of opinion that if the crop of Potatoes be wholly consumed on the ground, or the whole 70 THE GARDEN [J.4N. 24, 1885. of the manure produced by them, i£ eaten by animals, be returned to the soil, that it will grow annually richer and be capable of producing better crops." Mr. Knight's plan of culture was to dig holes about 3 feet apart, into which he put a good dressing of manure, and planted three or four Potato sets. His aim was to " expose the largest possible surface of foliage to the light and atmo- spheric influence, and to keep the soil round the tubers and roots as loose as could consistently be done." At that time it was the practice in Here- fordshire, where he resided, to carefully loosen the soil round the roots during the growing period. This practice met with Mr. Knight's approval, but he complained that they planted too late ; conse- quently the tubers exhausted themselves in produc- ing growths before they were planted. Where many acres are planted with Potatoes it is not easy to avoid planting some of them late. On some farms with which I am acquainted the period of planting is necessarily spread over a space of from six to eight weeks. In gardens there must also be different methods of planting, as well as different periods in which the operation must be performed. The sets for our earliest crop are planted whole. The varieties are the old Ashleaf Kidney and the Uxbridge Kidney. We place some damp Cocoa-nut fibre or leaf-mould in shallow boxes ; thePotatoes are placed closely together and pressed into the material. If the weather is fine about the first week in March, the Potatoes are planted out in well prepared soil on a border slightly sloping to the south and sheltered from the north by a wall or fence. The next best position to this is a similar border sheltered from the east, and be it well understood that the soil should be friable by being well exposed to the weather. As soon as the previous crop has been removed the soil should be dug up and manured for the Potatoes. It may, in this case, be well exposed to the sun in autumn, which does the soil as much good as the winter's frosts. AVe have planted Potatoes in two ways, and I am not very sure which is the best. The first is to draw deep drills with a hoe across the border at a distance of 2 feet from each other, planting the sets a foot apart. The other method is to begin at one end of the border and fork it carefully over, planting the Potatoes as the work proceeds. They are, of course, planted the same distance apart. Perhaps on some soils and in certain states of the weather the latter method is the best. The boxes, up to the time of planting have been kept on the floor of a vinery, and the sets are generally sprouted and have frequently formed roots ; they are planted with the sprouts and roots attached to them. The sets for succession are also laid out on the floor of a close shed, and if they sprout in that position, the sprouts are short and vigorous looking. They may well be planted without removing the s-prouts if the Potatoes (as they ought to have been) were placed in a light position. The old practice of keeping the sets in a " clamp " or pit is a bad one ; they are sometimes neglected until the sprouts have grown a consider- able length and are matted together. The later planted varieties have the sprouts snibbed off them, about twice at least, before they arrive at the period for being planted out. A very common method of planting Potatoes in gardens and fields is by the use of the dibber. In some cases an implement is used that is very badly adapted for the work; it is of such a character that the hole made by it is not wide enough at the bottom, so that the Potato set is suspended with a considerable vacuum underneath it ; a little loose earth is pushed into the hole, and the operation of planting is considered to be complete. Under such circumstances, can it be wondered at that failures occur ? Large market growers in the outlying London districts, some of whom plant 100 acres of Potatoes in a season, nse a dibber with a heavy blunt iron head fixed on a handle about 4 feet long, with a cross bar at top. Tlie planter pushes the dibber into the ground with considerable force, making a hole large enough for any Potato set ; but the sides of the hole, if the soil is of a clayey character, are thus made so hard and smooth that it holds water, and in a wet season many of the Potatoes are killed. It requires three persons to plant the Pota- toes in this way. A man uses the dibber, a small boy follows, dropping a Potato into each hole, while a larger boy follows with a hoe and draws some earth over each Potato ; this he generally does with one stroke of the hoe. Nearly all our late Potatoes are planted by forking the ground over and planting as the work proceeds. In this way the sets are placed in loose earth, and as no trampling of the ground is necessary, the whole of it is left in the best condition possible. I have often wished, when observing the operations of planting Potatoes going on in this district, that the growers would take more care of their Potato sets before planting them. I do not know any crop that is so much improved by good cultiva- tion or deteriorated by bad management as the Potato. As soon as the plants appear above ground the draw hoe should be at work amongst them, and if the ground is rather foul with weeds it will be necessary to hoe it over twice in two weeks. Kill the weeds during their first incep- tion, and when the ground is perfectly clean and the plants have grown sufliciently, let them be moulded up. One more word of advice : Be care- ful not to injure the plants, either root or branch, during the operations of moulding up or of hoe- ing. The late Mr. Knight's advice is founded on sound practice — that is to expose as much as possible of leaf and branch to light and air. J. Douglas. EARLY PEAS IN HOT PLACES. Many will now be thinking of sowing early Peas, and an attempt will be made to get them up as soon as possible. The best way of accomplishing this is to sow them in pots, boxes, turves, or some- thing of the kind, and place them in a tempera- ture of 65° or 70°. Here they soon show them- selves, and in ten days or a fortnight they will have grown some inches in height, but the ques- tion is, can they be kept growing at this rate ? and if not, will they be injured by the check which they must sooner or later experience ? Certainly they will. Peas are often sown in January and February, and grown in warmth until about [a fortnight previous to their being planted out in March, when they have a short hardening off in a cool frame, but they are generally very tender and straggly, and it is some weeks before they really begin to grow. Throughout their existence, too, they retain evident traces of having been un- naturally treated at first. This, I fear, is of com- mon occurrence, but it is a mistake, a fact con- firmed by the appeaiance of the plants and the in- ferior quality of their produce. There is, however, a remedy, and an effectual one, viz., raising them in cool positions under glass. The seed will germinate well enough at this season in a frame or house in which no artificial heat is employed, and this is the way in which Peas may be raised successfully without experiencing any check. Their growth is not rapid, but it is sure and substantial. I like a frame about 2 feet deep better than any other structure in which to raise early Peas. Fill some hundreds of small 3-inch pots half full of soil, then put in ten or a dozen seeds, finish off with more soil, and place them in a frame covered with a good sash ; they will soon germinate and make fine, sturdy, dark green-leaved plants, which may be planted out almost at any time without receiv- ing the slightest check. If a batch were placed in a cold frame and another in a warm house at the same time, the latter would soon appear to be far ahead of the former, but by April the frame ones would be by far the best as regards robust- ness and fertility. Cool frame treatment comes nearer to natural growth in insuring healthy de- velopment than anything else, and it is before it in bringing them on to maturity. I repeat, there is no better place than a cold frame in which to raise early Peas, and I would advise everybody, especially amateurs, to try Pea growing in this way. No expense is incurred in getting them up or anxiety in getting them put out and hardened off, as by judicious air-giving on fine days they may be grown from the first in a most natural way and induced to pod some weeks eailier than any grown wholly in the open ground. ,J. MuiR. Margam, Glamorgannkire. Wormleighton Seedling Potato.— I believe I am accurate in stating that this Potato was awarded the first prize for the best dish of Potatoes at the Crystal Palace Show, an honour which it well merits. For five years I have grown this Potato largely, and I can say with con- fidence that it is the if aw ir/ra/ of a first-class Potato. There are some growers who look upon it as identi- cal with Magnum Bonum, an opinion from which I totally differ. We are just now using this variety. It is kidney-shaped, but slightly flattened, of large size, and in flavour excellent. The tkin is rough, but not scabby, and as regards produc- tiveness it is positively extraordinary. As a disease- resister, too, it is invaluable, its hard woody stems clearly denoting the fact. Last season, although the weather was remarkably dry, this Potato, in consequence of its vigour, get well hold of the land, and its large haulm completely shaded the tubers, a fact which doubtless did much towards securing a crop.— E. Gilbert. Books. THE FERN PORTFOLIO.* This portfolio of Fern portraits is the most luxu- rious of Mr. Heath's compilations on the subject of British Ferns— a subject whieh he has treated from the popular point of view in some smaller earlier publications. The present is, however, a somewhat pretentious work, inasmuch as the author claims for it that it " stands alone," and that " no other publication dealing with the sub- ject gives absolute facsimiles in form, colour, and venation of the fronds of Ferns," as if Mr. Brad- bury's Nature-printed volumes had never seen the light. The publication is in folio, and con- tains fifteen plates, in which are represented life- size all the species of British Ferns. The produc- tion of these portraits, it is stated, is the special aim of the work, the text being intended to be quite subordinate to the plates. The size of the page (16 inches by 12 inches) permitted of fair samples being selected for illustration. The figures them- selves, which are executed in chromo-lithography, are of unequal merit ; and while in some of them the form and venation are accurately rendered, the fructification is in most cases a failure. Neither plates nor text are num- bered, which is objectionable, on account of the difliculty of making references. True, there is a table of contents, in which the plants figured in each plate are set down, but on turning over the leaves to find any one species in particular there is beyond that not the slighest assistance given to the reader that we can discover. The first plate represents the Royal Fern (Os- munda regalis), which is very faithfully depicted, the form, colour, and venation being accurately rendered. The description is meagre, as indeed the introduction leads us to expect ; but the state- ment that the fronds are of two sorts, barren and fertile, is only true in the sense in which it might be applied to any other Fern. The next plate is the Broad Buckler Fern (Lastrea dilatata) ; the figure is good, but the description says, " The frond in general form is broadly lance-shaped, though nearly triangular'' — which is not very clear, and would have been more accurate if the latter phrase stood alone. Next comes the Black Maiden-hair Spleenwort (Asplenium Adiantum- nigrum), a heavy-looking plate, showing none of the "rich and glowing loveliness'' it is said to possess. The common Polypody (Polypodium vul. gare) is represented in both the blunt-lobed and the acute-lobed forms, but the former only is de- scribed. The form selected to represent the soft Prickly Shield Fern (Polystichum angulare) is scarcely a typical one, being too distinctly acute ' "The Fern Portfolio," by I'lancis George Heath. London : Society for Fromotiiig ChrlBtian Knowledge. Jan. 24, 1885.] THE GARDEN 71 n the pinnules, giving the frond an unusually spiny ap pearanoe ; nevertheless, there is such a form to be found, and the figure very well repre- sents it, except that nothing can be made of the sori, of which the test says, " The spores are pro- duced in two short rows. Sea. I " Next comes a plate containing figures of Hart's- tongue (Soolopendrium vulgare), Hay-scented Buckler Fern, Lastrea re- curva(a3mula), Rigid Buckler Fern (Listrearigida), and Hard Fern ( B lechnum Spicant), all good general figures, but lacking the special definition of the venation, which the introduction points out as one or the veins. The sori of Maiden-hair is quite in- correctly described, and the venation of the Holly Fern is also incorrect. The European Bristle Fern (Trichomanes radicans), Limestone Polypody ( Poly- podium calcareum), Three-branched Polypody (P. Dryopteris), and Mountain Polypody (P. Phego- pteris) form one group, all except the first fairly represented, but that, so far as we can make out, shows no fructification, and the Polypodium Dryo- pteris is unreasonably small compared with the other Polypodies beside it. Another group con- sists of Marsh Buckler Fern (Lastrea Thelypteris), \0i<^\X/"l He!iantluis muliilioius fl.-ijl. (See p. 66.) of the main features of the work. The descriptions, four on one page, become very meagre. Then come the Mountain Buckler Fern (Lastrea mon- tana) and the Prickly-toothed Buckler Fern (L spinulosa), both very good figures, excepting that the curved arrangement, by which the fronds of the latter is twisted into the space, destroys one of its most striking characteristics, and the un- natural curving is not pointed out in the accom- panying notes. The Lady Fern (Athyrium Filix- f oemina), the true Maiden-hair ( Adiantnm Capillus- veneris), and the Holly Fern (Polystichum Lon- chitis) occupy the next plate. The figure of the Lady Fern is coarse, without definition of the sori British Bladder Fern (Cystopteris fragilis). Moun- tain Bladder Fern (Cystopteris montana), and Sea Spleenwort (Asplenium marinum). Here the Lastrea Thelypteris shows only the sterile frond, while the others give a good general idea of the plants intended without going into details. Next comes the Bracken (Pteris aqnilina), Moonwort (Botrychium Lunaria), and the two Adder's- tongues (Ophioglossum vulgatum and 0. lusitanicum). The IJracken specimen represented, though fair-sized, is spindly, and shows no fructification. The others are such characteristic plants, that a recognisable figure could scarcely fail to be obtained, but in the Ophioglossums the venation is not well ren- dered. In the next plate, which is devoted to the hard Prickly Shield Fern ( Polystichum aculeatum), Cystopteris regia, Gymnogramma leptophylla, and Allosorus crispus, the figures are all fairly good, the first being perhaps a little too small in its parts compared with other subjects throughout the work. Then comes a plate with five subjects, of which only very brief description can possibly be squeezed in : they are Polypodium alpestre, sterile only ; Asplenium lanceolatum ; Asplenium Ceteraoh, very poor ; Asplenium fontanum ; and Asplenium Ruta-muraria. This is followed by the Crested Buckler Fern (Lastrea cristata), Asple- nium Trichomanes and A. viride, A. germanicum, and A. septentrionale. The first is a sterile frond only, and very incorrect as to venation, some of the forked venules being made to run parallel nearly the whole length of the segment. Last plate of all (No. 15, according to the contents table) comes the Male Fern (Lastrea Filix-mas), the two Woodsias, ilvensis and alpina (poor figures), and the two Hymenophyllums, tnn- bridgense and unilaterale. The Male Fern is a good figure — one of the best in the book, perhaps —but it certainly does not represent the typical form of the species, but the variety paleacea, a form so far removed, that some botanists regard it as a distinct species. We have thought it only fair in noticing a book of this pretentious character to indicate briefly some of its shortcomings. As a popular picture book, well got up and suitable for the drawing- room, it is worthy of commendation, for many of the figures are life-like and telling. We notice that throughout the work Mr, Heath pays no respect to capital letters in the names of the species when he ought to use them, nor does he always select the best or the current name, or acknowledge to whom he is indebted for any of those he uses — matters which might be passed over in silence were it not for the pompous an- nouncement of his being the first to give correct details of venation, form, &c., a statement which we have shown by his own book many of the figures do not bear out. Still, we repeat, the volume, being exceedingly well got up, is fit to find a place on any drawing-room table, and we trust, in the inte- rests of Ferns and Fern culture, that it may find its way to a large number of them, and be the means of bringing many of its readers into the well-filled ranks of Fern fanciers. M. GARDENERS EMIGRATING. Under this heading we published in Vol. XX. of The Garden (p. 496) some useful advice from Mr. Peter Henderson, of New York, to gardeners intending to emigrate to the United States, and to that well-known florist we are again indebted for the following on the same subject : " I think if you will again publish in The Garden a warning against the error so often made by gar- deners in coming to the United States at unsea- sonable times of the year, it will do many of them a great service. The time for gardeners to come to the United States is during our spring months — say from February 15 to April 1. Hundreds of them come over every season in our hot summer weather or in midwinter, when everything is frozen solid. At either of these times it is next to impossible for gardeners to get work, and they have often to remain idle for months in New York, where board costs about .£1 per week. As I am often written to for information on this sub- ject, you might say that no gardener should come here bringing his family with him unless he has an engagement, or else has means enough to keep him for at least six months, unless his family happen to be old enough to work and willing to do so. Emigration is better suited to the young. Few men take kindly to a new country, even at middle life, and old men hardly ever do. The wages for gardeners' assistants run at the present time in the vicinity of New York from .£3 to £i per month and board, and for head gardeners from ilO to £12, with house, fuel, &c. There are some, of course, who get higher pay and some lower, but these are about the average. It must be taken into account that the purchasing power of 20s. 72 THE GARDEN [.Tan. 24, 1885. here is not eqaal to £1 in England. I would say that it would be fair to estimate, everything con- sidered, that a man getting £(0 with perquisites per year in England would be as well as if he got £60 here. On the other hand, we have advantages, as our more rapid increase in population and opening of new towns in every direction give gardeners beginning the business of florists and market gardeners more facilities than in England. It is, however, a necessity for success that no matter how well a gardener may be posted in his business in England, our climate and conditions of things are so different, that to be successful in any departments of our business here, a residence of some years in the country is indispensable. I have known scores of men who have come from liritain with capital and at once plunged into bu^ine«s here who have lost their all in twelve months." FLOWER Garden. MOKE ABOUr DAFFODILS. Many questions about Daffodils are now asked every week in the gardening journals. The answers given are various and sometimes contrary to one another ; still, under varying conditions all may be right. I send a few notes founded on long experience in the cultivation of the Diffodil, and suggest a few experiments, which anybody may easily try. The questions asked are, ^\'hat is the best time to plant bought Daffodils? How deep should they be planted ? When we want to divide or transplant them, what is the best time fordoingit .' And does it injure them tokeep them out of the ground ? or are they better for being taken up and dried ? To give a general answer ; Most kinds of Daf- foiils are so hardy and so enduring as to be able to go through a great deal of ill-treatment without resenting it or feeling much injured ; but as the public are beginning to buy rare and expensive kinds they naturally wish to do the be^t with tbem, and there are some which require careful cultivation. The most important question is that which relates to the time for transplanting; the bulbs may be dug up and moved without injury any time that they are at rest ; but this period is very indefiuite, lasting in some dry soils, and with some early kinds, from the middle of June till the middle of September, but in wet and late soils less than half that time. Indeed, in the damp, strong soil of my garden I never at any time find the roots quite dead, and of some late kinds in wet seasons an inch or so of green leaf remains at the crown of the bulb all through sum- mer. In such soils as this I think the best time for lifting is before the leaves are quite dead — perhaps when dead for two-thirds of their length. The next point is, ought they to be replanted at once, and are they better or worse for being kept some time out of the soil ? Anyone may test this, and in ordinary soils if he plants half at once and keeps half out of the ground in a dry and airy place for three months and then plants them, it is likely enough that in flowering time next spring he will see no difference between the two sets. In this backward and wet soil I often keep those I am moving out of the ground for two or three months to ripen them thoroughly, partly, too, for convenience or giving away, and spread them nnder a south wall in all the little sunshine this climate affords. I replant before the end of .September, and think the flowers finer and the growth more vigorous than if replanted at once, but I am not very confident about it. On the other hand, when in the ground they are more out of harm's way. They cannot be forgotten. They will not become mildewed, as they do to their detriment if stored in a damp, ill-aired shed. When above ground birds peck and scratch them about from curiosity, for I never found that any bird or any kind of mouse would eat Daffodil roots. It must not be supposed that any change of treat- ment after the spring growth is completed will make a bulb flower the next year which would not otherwise have flowered. I believe that all spring bulbs make the germ of the ne.^t year's flower while this year's leaves are growing. We are often told that Daffodils bought from nursery- men have been planted after Christmas and, nevertheless, flowered well ; but if planting is de- ferred so late the flowering is retarded, and the subsequent growth less satisfactory. I should plant from choice before the end of October, though I have many times planted all through November with good results. The surest way to spoil the next year's flowering is to transplant bulbs, letting the roots get dry whilst still in flower. If a ball of soil is kept round the roots, or they are packed for a short time only in wet Moss, they may be transplanted with little injury at any time. As regards depth of planting, 1 am unwilling to lay down any definite rule. I have found wild Daffodils at all depths, from a foot to 2 inches, often in the same field, and I have re- peatedly tried planting at all these depths. For deep planting of course the soil must he deep and well worked Ijelow the bulb ; and the deeper, the earlier it will come up, being more out of the reach of frost, but the leaves and flower-stalk will grow taller. If we wish to encourage a dwarf and compact habit, shallow planting should be the rule, but the lighter the soil the greater the depth may be. Where garden room must be economised, deep planting enables us to utilise the space over Daffodils for late annuals or bedding plants, and, provided an autumn dressing is given, this double crop does no harm. A safe rule in good soils is to leave (i inches of soil above the crown of the bulb. The moral to be drawn from these remarks is that all should make experiments and observe the treatment be't suited to their own soil and climate, as well as to the different kinds of Daffo- dil they can cultivate. I have only just read a note in The Garden on " Planting Narcissi,'' the writer of which says that he is in the habit of buy- ing Daffodils in September, of potting half at once and the other half in December, " with only this difference in their flowering, that the late potted batch is always the best by a good bit." No doubt he will be contradicted, and the converse aflirmed. Without any wish to encourage con- troversy I have stated my own experience as well as I can, but let everyone try and judge from results. C. WOLLEY DOD. Edi/e Hall, Malpas, ChesJiire. PROTECTING CHRISTMAS ROSES. The beauty of the Christmas Rose is only fully seen when the blooms are shielded from harsh drying winds and heavy rains. When fully ex- posed the blooms are not only disfigured when pelting rains bespatter them with dirt, but they do not come to their full size and purity of colour. Covered with a handlight, the more genial climate thus created favours their perfect development, the flowers coming large and being ready to gather when they are most required. Probably the best way to ensure an early supply of bloom is to take up the plants carefully about the last week in October, putting them into pots just large enough to comfortably contain the roots, and plac- ing them in a position near the glass in a light airy house. Christmas Roses will not bear forcing, as the word is commonly understood, but, like Camellias, Cyclamen.', and zonal Pelargoniums, they enjoy a temperature which does not fall below 45° and which does not rise much beyond ,").5°, never exceeding oO° at night. Give them this constant warmth, with abundance of air on fine days, and you will get plenty of good flowers for Christmas decorations. Those who can devote a frame or two to this useful flower will be well repaid for the accommodation accorded, as there being no necessity to disturb the plants from year to year, the growth made by them will natu- rally be strongerand the individual blooms will come larger. Put iframes are often much required dur- ing the summer months, in which case it is easy to move the plants out in spring, but the best way is to plant them permanently in beds the width of the frames. Then, if some boards arefixed round — a layer or two of bricks will do — the lights can be laid on when the proper time arrives and again replaced when the blooming time is over. J. C. B. MOSST LAWNS. Allow me to state that one of the simplest and best methods of destrojing Moss on lawns is by an occasional light dressing with fresh-slaked lime mixed with a small quantity of soot to pre- vent its appearance being conspicuous and offen- sive. Both should be sifted through a fine sieve before use, so as to remove any stones or other objectionable matter. This mixture should be sprinkled evenly and lightly over the Grass once or twice during the autumn or winter, choosing a dry day just before rain for the operation. As spring approaches and the Grass begins to grow, a light dressing of finely-sifted stick ashes and burnt earth will effectually destroy any mossy patches that may have escaped, and further tend to produce a dark, healthy colour in the Grass. This, like the other dressings, should be applied just before rain- falls ; it will then disappear quickly. Where the Moss is very dense, these top-dressings will cause :t to appear yellow and unsightly for a short time ; but where this is the case, a small quattity of fine Grass seeds should be mixed with the last dressing, and the roller run over it when finished. By the^e simple applications any lawn may be easily kept perfectly free from Moss, and the turf rendered rich and uniform in colour. — W. C. T. Let Mr. Ward take advantage of the first frost to rake the lawn over with iron rakes ; the Moss will then come clean out and leave the Grass undisturbed ; then give a slight dressing of some good sifted material, such as burnt garden refuse, old lime rubbish, or, failing these, some good garden soil or road scrapings, and at the same time sow a few pounds of good lawn Grass seed. All work of this kind should be done between January acd March. Another method nearly as good is to get a cartload of unslaked chalk lime and have it made into a cone-shaped heap; then have it banked round with some good light loamy soil, and when the moisture of the soil has slaked the lime have the two well mixed together and sifted through a fine sieve ; sow this mixture all over f^c mossy lawn and the Moss will die out and the Grass improve. — R. M., Yattcmlon. There are several ways of clearing a lawn of Moss, the cheapest and most expeditious being a good dressing of fresh-slaked lime, which turns the Moss quite brown in a very short time and destroys its vitality, when it may be swept out from the Grass quite easily, or allowed to remain till it rots away or becomes shrivelled up. As dusty lime is awkward to put on alone, it is better to mix it with fine soil, as then it may be sown or scattered broadcast, and the lawn regularly and evenly covered. Moss may also be got rid of by raking the ground, giving it a thorough scratch- ing with fine iron rakes, which tear it out and do good by scarifying the surface, especially if it is intended to sow fresh seed, as the raking is a good preparation by making a bed in which it can ger- minate. Plantain, Daisies and such like large growing weeds maybe killed by dropping vitriolic acid into their crowns, which anyone can do quickly by having a long stick notched at the end where it goes into the bottle, when it will hold enough to do several plants without redipping. The bottle for the acid ought to have a large month, and be tied round the neck with a piece of wire, terminating in a loop at the end to carry it by, as, were string used, the acid would soon burn it up. Lawns that are infested with Moss and weeds are generally poor, and the plan to pursue when they are so is first to destroy the Plantain and Daisies, and then give a coat of lime, soot, and soil, which should be worked about by the aid of a coarse wooden rake, that it may be distributed properly and the crowns of the Grasses set free. If these are thin and patchy, some seed ought to be sown to furnish the gaps and make a close bottom, as it is not in the nature of things for ground to be bare, and if Grass has not pos- session, weeds soon take its place. Many sow Jan. 24, 1885.] THE GAKDEN 73 seeds, collected at random, that fall from hay- racks, which are very unsuitable, and it is far better to get the mixtures sold by narser3'men, as they contain only sorts that are fine growing and that make a nice sward. I<"or sowing these mix- tures March is the proper time, and to give the seeds a fair chance and keep them from the attacks of bird?, they should be well riked in and covered with fine soil, or the loss will be great.— S. D. RANUNCULUSES AND THEIR TREATMENT I AM often surprised we see or hear so little of these showy and once popular florists' flowers. The tide o£ fashion seems to have set in against them ; but there are other causes for their disap- pearance— for instance, a supposed difiiculty as to soil, situation, &c. This is shadowy and unreal, as I shall indicate in a moment, but a veritable mistake arises from giving the same general directions for the successful cultivation of the several seotions. Recently looking through a manual in which this matter is dealt with, no distinction is made as to the treatment of the Persian, the Turban, the Scotch, or the French, not to mention the recently introduced Cockade Ranunculus or the old semi-double section, still retained in several old Irish gardens, called Mela- dores. The three last, I may at once say, I have found perfectly hardy here, but a severe winter injures the foliage somewhat and checks sub- sequent growth. To remedy this, while at the same time strengthening and improving the blooms by-and-by, I mulch with short stable litter at the end of November. Those thus treated are now in very fine condition, though so far we have had here practically no winter. This is when I do not choose to lift them. They may, however, be lifted, dried, and stored in sand if you wish to remake the bed or to divide them. This I cannot find time for or think necessary more than every third year. The Persian or Turban will not bear open treatment, but must be thoroughly matured, dried, and wintered indoors. Those I have left outdoors have failed, but I am certain all will agree with me that there is no flower in the whole garden more deserving of this attention. Now, a word as to soil and situation above referred to. Any soil that will retain a fair proportion of moisture without becoming stagnant and that is tolerably rich will grow Ranunculi. A sprinkling of peat often assists in this way. I grow mine in par- tially raised beds,so that they may be fully exposed. The two first-named sections love the sunshine, though, when intense, it causes those too richly grown to flag. In planting I prefer a bed pre- viously prepared, though this or various manures or composts is unnecessary. I always put some river sand above and below the tubers. It acts as drainage while retaining moisture, and supplies the necsssary silicates to give firmness and stamina to leaves and flower-stalks. To-day I have started the Persians in boxes of mould with the view of transferring them to the beds later on. CUmmel. W. J. Muhpht. HrBRID HELLEBORES. Mb. Poe's communication (p. .SS) relative to a distinct form of Hellebore of the niger family raises an interesting qneition, and one that de- serves consideration. It is nothing less than this : Is there such a thing as a hybrid Hellebore of the niger family ? This involves itself into the further question : Is there more than one species of Helle- borus niger ? Of course, if the four ordinarily recognised forms, niger major, masimus, or alti- folius and angustifolius, are true species, then, as they are confessedly very closely related, inter- crossing is not only possible, but probable, and so Mr. Poii's plant may well be a hjbrid. But if there is bat one species of H. niger, then no cross-breed between any two of its forms or varieties can be a hybrid. Now, Mr. Poe's plant is interesting, as affording an instance of the gradual blending of forms which some regard as so distinct that they reckon them as species. His flower at first sight would be taken for angastifolias, but the marbled flower- stem excludes it from that so-called species. Again, we are told that the coloured pistil is a specific character of maximus or altifolius. Well, Mr. Poe's flower has the coloured pistil, but the plain green leaf-stalk excludes it from that so- called species. It is evident, then, that a coloured pistil is not suflicient to constitute H. niger maximus a species, nor a green leaf -stalk sufficient to constitute H. niger angustifolius one. I think it very likely that, according as growers of Hellebores take an intelligent interest in care- fully examining their own plants and those which they see elsewhere, as Mr. Poe does, there will be found many more such instances of the blending of the various forms of H. niger. I got a plant last summer from Guernsey, through Mr. T. Smith, of Newry, which is quite distinct from any other I have seen. It has soft red-coloured flowers of the build of maximus, with marbled flower-stem, but the pistil is ivory-white and the foliage is green and smooth on the edge ; yet I feel pretty sure that it is only a seminal variety of maximus. It would be well if some recognised botanical authority would examine the question and decide whether the four commonly received forms of H. niger are specifically distinct, or are only varieties of the one species. Then, if it be decided that they are not specifically distinct, it would be a gain to gardening to abandon as mis- leading scientific distinguishing titles and to give them, and such other really good and distinct forms as may arise or be found, floricultural names, such as are found so convenient in the case of varieties of the caulescent section. Fredeeick Ttmons. HYACINTHUS CANDICANS. Now that the bulbs of this fine hardy plant are plentiful and cheap, it ought to be extensively planted wherever a stately plant is wanted. I cannot think that the adaptability of this plant to all kinds of soils and positions is sufficiently well known. I do not mean to say that individual plants make striking objects, but planted in clumps of from twelve to twenty bulbs in each, and cover- ing a space of some 18 inches, they form no mean ornaments in any position. When once planted they take care of themselves and last for years ; in fact, when grown in a fairly good soil their vigour increases, although the number of bulbs does not. This plant is admirably suited for mixed borders, and as it flowers in August and September it comes in when many other hardy plants are on the wane. It is just the plant to use in the wild garden, for neither heat nor cold, wet nor dry weather will injure it. Plant the bulbs about 3 inches under the surface, well stirring up the soil before plant- ing, and their well doing is insured. Where white flowers with long straight stems are required, a permanent row may be planted anywhere in the kitchen garden; it will be found that they will be most useful, for their stiff straight stems and drooping bells associate well with most other sub- jects. This plant, I think, might be turned to useful account in isolated bedding ; a bed planted with alternate rows of the Hyaointhus and the taller growing Daffodils might be made to give two distinct displays of flowers in one year. The Daf- fodils would be out of flower and the leaves dying away by the time the other was a few inches above ground. For the embellishment of the conserva- tory this Hyacinth is admirably adapted. If six bulbs are put in a 7-inch pot, a good sized specimen may be quickly formed; for this purpose they should be potted at once ; any good loamy soil will suit them. By placinga few in a cold pit or green- house and another lot plunged in ashes in the open air, a succession of flowers may be had. If desired, this Hyacinth may be had in flower six months out of the twelve, as it submits to steady forcing, I am acquainted with a grower who makes a point of forcing it into flower in May in order to obtain its white flowers for bouquet making. J. C. C. .5305.— Raising seedling' Alstroemerias. If the Alstroemeria seed which "G. C." has is good, there ought to be no difiiculty in raising plants from it; it should germinate readily in gentle heat if sown about the middle of March, which is the best time, as then the plants may be turned out to make their growth in the beds or borders, where they will drive their tubers far down by the autumn. As it is almost impossible to transplant Alstrffimerias successfully, owing to their being so impatient of any disturbance, the seeds should be sown thinly in small pots, and the plants transferred from them without breaking the ball. Another way of getting Alstroemerias esta- blished is to sow where they are to remain, which should be done as soon as the seeds are gathered, when they will germinate the following spring. To grow the plants well out-of-doors, special pre- parations should be made for them ; they must have good drainage and a warm situation. The best place for them is a border in front of a south wall or house, where the earth should he dug out to a depth of 2 feet G inches or so and a layer of brickbats put at the bottom. To keep the inter- stices between these open it is advisable to cover them with a sprinkling of half-rotten manure, when the bed may be filled up with sandy soil and leaf-mould and the plants planted out. Started in this way, they spread rapidly and soon become fine and strong, when they ilower pro- fusely if properly protected during winter, which may be done by giving a top-dressing of half- rotten leaves ; the latter will keep out frost and shelter the young crowns and shoots that strike so early in spring. — S. D. WORK DONE IN WEEK ENDING JAN. 20, 1885. January li. Frost continues. Carted manure to Potato ground ; thinned out Apple trees in orchard by cutting out the worst varieties, also thinned out the branches of Nut trees and removed suckers from them, these being preserved, as they make excellent sticks for plant tying; cutting and pointing Pea sticks, and also cut away a few low branches from Oak and Beech trees that obstructed the sight of certain vistas from the pleasure grounds. New seeds arrived, and previous to putting them in the drawers these were all cleaned out, and such old seeds as it was thought might yet be of service were marked as old, so that if required for use the date could be a guide as to how to sow — that is thick or thin according to age and appearance of seeds. Sowed Celery in a shallow box, over which was placed a sheet of glass till germination takes place. Vegetable seeds that we sow in this manner are placed in a cool house, such as a late Peach or Fig house. Put in warmth a few more Hyacinths, Narcissi, Tulips, and Roses, also another fifty Strawberry plants : those in fiower were given a little air daily, slightly increased firing being needed this cold weather to enable this to be done. January 15. Thaw, very slight rain, which did not hinder our open-air work. Began trenching again in kitchen garden, also began to prune large orchard trees. There are large bushes, and the pruning we do is simply to cut out any branches that cross or chafe each other, and any cankered ones and extra long spurs on branches that are left are shortened back — Moss and Lichen being rubbed off as pruning proceeds. The orchard is on Grass, and the most satisfactory way of manuring the trees we have yet tried is a good dressing of soot and guano, sown thickly over the entire orchard and left for the rain to wash it in ; put away seeds, labelled drawers, spread out seed Potatoes on fruit room shelves ; also Garlic, Shallots, and Onions for seed. The three last will be planted as soon as the ground is in working order. Sowed Conifer seeds received from Corsica. They are sown in pans covered with glass and placed in a cold frame ; also sowed the following seeds in pans and placed on bed in Melon house : Acacia lophantha. Salvia argentea, Phormiumtenax, Grevillearobusta, Mar- vel of Peru, Chamajpeuce diacantha, and Chams- peuce Casabonse ; washed pots of Cinerarias, Primulas, and bulbs, and arranged them to the best advantage in second Peach house. The con- 74 THE GARDEN [Jan. 24, 1885. slant shifting about of plants that fruit forcing always entails where proper plant houses are lacking is otttimes very inconvenient, but at the same time it affords frequent change of arrange- ment, and therefore of renewed pleasure to many, and thus the additional labour is compensated. before the gravel gets dry, else it does not bind nicely. This soft state of the gravel is also the best for applying surface sprinklings of new gravel on such parts as look dirty or dis- coloured, and some of this work we have done to-day. Shrub pruning (Laurels and Ubododendrons) and the borders the old mulching and loose top soil will be removed and new material be given. Gave another watering to late Muscat bouse (inside border) ; the lights of this house are not movable, and artificial watering is there- fore compulsory. The whole of the interior is J"ull-3i2eil flower if Htlianthus multiflonis. (Sep r CO) Turned heat on Fig house ; forcing will begin but slowly, 5C° at night being the maximum on cold nights. The trees will be syringed each day when the house is shut up at two o'clock. January 16. The thaw is complete. All walks have been rolled ; the frost upheaved the ground, and it is therefore imperative to get this operation done clipped hedge of Lawson Cypress. This plant makes the neatest of hedges and bears any amount of clipping, and which may be done at any season. Pruning orchard trees and digging Potato ground. Took lights off late vinery, the inside borders being thus, as it were, turned outside. All the woodwork and Vines will now be well cleaned and the lights be washed before they are again put on. Soon as there has been sufficient rain to well soak being washed with soapy water and the Vines dressed with Gishurst. Trained Peach and Necta- rine trees on back wall of new vinery ; we have not much faith of their doing any good beyond the second year, as by that time the Vines will shade the whole of the wall, but the trees will then remove well to some other position, so that there will be no loss. The plan of furnishing back walls of vineries with other fruit trees, by limiting the Jan. 24, 1885.] THE GARDEN 75 Vines to about two-thirds of the roof, is not to be commended, for the best Grapes are always had when the Vines are allowed every available bit of head-room or length of rod. Sowed the following seeds in pans and placed them in heat : Solanum pyracanthum, Ferdinanda eminens, Echeveria metallica, Centaurea candidissima. Tomatoes Earliest of All and Hackwood Park Prolific, and Telegraph Cucumber. Got in soil for Melons ; moderately stiff loam with just a sprinkling of half-inch bones is our compost, and it is well beaten down as each layer is put in. Wireworm is present in the soil, and as some are sure to escape us when the soil is being housed, we place pieces of Carrot in it, a bait which they quickly find out, and so get caught. Having had whole Bets of plants destroyed by this pest has made us ■wary in respect of preventive measures to avoid similar losses in future. January 17. Dull, no frost, but very cold ; cleaned up coach roads and rolled recently laid turf, tidied up kitchen garden, and began to relay Box edgings, and to mend such part.s of edgings as do not re quire entire replanting. Did a little more trench ing, and planted a few Gooseberry and Currant trees. Planted more Potatoes in frames. Early Ashleaf and Sunrise being the varieties. Sowed Radishes broadcast over the soil; they will be usable before they are of any detriment to the Potatoes. Made up afresh the linings to the forcing frames, and turned over the heap of leaves and litter that is intended for renewal of Pine beds soon as the weather is mild enough to begin that work. In addition to the weekly all-round thorough clean up of bouses, time was found to put fruit room in order, to look over Grapes in Grape room, and fill up the bottles with water. Muscat Grapes have never kept so well in bottles with us as they do this season, and as the conditions are just the same as in previous years, the cause must be the more perfect ripeness dne to the splendid summer and autumn of last year. Watered Pines. Those not showing fruit, but which were expected to do so now, are ttill kept dry. in the hope that the check may conduce to a fruiting state. Potting oft succession stock is much needed, but till the weather is warmer can- not be done ; consequently a more liberal supply of water is needed to obviate the evils of a root-bound condition at this stage of growth. Thinned fruit and picked weak blossoms oS Strawberries, those that are well set being shifted to the shelves in Pine stoves, and those still in flower remain in Strawberry house, which for the present is kept well ventilated, to suit the plants at the flowering stage in particular. January 19. Digging and trenching. Laying Box edgings. Planted Lettuces on a south border. Sowed a suc- cessional lot of Peas (William I. and Eingleader) ; also a few Longpod Beans. Dug up Leeks and heeled them thickly in under a north wall. Salsafy also was dug up and laid in sand, the ground being required to be got ready for spring crop- ping, this particular piece being intended for early Cauliflowers and Coleworts. Dag up Jeru salem Artichokes, and the ground is now being trenched preparatory to making a new plantation of Rhubarb, another supply of which has to-day been put in to force. Began to prune Peaches on the open wall. There is soft scale on some of them, and this is rubbed off as each tree is pruned, but to make sure of their destruction, all the trees will have a painting over with a mixture of soft soap, tobacco water, and Gishurst. Sowed Sweet Peas in small pots and placed them in heat ; they will be planted out before they get root-bound in a ti ench prepared the same as for Celery. No flowers more greatly repay the labour, or cost of high cultivation, than do these, and yet it is rarely they are to be seen doing well. We give them rich deep soil, pinch out the tops repeatedly, which makes them branch out, and pick off the flowers soon as faded to prevent seeding. They thus flower continuously the season through, and yet, with all this profnseness of flowering and pinching, they frequently attain a height of 1) feet, or 10 feet. Put in more cuttings of soft- wooded bedding plants. Weeded and picked over Violets in frames, scraped off Mos.=, and stirred soil between the plants with a pointed stick. Commenced potting Ferns, Palms, and other foliage plants. January 20. Slight fog, but dry underfoot. Pruning orchard trees and Peaches. Cutting Grass verges of coach roads and repairing the roads ; trenching in kitchen garden, and raking rubbish — leaves prin- cipally— from sides of lake. The work in the houses has been the same as for the last two days -viz, propagating, potting, and getting in soil for Melons, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and for potting Pines. Hants. Fruits under Glass. ViNES.--The keeping of late Grapes until long after early ones are ready for use having been re- duced to a certainty, many people have given up starting their first house in November, when forc- ing is dead against Nature, and the quality of the fruit is by no means equal to first-class examples of Lady Downes and Mrs. Pince, which have been ripened under more favourable solar influences. This fact does not, however, prevent the thrifty grower from pruning, cleansing, and getting all his houses in order and ready for starting under conditions which best suit his own altered ar- rangements, and as this work will have been brought to a close, the papers which I am now about to supply will point forward rather than backward to cut-and-dry details which may be lagging in arrear. In my own management I always make a point of keeping Lady Downes until the end of May. The house from which they were this year cut at Christmas has been pruned, cleaned, and thrown open for a two months' rest before being again subjected to artificial heat. The inside borders have been moderately watered to bring back the compost to a growing state, and, with the exception of a good mulching for the protection of the surface roots, the outside borders are ex- posed to the influence of the weather. As this house will not be required for the protection of plants, constant coddling by shutting and re-open- ing the lights, turning on and shutting off heat, will not be needed, unless the weather becomes very severe, when prudence will suggest pre- cautions for the protection of the stems as well as the hot - water pipes. We now turn to the early house cantaining Vines which have been forced for forty years. Formerly it was closed in November, now it is kept open until the end of December, and so great is the force of long usage, that a temperature ranging from .J0° at night to C0° by day causes the buds to burst by the middle of January, when the temperature is raised to a minimum of 60° and a maximum of 70° to 75°, according to the state of the weather. The man- agement of the e-xternal borders is as follows : In September they are cleared and top-dressed with fresh loam and bone dust ; in November and De- cember Oak leaves are carted home and placed in the front area, where they remain until the buds begin to swell freely; when this stage has been reached and the leaves are in a state of fermenta- tion, a thick covering of IL' inches to 18 inches is forked up to the surface of the border from the front ; sheets of corrugated iron are placed over all, and the external roots are safe for the season. Some Grape growers place fermenting material on the borders at the time the hon-es are cleared for forcing, but this is a mistake, as the roots are ex- cited into action at the expense of the stored-up sap, and the breaking of buds is retarded there- by. When all the buds are pushing freely and disbudding has been attended to, the young rods are tied up in their places, and detailed manage- ment, so often wiitten for the pages of Thk Garden, is followed, with variations suggested by the ever changing atmospheric conditions by which we are surrounded. Intermediate vineries do not here call for remark, but where early propagation of young canes for planting out in May or for growing on into pot Vines is important, the eyes put in last month and kept in a temperate pit should now be plunged in a bottom-heat of 75° to 80°, where they will soon form roots. If firmly potted in small 3-inch pots and plunged in moist tan, water will not be needed until the stored-up sap has expanded into young roots and bursting buds. A light dewing over with the syringe may, however, be necessary to the maintenance of proper atmo- spheric conditions, and a steady bottom-heat through this critical stage is impeiative. Figs. — Unlike Grapes, this delicious and rapidly increasing favourite fruit cannot be had in condi- tion after November. Therefore arrangements are now usually made for starting the first house in November. Where this has been done and suitable kinds, such as Brown Turkey, White Marseilles, Negro Largo, and Osborns Prolific, in pots or inside borders, were started about that time, the embryo fruits formed at the points of last year's shoots will now be pushing freely, and the terminal buds will be bursting into growth. Well-prepared trees of the above kinds may be carried through the early stages at, or a shade above, temperatures recommended for Vines. Copious syringing with warm water and a steady bottom-heat ranging from 70° to 75° are also essentials which must not be neglected. The trees at this place, formerly in pots, are now planted out in a cemented brick pit, 2 feet deep, with 6 inches of drainage and 18 inches of soil of a light, rich, calcareous nature. Each tree is confined to a superficial space of about 3 feet square. The space in the pit unoccupied by compost is filled with fermenting leaves when the house is closed, and these are turned and reno- vated through the early stages until the young roots render it advisable to discontinue disturb- ance. They are then allowed to ramble through the decaying vegetable matter; abundance of warm water is given to the half-cube of compost, and " dropping " when the fruit should be taking its last swelling is almost unknown. When treated in this way, Brown Turkey, still the best for early forcing, becomes a perpetual bearer throughout the season, and can only be induced to go to rest by the removal of the roof lights early in Septem- ber. When two cr more houses are devoted to Fig.«, a second should be shut up early in the current month, well watered, syringed, and treated precisely the same as the early vinery. Peaches. — Twenty years ago it was the prac- tice in early forcing gardens to shut up the first house in November. Now, thanks to the late Mr. Rivers, equally satisfactory results can be secured by planting the best of his early race of Peaches and Nectarines and starting the house six weeks later. The 1st of January being a favourable time for starting the first, or it may be the second house, let everything be done that will facilitate the swelling of the buds without having recourse to much dry fire-heat, particularly during dull days and the hours of darkness. If at hand, a good bed of fermenting leaves will be found in- valuable, and often snflicient to keep the neces- sary heat for the first three weeks, while the genial moisture given off will reduce the necessity for much direct syringing until after the fruit is set. Water at the roots is also an important factor, but, provided the borders have been kept in a moist growing state all the winter, heavy slush- ing, will not be advisable until days have increased in length and brightnefs. Under the impression that the Peach revels in moisture, many people deluge and starve the roots, and very often rot the flower buds by a too liberal use of the syringe when they have neither sun nor leaves to carry off copious supplies; therefore, while guarding againi^t aridity above or below the surface of the soil avoid a sloppy condition of the house ; commence forcing (always with a chink of air) at a minimum tem- perature of 45°; apply fire- heat early in the day and syringe when the maximum of 55° has been attained. Assuming that the earliest house is approaching the flowering stage, fumigate once or twice to secure immunity from green fly before the first blossom open.=. Many good houses of Peaches are ruined by the neglect of this simple 76 THE GARDEN [Jan. 24, 1885. operation. Get alljlate houses cleansed and tied in ; point and top dress the borders, and keep all the ventilators constantly open nnless the weather is unusually severe. If pot trees are still out of doors protect the buds from the ravages of birds, and lose no time in making arrangements for placicp them under glass. Cherries.— Independently of the fact that a dish of early Cherries in May is a great acquisi- tion to the dessert, a well-furnished house of trees in full flower is one of the most delightful sights that can well be imagined. Then, again. Cherries are so moderate in theirrequirements as to fire heat; indeed the great danger to be guarded against is the application of too much. I always close my Cherry house the first week in January, and allow the temperature to range from 40° at night to 50° by day, when tire-heat is needed, ^\'hen the ex- ternal air is above ."iO° the pipes are warmed every morning as usual, and an extra quantity of air is admitted to produce conditions similar to what one might expect to experience against a warm sunny Peach wall in April. When the day tem- perature reaches the maximum, the trees are syringed with tepid water, but on cold sunless days atmospheric moisture is produced by damp- ping the walls and floors only. For ordinary forc- ing there is nothing better than the old May Dake, Black Circas.'-ian, Elton, and Bigarreau Napoleon. These should be thoroughly established in internal borders composed of rich calcareous loam, and thinly trained over a trellis some 12 inches beneath the glass. Strawberries in pots. — Where a proper Strawberry house does not exist batches of plants can be brought on in e?rly Peach and Cherry houses, also on the back shelves in early vineries. Vicomtesse Huricart de Thury and La Grosse Sucroe force well. The first is the earliest, the second is the finest. I have not yet discovered that there is much difference in the quality of very early fruit. W. Coleman. JEastnor Castle, Ledhury. COE'S GOLDEN DROP PLUM. In Mr. Webster's interesting and instructive com- munication on fiuits (p. .SO), this Plum, along with others, is alluded to. Mr. Webster also mentions another variety, named Webster's Gage, a seedling raised between Green Gage and Coe's Golden Drop, the former being the pollen parent. Therefore, judging from its parentage, this variety may well be expected to prove a first-class dessert fruit. And as Mr. Webster admits that it ripens best upon a south aspect, it may, when transplanted from its northern home (if this has not already been done; and heoome established in more genial climes, be found to even surpass in flavour and excellence its well known and highly appreciated parents. Be that as it may, my present purpose is to allude to Coe's Golden Drop, which, wherever it may be grown, IS found to be one of the best and most useful of dessert I'lums. It .=eIdom ripens belore the end of September, and after being ripe it will continue to hang long upon the tree and remain in good condition, and it is highly appreciated by many even when it has become shrivelled, or the fruit may be gathered when ripe and kept in a dry place until nearly C'hristmas. It is of large size, oval in shape, and of a pale yellow colour, the side most exposed to the sun being marked with numerous dark red spots. The lies-h is yellowish red and adheres to the stone, but is at the same time sugary and delicious. This variety of Plum is well known and almost universally grown, but it may not be so universally known that it originated in the town of Bury St. Edmunds during the latter half of the last century, and is suppo.sed to be a cross between the Green Gage and tlie variety known as Magnum Bonum. Tlie family name of Coe is by no means uncommon in this neighbourhood, and about the time alluded to there flourished in the town of Bury a market gardener named Gervaise Coe, in whose garden grew trees of the Green Gage and the Magnum Bonum in close proximity. Here a self-sown Plum tree put in an appearance, which in due time pro- duced fruit, which was considered to be of the Magnum Bonum variety, and as such was sold to his customers, among whom was an old ladj', who, happening to observe the tree from which she was supplied, particularly desired to be again furnished with fruit from the same tree. This circumstance, so the story goes, directed Coe's attention to the improved and delicious variety of Plum which he had originated, or rather which had originated itself upon his premises. The Magnum Bonum, although handsome and highly esteemed for the purpose of preserving, is not remarkable for flavour, and can only be regarded as a cnlicary variety ; while Coe's Golden Drop, although much like it in appearance, doubtless derives its fine flavour from the Green Gage, one of its supposed parents. The finest and best flavoured fruit of the Golden Drop I have seen were for many years produced by somewhat old trees trained to a high garden wall facing due north; the fruit, neverthe- less, ripened quite as early as that of trees of the same variety on aspects which might have been considered more favourable, such as those facing east and west. P. G. Bur^ St- Edmunds. OBITUARY. MR. B. T. VEITCH. The death is announced of Jlr, Robert T. Veitch, last surviving son of the late Mr. James Veitch, ot Exeter. The deceased, who was in liis (;2nd year, had been in failing health for some time, and ditd on Sunday evening at Ttrquay from consumption. Mr. Veitch started in life as manager of a large corn-growing estate in Smyrna, having previoudy qual.fied himsflf for the po-ition by a course of practical farm study somewhere in the neighbour- hood of Slough. From Asia Minor M--. Veitch proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, and there started farming on his own account. It was at the Cape that Mr. Veitch was marritd and four of his children were born. In 18.57 he returned to Exeter and assisted his father iu the management of the well-known nursery on the Topsham Koad. On the death of IMr. James Veitch, in 1SG3, that property was sold, and his son then established the Exotic Nurseries, which have since been car- ried on with so much success in the New North Road, Exeter. Mr. Veitch devoted himself with great success to the cultivation and improvement of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. He introduced many novelties and improved varieties which bear his name. Though Mr. Veitch never took any prominent part in public affairs, he was ever ready to lend a helping hand for the advancement of any good work, and contributed liberally to the support of the hospital of which he was a governor, to the Zenana and other missionary societies, and various charitable institutions. About three years ago he re-visited the Cape tor the benefit of his health and came back greatly restored, but a se- vere cold caught in the following summer ended iu the affection of the lungs which caused his death. MR. GEORGE STERLING. Mb. George Sterling, the subject of this notice, died in Edinburgh some little time ago, aged seventy-nine years. His name as a gardener, and particularly as a botanist, was known through- out Britain. Uneducated and self-taught botanist as he was, few men surpassed him as an authority on the general nomenclature of plants. I was an apprentice under him while gardener at Jlelville Castle in 1812. and at that time the collection of hardy herbaceous plants under Mr. Sterling's charge numbered over 15,000 species, and tlie col- lection of Cape Heaths and New Holland plants was probably unsurpassed by any private collec- tion in the vicinity of Edinburgh. George Sterling was a stern disciplinarian, though one of the kindest of men, and the position of his workmen and ap- prentices was no sinecure. Nearly every plant of his large collection was distinctly labelled, and all, too, by his apprentices and workmen at night in their own time, often burning the midnight oil for our own benefit, he said. A list was given to each man weekly and a set task exacted from each. Rarely a week passed but his interesting collection ot plants was examined by amateur and profes- sional botanists, and such men as Dr. Neil, McNab, and Turnbull, of Glasgow, consulted and deferred to his opinion. Mr. Sterling was a candidate for curator of the Cambridge Botanic Gardens in 18r>4, and received scores of testimonials from the highest sources in Britair vouching for his pecu- liar ability for the position. I visited him in Edinburgh in 1872. He had then retired from active work, and though sixty-five years of age was as bright mentally and physically as a man of fifty. He still kept a collection of over six thon- sand species of plants, mostly alpines, and amused himself by making exchanges with the different botanical gardens throughout Europe. Mr. Sterling had but one son, who, I understand, has inherited the botanical tastes of his father, and who has been for some time in the United States, and is now of the firm of Gould & Sterling, nurserymen, Jack- sonville, Fla. P. H. Royal Horticultural Society.— The an- nual general meeting of this society will be held at South Kensington on February 10. The fol- lowing persons are recommended by the council to be appointed to the oflices of president, trea- surer, secretary, and auditors of the society : Pre- sident, Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M P. ; trea- surer, William Haughton ; secretary. Major F. Mason ; auditors, John Lee, James P. West, and ANMlliam Richards. The vacating members of the council are the Right Hon. Lord Aberdare, the Right Hon. Viscount Enfield, and J. H. Mangles (deceased). The Fellows recommended by the council to fill the above vacancies are the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscawen, Colonel R. Trevor Clarke, and W. T. Thiselton Dyer, F.R S. Open spaces In London. — The attention of the Metropolitan Public Garden, Boulevard, and Playground Association has been directed to a large open space, three acres in extent, at Dart- mouth HUl, Upper HoUoway, one of the reservoirs of the New River Company, whence can be ob- tained a view of the surrounding country extend- ing some 20 miles. A turfed roadway stretches from the base to half way up the embank- ment and around it ; and it is suggested that if this were planted with shrubs, and flower-beds were formed and seats placed, it would constitute a most attractive health resort for the residents of the locality. Further, it is suggested that if the public were permitted to use the top of the reservoirs — which are covered in and turfed over — as lawn tennis grounds, it would prove a great acquisition to the neighbour- hood. Steps are being taken with a view of in- ducing the company to permit the use of the ground for recreative purposes in the event of the Metropolitan Board of Works or local authorities being willing to take over and maintain the space as a place for recreation. Leelia ancepa (G. H'l'ttin.?).— The flowers you s^nd represent barker's viuiety o( this Orchid. A plaut Ijcirlug twenty-seven llowers on eight spikes is considered a very tine specimen, and the spikes rarely have more than live flowers. The flowers you sent were so bruised as to bo scarcely recognisable. Tree Paeonles- — I would recommend " T. H. T." to procure the followin'^, viz. : Gloria Belgaruni, lucarnata, Klizabetha, t'ountess of Crawford, and Souvenir de Gaud, all of wliich are of dilTereut shades of rose and salmou- rose .and quite distinct from P. arborea fl.-pl.— Max Leichtlin, Baden-Baden Naming plants. — Four kinds of plants or llowers onltj can be named at one time, and this only when good Specimens are sent. Names of planta — A. E.—l, Asplenium bull)iferum ; 2, Adi.-uituni hispidulura ; 3, X. cuneatura ; 4, A. foi-niosuni. R. (?.— Smilax mauritanica. C A. C. — Flugjria (Opliiopogon) japouica. G S.— No. 2. Brassavola ciiudata (sent last week). W. £.— Pleopeltis f ulva. BOOKS EECEIVED. Cassell's "Popular Gardening," vol. i. Cassell & Co., Belle Sauvage Yard, London. " Uictionary ot Gardening," vol. i. I. Fpcott Gill, 170, Strand. "Epping Forest," by E. IS. Buxton. Stanford, Charing Cross. " Brass Eepouss^ Work," by Mdme. Am^Ue, 40, North Audley Street, W. THE GARDEN ^- 77 No. 689. SATURDAY, Jan. 31, 1885 Vol XXVII. " Tills is an Art Wliich does mend Nnture : chanerc it rather; but The akt itself is Nature."— SAaJ-cs^JOTW. as mummy Peas, but they always seemed liable to get mildewed, possibly from debility in conse- quence of their prolonged sleep. Mart, Viscountess Chetwynd. HELLEBOKUS NIGER AND VARIETIES. Mb. Tymons' welcome letter on divers Hellebores has tempted me to send a few notes in corro- boration of his view that these so-called hybrids are varieties ; they do not sufficiently differ to rank as hybrids spite of some forms, notably maximus, being sterile. Having for some time collected Hellebores, specially of the niger type, I have picked up from time to time various forms that struck me as good, and I now have such close gradations in colour, size, and earliness between the earliest maximus and the latest niger, as to suggest most conclusively that, like the Oxlip and the Primrose, there is no room to draw a line and say, here ends one species and there begins another. Among a batch of H, niger seedlings I got from the Continent three years ago, one has flowered this year with blooms exactly the size and shape of maximus, but of the purest white both outside and in. The stigmas are faintly tipped with red in an old bloom, but are green when opening. Another has flowers in pairs, very rosy outside, but white inside, and with no red on the stigmas, while both have green leaf-stalks and red mottled flower-stalks. With maximus on one side and angustifolius (so called) on the other, these two exactly bridge over the difllerences be- tween the extremes. In Yorkshire there is a variety with very narrow leaves and small flowers, faintly pink outside and white inside, which, if there is anything in a name, should be the origin of angustifolius, but spite of its name it is a very inferior variety to the beautiful pure white blooms and bright green colouring of foliage and stalk of the variety of which Mr. Brockbank and many another gardener is justly proud. Ed. H. Woodall. MUMMY PEAS. These seems to be much speculation as to the chances of the seed vegetating found by Mr. Bond in an old Egyptian vase, supposed to be 2000 years old. Perhaps it may interest your readers to know that many years ago, Pettigrew gave my brother-in-law some Peas that fell out of the wrappings of a mummy he was unrolling. They were planted at once, and most of them ger- minated. I saw them when in blossom, and a nice little row they were, about 2 yards long, and the seed ripened well. There could be no question as to their being foreigners ; the foliage seemed more succulent and larger than the English garden Pea; the form of the flowers was also quite different. In- stead of the standard being upright, it fell forward surrounding the keel, and giving the appearance of a bell-shaped blossom — doubtless a provision against the scorching sun of Egypt during the in- fancy of the delicate seed vessel. We found the Peas excellent for the table ; in size they were rather larger than the JIarrow Pea. After a year or two in Hampshire they got mildewed, and were lost. I brought a handful into Devonshire, and we grew them for some little time, and one of the Exeter nurserymen had them and sent them out The purple-leaved Ivy. — Ivy leaves may now be seen in small bundles at the florists" shops, and they are much used for svreaths and button-hole flowers. The sort most in use has a light green ground, veined with bright brown — probably the wild Ivy (Hedera Helix) of our hedgerows. The late Thomas Williams, of Orms- kirk, found a wild variety with deep purple leaves, which deepened in colour almost to black, and he used to call it H. purpurascens. I enclose a few leaves from the plant he gave me, and which now covers the end of a fernery. There is no leaf that I know of which accords so well with the Christ- mas Roses as that of the Ivy, and we always use it with that flower. Mr. Williams sold his stock of this Ivy, I believe, to Messrs. Backhouse, of York, and they brought it out as a novelty a few years back under the name of Hedera atropurpnrea. — Wm. Beockbank. *«* A distinct and beautiful Ivy, admirably adapted for associating with winter flowers, par- ticularly with Christmas Roses and other white flowers. — Ed. Removal of large Hellebores.— Mr. Brockbank in his interesting note on the large specimen of H. n. altifolius which I have just sold says, " I should be very much afraid that the re- moval of so large a plant would be a dangerous proceeding, and that the plant would take a long time to recover." On the contrary, there is no danger of injuring the plant whatever. I took it up with a very large ball, weighing, I should think, nearly 200 pounds. The earth was firmly attached to the roots, and could not fall off by any amount of shaking. I have now about a dozen large specimens of H. n. major, which I am going to remove from their present situation into abed specially prepared for the purpose, and, far from injuring them in any way, I am certain they will grow with renewed vigour. Large Hellebores will bear removal as well as any plants in cultiva- tion ; this, at least, is my experience. — Geoege Stamp, Bishop's Teignton, Devon. Planting Daffodils.— These welcome flowers of spring are just now so popular that every scrap of information as to their proper culture is eageily looked for. Jlr. Dod's remarks (p. 72) are very interesting, and no doubt, as he says, circum- stances alter cases, and what is a good practice in one climate may be bad in other soils and situa- tions. The soil most suitable for Daffodils is one in which both roots and leaves die off completely every year during July or August ; in such soils the bulbs may be lifted and at once replanted every year, if need be, with advantage. On some cold wet soils, even as far south as London, this never happens, for even if the leaves die off, the roots remain fresh and do not decay simul- taneously ; on all such soils Daffodils die out gradually and the tender sorts fail speedily. On the contrary. Daffodils will live for centuries un- moved where the soil and climate suit them naturally.— F. W. B. Old Man Cactus (Pilocereus senilis).— Looking over Mr. Boiler's collection of Cacti in the Harrow Road recently, I saw a very fine speci- men of this singular Cactus. It is nearly 3 feet high and its age is computed at 60 years. Doubtless the rate of growth of this kind is more rapid in its native habitat — Mexico- where it attains the great height of from 25 feet to 30 feet. A distinct and rare Echeveria is E. agavoides, a kind aptly named, as it quite resembles an Agave in miniature. Epi- phyllum truncatum and Bridgesi are just now very attractive, their showy pink and crimson flowers being freely produced in this collection. Mr. Boiler, who devotes considerable attention to ornamental Palms for decorative purposes, has recently erected a substantial structure some 56 feet in length and 18 feet in width for their cul- ture. Amongst them I noticed the well-known Latania borbonica, a kind that withstands hard treatment with impunity ; Seaforthia elegans, Areca Baueri, A. lutescens. Phoenix reclinata, and others. Some very fine specimens of Dracnjna lineata arranged down the centre of the house, with 6-foot stems and well furnished heads, had an Imposing appearance — J. GAUDEN TOPICS. Financial Report of the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution. — I do not remember to have seen this interesting document before, but as it stands it reveals some remarkably " benevolent " features. For example, I see the cost of the "annual dinner" is £li 2s. 8d., and that the emoluments of the secretary — whose duties are light and only occasional — which include salary £160, " honorarium " £88 2s., " travelling ex- penses," &c. (what a traveller he must be ! ), £100 198. 9d., amount to £3i9 19s. Printing, advertising, stationery, and other incidental ex- penses bring the total up to £671, which modest sum is spent annually in the management of a society that disburses the magnificent figure of £1372 in pensions in the same period. This is both thrift and benevolence, and what the Chronicle calls "eminently satisfactory" in an eulogistic leader written after the " dinner," but your contemporary withholds the financial report, which is given in The Garden (p. 56), and from which the above figures are taken. Hard-working collectors who have nearly walked the shoes off their feet lately will now see how much reason there is for exertion on their part, and that when they send a sovereign it would be a benevolent act to send an extra ten or fifteen shillings along with it to pay its expenses. I have before me now the annual report of a society about fifty years old, established to promote thrift among working men, which has thousands of members, -whose annual income is nearly £200,000, and the grant to the directors, secretary's salary, and other incidental expenses do not greatly exceed those of the Gar- deners' Eoyal Benevolent — but, then, it is not a " benevolent " society. The Gardeners' Roy al Bene- volent clearly acts on the maxim that " Charity begins at home." *t* We give place to these remarks cf " J. S. W.," though all know how energetically the secretary has worked for the institution for now nearly half a century, and we believe his travelling in the interests of the institution is usually pro- ductive of good. However, the proportion which cost of management bears to pensions in a bene- volent institution is a legitimate subject for com- ment.— Ed. The weather.— If the cold wave which that weather prophet of the Chronicle said was slowlj' flowing over the northern hemisphere with omi - nous purpose does not look sharp, the winter is likely to escape it. February will soon be here, and so far the cold has not been in any way re- markable. In some places December recorded an average rainfall, the first copious and suflicient fall since July, and of a year in which only about halt the usual average has fallen. Talking of the " thirsty ground " in December seems out of place, but the expression has a literal application in not a few places in the midlands and elsewhere, where water is still scarce and the springs and reservoirs almost dry. If the next two or three months do not make up the deficiency, we shall be worse off next summer than we have yet been. Earthing up Strawberries.— A Mr. Goff has ascertained, at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, that the new or annual roots of Strawberries grow out about an inch above the old ones, a fact which explains to a contemporary " why Strawberry plants appear to lift themselves up when they become old, and suggests the im- portance of drawing earth toward the plants in hoeing them after the bearing season." Has any of your readers noticed this " rising" tendency in the Strawberry ? and has anybody practised the earth- ing up process 1 That the crowns of the plants grow higher as they grow older we know, but mos t cultivators prefer to trench old and leggy speci- 78 THE GARDEN [Jan. 31, 1885. mens down and replanting to earthing them up, which is not a practical idea. Growth of Conifers.— .4 jtrojios ot this question, I was told the other day that in the giounds of a gentleman in North Wales, near Hettws-y-ooed, the healthiest specimens of Coni- fers in England are to be found. The growth of the trees, colour of the bark, and foliage are all said to indicate the perfection of health. I can believe this, because, as I once noted in The Garden, I never saw the Scotch Fir exhibit such luxuriance of growth and healthy glaucous hue in the foliage as in that locality, the spines being also unusually long for that variety. Can it be that the presence or absence of ozone and other subtle elements of the atmosphere affect plants for better or worse, just as they do human beings ? I think there can hardly be any doubt of it. Nuraerymen's prices.— I am not going to find fault with these, but " the trade " will admit that it would be better for both buyer and seller if some degree of uniformity and proportion could be established in catalogue prices. A would- be buyer applied the other day for prices of trees, and one " respectable firm " quoted Austrian Pines, from 18 inches to 24 inches, at SOs. per 100 ; Cor- sicans, 15 inches to 20 inches, at 70s. per 1000; while his neighbour in the same county quoted the first, 9 inches to 12 inches, at 27s. 6d. per 1000, and the last, of the same size, at 353. per 1000, or 100 per cent. less. These examples show the disparity that exists in the prices of trees and shrubs, and those of seeds vary equally as much. In a list before ire from four of the largest and best establishments in the king- dom the prices vary so greatly, as to make one think they have been put down at random. Moral : Buy the cheapest, if they are otherwise good in quality, and buy from those who have stock of their own. I know of cases where orders for trees were made up from two or three sources, all being sent first to the nursery and thence to the pur- chaser a long while after they had been taken up and bundled, with the result that they heated and the half of them died. "White Plume Celery.— I fear Mr. Jluir's account of this Celery is " ower guid a tale to be true," if I may use an old saying without any dis- respect to himself. A Celery that will blanch without earthing or any trouble of that kind, or, as we are told, that becomes white over the " en- tire plant " and as tender and good as earthed-up Celery " possibly could be," and that " is never worm-eaten or destroyed by Celery pests,'' would be a boon indeed, and one would like to hear more about it. It Mr. Muir will only tell us that he is going to discontinue growing the old kind and stick to the White Plume alone, I do not see that anyone could want a better testimonial, and indeed I do not see how he can consistently do anything else now. More news, Irepeat, concerning the plant would be acceptable. Vine wood. — With a view to testing different examples of the same varieties, we have this year procured a number of lateral shoots of the Muscat of Alexandria from several noted growers, and have been struck with the very distinct differ- ences that exist in the growth and colour of the bark in the separate lots. To look at the bundles as they stand together the most experienced would certainly pronounce them to consist of at least three different varieties. All are about equal in strength. Of the three lots one is from the vinery at Longleat, that produced the fine Muscats that were shown in London by Mr. Pratt, and the other two lots are from Vines that have both produced good crops this season, one ot which was still hanging a short time ago, the berries as yellow as amber. The Vines that produced the largest bunches — those from Longleat — haveproduced the longest jointed wood and i-ice rersa. The Long- leat wood is slightly the strongest also, but the difference is not great in that respect ; whereas the internodes are twice as long as in the others, but well ripened. This shows that, however superior in quality short-jointed wood may be, it does not produce the largest bunches. The other differences observable are probably due to soil and climate, for no one can deny that plants, whether indoors or outdoors, are affected by the climate in which they grow. There are no doubt salubrious and non-salubrious climates for Vines and other fruit trees after all that skill and good culture may effect. J. S. W. PLANTS IN FLOWEE. out in order that would-be purchasers might be able to choose the best and reject varieties re- putedly inferior. The absolutely distinct varieties are few, but it is useless to attempt to give names to forms that differ but slightly from well-marked varieties. Irla flmbrlata is lovely with me, six spikes being on one plant. I brought it from iladeira, and I thougbt it the prettiest flower in that Island — A. K. *^* A lovely plant indeed, and one that deserves to be grown in every warm greenliouse for winter bloom. — Ed. Galanthus Elwesl — The first flowers ot this Snow- drop that have reached us this season came from Mr. KingsmiU's garden at Eastcote, Pinner, where he says " it looks none ttie worse for the late hard frosts." Double Abutllon. — Flowers of this new ftrm of Abutilon come from Messrs. Cannell, of Swanley. They are of the ordinary size and form, except that the interior of the corolla is entirely filled with small petals. The colour is a warm orange-red, striped and veioed with crim- son. As most all double flowers endure for a longer time on the plant than single ones do, this double AbutUon may be considered a gain. Oarnation Mrs. Keen. — We are pleased to see that this fine winter- flowering Carnauon, which we figured in The Garden some time since, is becoming better known. Messrs. Cannell send us a flower of it, which reminds us very much of the old crimson Clove of the midsummer bor- der, the colour being a deep velvety crimson. Flowers of double Cinerarias, also from Messrs. Cannell, remind us of the value of these flowers for the winter conservatory. Lachenalla pendula.— Of this handsome bulbous plant Mr. Ware sends from his Tottenham nursery some very fine spikes, each densely crowded at top with long drooping blooms of bright red tipped with green. As a winter-flowering bulb it is of great value, coming in as it does before the greenhouse is filled with the flowers of Dutch bulbs. We presume these fine spikes have been cut from plants in a cool greenhouse. Accompany- ing the Lachenalias are some uncommonly fine flowers of Narcissus monophyllus, a gem among Hoop-petticoat Daffodils. Blue Primula. — Among a gathering of Chinese Primula flowers representing numerous varieties from Messrs. Cannell, of Swanley, is one that is distinct from all the rest in colour, being a kind of purplish blue, a very unusual tint in these flowers. Its uncommonness and distinctiveness, however, are its chief recommendations, as many would think it dull and unattractive compared with the splendidly coloured sorts, such as those which accompanied the so-called blue one. Most of the other sorts sent by Messrs. Cannell are the cream of their rich collection of Chinese Primulas. Some are snow-white, others of a delicate pink and prettily speckled, while others, again, are of the most brilliant carmines and magentas. The size, too, of the flowers is remarkable, as they average quite 2 inches across. Varieties of Helleborus nlger.— An in- teresting series of varieties of the Christmas Rose has been sent to us by Mr. Ware, which shows well the variation that exists in this species. First, there is what Mr. Ware calls the typical form ; then comes maximus, which appears to be identical with altifolius ; a third form is ruber, which has the mottled stems of altifolius, but is smaller and has the flowers and buds decidedly more rosy ; in fact, they are as pink as the hybrids between H. atrorubens and H. olympicus. A fourth variety is named caucasicus, which is the most dis- tinct of all, having mottled stems, small, stiff foliage, and pure white flowers. Then follows H. august if olius, at once distinguishable by its bright green foliage and cold white flowers. The sixth and seventh varieties are unnamed, but they are evidently distinct from the rest, and no doubt if seen growing, their distinctiveness would be more apparent. It is time, we think, that some uniform system of naming varieties of H. niger was carried NOTES ON ORCHIDS IN FLOWER. Vanda Cathcarti.— Of this handsome Or- chid Dr. Paterson has sent from Bridge of Allan some fine flowers cut from a spike on which there are five. He thinks it is different from the typical form, and we think so too, the flowers being ap parently larger and the colour more pronounced, but without means of actual comparison one cannot say how great the difference is. This variety is certainly the finest we have seen of this noble Vanda. Dr. Paterson also sends a nine- flowered spike of Kpidendrum ciliare latifolium, a variety larger than the type, and a four- _ flowered spike of the distinct-looking Galeandra Devoniana. Lsella anceps.— As illustrating what a va- riety of forms there is of this lovely Orchid among imported plants, Mr. Clayton sends us from Grim- ston Park, Tadcaster, three flowers representing distinct variations from the type as regards colour. No. 1 has unusually large flowers, pale sepals, deeper petals, and a broad and richly coloured la- bellum. No. 2 has very pale sepals and petals and a white lip broadly tipped and margined with amethyst. The third flower differs from the other two in being smaller and in having a very deep and rich lobe to the labellum. All three forms differ widely from the type, and are distinct from all the named varieties now in cultivation. Scuticaria Steeli.— An exceptionally fine variety of this handsome and singular Orchid may now be seen in bloom in the Orchid houses at Kew. At a guess we should think the flowers fully a third larger than those of the ordinary form, while their colours and markings are more striking. The sepals and petals are heavily blotched with deep purple, and the creamy white lip is likewise striped with the same colour. The flowers are almost stalkless, and proceed from the bases of the leaves, which in this species reach quite a yard in length and are thong-like. The Orchid houses at Kew contain at the present time a fine display of flower- ing plants, not a few of which are of nnnsnal interest. Peroival's Cattleya.— Daring the week we have received teveral flowers of this lovely winter Cattleya. We need hardly say that no inferior varieties reach us, all being the finest forms our correspondents have in their collections. From Mr. Percival himself have come three flowers of a superb variety, cut from the large imported plant he bought at Protheroe & Morris's sale rooms a year ago. This mass has borne this season no fewer than sixty flowers. The flowers of this va- riety are as large as any we have seen, if not larger, and the colour is good, the sepals being a deep lilac-pink, and the broad shallow lip beautifully fringed and highly coloured. A still finer variety as regards colour has been sent by Mr. Hill from Mr. Hardy's collection at Pickering Lodge, Tim- perlev. This form is remarkable for the excep- tional colour of the lip of the flower. The throat of the labellum is of the richest velvety maroon- crimson imaginable, while a golden blotch and lines extend far into the throat. The chief beauty, however, of the lip is its very distinct pale margin, which is quite a quarter of an inch wide, being well defined, and forming a charming contrast to the deep rich hues of the interior parts. Such varieties of this Cattleya as these are unhappily not common. Mr. Hardy also sends a curious two- lipped flower of Peroival's Cattleya. A hlgh-prlCBd Lsella. — On .Tanuai-y 23, Messrs. Protheroe & M-rris sold at their rooms in Cheapside some plants of the white variety of L. anceps from Messrs. Sander & Co., St. Albans. The largest plant fetched 90 guineas, while other imported unflowered pieces went for »l guineas, 17 guineas, and 13 guineas respectively. An established plant of L. elegans was sold tor 26 guineas. Jan. 31, 1885.] THE GAEDEN 79 AN AMERICAN CEMETERr. Some time ago we gave an illustration of one of those beautiful garden cemeteries whicii are, happily, not uncommon in the United States. That to which we allude was Spring Grove, Cincinnati, one of the largest and most beautifully designed in the Union, having been laid out by that true artist in landscape gardening, tlie late Adolph Strauch. We herewith give an illustration of another fine cejaetery, Oakwood, at Troy, New York. Our view was taken from a photograph chosen from a series kindly placed at our disposal by Mr. Court, of Chelsea, who considers Oakwood to be one of the finest cemeteries he has seen daring his travels in America. The following particulars have been sent to us by a resident of Troy, Mr. A. R. Smith. " The Oakwood Cemetery," he says, " was organised under a general State law, which authorised the establishment of similar ones at any place necessary, in the year 1848. It embraces a tract of land of 290 acres in extent, and contains have at times something left for the benefit of the church ; but there is very little security to the owners of lots, for the city council or the trustees of the church may at any time pass an ordinance for the removal of the dead to other quarters, par- ticularly if the burial ground be situated in or near a city, and has become valuable for other purposes. _ In that case the last resting-place of the dead is easily condemned as a nuisance, and the consecrated ground is sold for building pur- poses, merely for the sake of gain. Again, others are owned by one or more individuals, as is the case iri Philadelphia, Chicago, and other places, and this plan has thus far given general satisfac- tion to the public. The largest and most popular institutions of this_ kind, however, are those where every lot- holder is a member of the corporation, and the entire income is devoted to the improvement and perpetual care of the ground. Mt. Auburn, near Boston, Greenwood, near New York, and Spring loss of time, in many cemeteries. Plans designed by inexperienced persons may look exceedingly well on paper, but when thev are executed they generally produce an effect that is pitiable, unsuit- able, and unsatisfactory. Large undertaking? of this kind should consequently be begun, directed, and finished by one experienced person. If the grounds selected for a cemetery be wooded with native forest trees, the greatest care should be taken for their preservation, at least on those parts that cannot conveniently be used for burial pur- poses, such as mirshes, deep ravines, and steep declivities. Another very important, and perhaps the most important, point in the laying out of cemeteries is the proper location and construction of avenues. It must be remembered that at times very heavy loads of stone and other materials will enter the grounds, and large numbers of carriages congre- gate together, not only when funerals take place, but on other occasions. If, therefore, avenues be not VIEW IN OAKWOOD CEMETEKV AT TKOV, NEW YORK. (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.) nearly 9000 graves. The family lots are bought of the association, and vary in size from a few feet square to an acre or more, and the income is applied first to the improvement of the land, which is laid out after the English style of land- scape gardening, and has the effect of a park. Part of the proceeds is set apart for investment, or the Income applied to the maintenance of the whole place. Tlie lot owners, who are in a sense share- holders, elect the officers who direct affairs, and the same routine is assured by the public laws as to Its perpetuity." As to its beauty from a land- scape point of view, our illustration speaks for itself. It shows admirably the general effect and extent, but others amongst the photographs were equally beautiful. Any representation, however, be it ever so well executed, can give but an imper- fect idea of a cemetery like this. Cemeteries in America, as well as in Europe, are conducted on various plans. A number of these are under the control of the city authorities, and, of course, axe seldom self-supporting. Others, again, are the property of religious communities, which sometimes manage to pay expenses, and Grove are conducted on this principle, and have so far proved successful. They have, by proper management, already accumulated a considerable surplus, and there is not the least doubt that, in a few years, they will have a fund, the interest of which will be more than suflicient to keep the grounds perpetually in complete order, after all burial lots shall have been sold, and the disposi- tion of the finances of such corporations for this special object should be steadily kept in view. Those engaged in laying out a rural cemetery should be particular in the selection of a suitable spot, sufficiently remote from the habitations of the living, yet of easy access. The surface of the ground should be undulating rather than flat, in order to admit of proper drainage, while a sandy subsoil is desirable on many accounts. In taking possession of the land the first step should be to have a correct survey made and a general plan of improvement agreed upon, the execution of which should be in the hands of a man who understands his business thoroughly. It is the constant doing and undoing which has caused not only great waste of money, but also what is more valuable, made of ample width and constructed in the best possible manner, carriages will invariably encroach on the Grass borders, and heavy loads will sink into the ground. It is not necessary to make as many avenues as are found in most cemeteries, for some will seldom be used, particularly if they have a steep grade, and are laid out in the so- called serpentine style, generally very popular with committees, but very expensive in making, on account of the waste of valuable ground, and still more so in keeping them in order after- wards. Avenues should have an easy grade, graceful curves, and be so located as to give to each section a natural outline. In forming new combinations, perspectives, and groupings, we should be very cautious in the selection of suitable places for monumental structures, as well as in the planting of additional trees and shrubs. Choice shrubberies and flower borders particularly demand limitation, no matter how fashionably patronised, for, if im- moderately extended, as they very often are, they only mark the triumph of luxury over elegance, and afford a poor compensation for the natural 80 THE GARDEN [Jan. 31, 1885. advantage of beautiful green Grass plots, that can be kept in order with very little expense. FLOWER Garden. NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS. Pyeethrum uliginosdm. — Now, when the various tall and late-flowering Asters are being divided and re-arranged, it would be well to let this Pyrethrum, which blooms about the same time, have a place in the arrangement, for, if not a Michaelmas Daisy, it is equally eft'ective. It may well fill the place of a large white Aster so much sought after. I have always found fair- sized root divisions to produce a more satisfactory crop of bloom than plants left unlifted. So much top is made, that I am of opinion that the check by division is more than compensated by the fresh planting and thinning of the crowns given to the offsets ; moreover, in the case of such a rampant plant as this, which does not flower until late, midwinter or even spring planting answers well enough. In any case it is a good plan to thin out the weaker Willow-like shoots as they appear, for in the long run there will be as much bloom, and the heads will be all the finer. Saxifeaga Bueseeiana. — Scarcely can this Saxifrage look more charming than now, with its ruddy buds and flower-stalks studding its rigid and glossy green cushions. The flowers will soon appear, as they always do, no matter what kind of weather may prevail ; but pretty and durable as they are, they not only become splashed, but fail to yield the warm effect produced by the buds. This is a real spring or winter flower, always be- ginning here in January and finishing abont the middle of March. Is not this the earliest of our flowers ; I do not suggest a comparison of it with late-blooming plants, such as some Hellebores, Croci, and Cyclamens, or erratic plants like some of the alpine Ranunculi, Primula, Vincas, and Borageworts, from which a picking of flowers can often be had the winter through, but with the Snowdrop, or wild Primrose, the Siberian Squill, bulbous Irises, and Windflowers, all of which have hitherto been deemed our earliest comers. "With me Burser's Saxifrage is much earlier than any of these, nor is it liable to be retarded by a severe season ; on the contrary, it comes true to time. I should class this as one of the best dozen alpine plants suited for general cultivation. One liears that it fails to establish itself in some gardens. What can be the reason J It may be kept in health under almost any conditions excepting in clayey soil. On the flat or rockwork, in pots or shallow boxes, little bits in one summer grow into ball-like masses set with buds for winter. Sandy loam and leaf-mould, h.alf and half,withapretty good supply of grit are all it needs here. Heukiaeia glabra, a native herb of the dwarfest habit, is much despised by those who prefer sturdy growing things, whilst by the pro- fessional gardener it is considered almost indis- pensable for carpet bedding arrangements. At the present time it forms one of the brightest and most verdant patches to be seen in the garden. Mechanical action op frost.— There can be little doubt that by this many of our plants are injured, possibly many killed. The way in which the surface soil cakes and then lifts, owing to ex- pansion, is most detrimental to some things. To give one or two examples, I may mention the Thalictrums. These are often beheaded ; T. adian- titolium especially suffers. They have bulky crowns with contracted necks, which standing just above the surface are literally collared by frost. The roots, which are numerous and deep, will not allow the plant to rise in the least, so that the frost -grip is all the more deadly. Gentianaverna, too, is not unfrequently found to have its little tufts of leaves severed after such frosts as imme- diately follow a little rain, when the crust be- ccmes largely charged with ice. Here, again, the deep roots may play an important part. Corydulis nobilis, Dicentra eximia, and some of the Anemones that have part of their new sprouts above the surface all suffer more or less from this cause. In another way, too, the mechanical action of frost hurts our plants, those in pots most. The earth crust confined by the pot presses hard on plant collars ; who can wonder that what bursts pots should crush plant collars ? Some Moutans and frutioose species of Primula have suffered in this waj", as well as some leggy Gentians. The Moutans, planted in the open when young, are often cut down at the ground line, presumably from this cause ; anyway, old wood is not so affected. Irises in leaf I have often observed to " head over" after such frosts, giving way just at the surface. When there is wind the evil effects are increased ; anything with a soft bark and a leafy top gets knocked about and chafed against the frozen earth. Wallflower plants are an in- stance of this, and many which die in winter may have their death traced to this cause. Fortunately, remedies are not far to seek. For pot plants plunged in the open Bracken is as effective a pro- tection as anything ; for the crowns of herbaceous plants coal -ashes are safer than litter, which some- times causes rot, but litter is preferable for up- standing subjects, such as Tree Paeonies, Roses, or Wallflowers. -Ethionemas are giving way under the present trying weather ; alternate rains and frosts are most to be dreaded ; plants in pots plunged in the open have but imperfect protection, and the weather, which splits the pots in a wholesale manner, often kills more plants than anything else. O.XALis lobata. — This charming little Cape Sorrel will insist in having its head well out of the ground in the way of new growth by just abont the time when our winter sets in, and as I never protect my stock it gets much blackened, though a week of fine weather makes it again one of the greenest spots in the garden. I can imagine, how- ever, that the Isle of Wight, whence I had it through the kindness of Mr, Ewbank, will be a more suitable home for it than Yorkshire. True, it has flowered and increased wonderfully, and it must be perfectly hardy, but I have never been able to see the full development of itsdelicate green foliage in mid-winter, the season when it would evidently put it forth were this climate less changeful. To lovers of miniatures this will prove a veritable gem. A sheltered chink on rockwork, where the needful moisture will naturally settle, would be a fitting position for it, and which other- wise should be a sunny one. There is nothing of the dormant or dwindling character about it, but, so far as my experience goes, healthy bulbs start away and multiply, forming pretty cushions for the earlier half of the year. Leaf mould and sandy loam suit it perfectly. Tree P.eonies are now undergoing their most critical trial, for the large flower-charged buds have lost their winter scales and are become re- laxed, so that the wet and cold can pierce them to the core, wliere for some time we would wish the floral embryo continued slumbering. Some things, however, from warmer climes than ours, notably Tree Pajonies, and others from colder countries, as Dicentra spectabilis from Siberia, will persist in making free growth before our winters are over. Hardy treatment of Tree Preo- nies, by which early growth may be retarded, is practised by potting them. If placed on their sides and out of the mid-day sun (for even the little we have in winter stimulates them), their buds remain undeveloped, but, though there is nothing more effective when forced, to subject any wliich are required for hardy uses to that operation would be much against the health of the plants. Those in the open are all but unmanageable, ex- cepting where the plants have favoured quarters. Last year we tried Bracken bent in amongst the branches, but though we were able in this way to save them from a deal of frost, growth was not checked, and I need hardly say it was damaged by being drawn. In sunny corners I have, even in York^hire, seen nearly perfect specimens without the sign of a frost-bite. In Ireland, the south and west of England, and in some salubrious inland localities Tree Paeonies would doubtless give far less trouble ; in such places they ought to be grown largely. J. Wood. Woodfille, Kirkstall. NOVELTIES FOR 1885. Piiacelia CAMPANtJLARiA.— This valuable new annual is botanically related to the well-known Whitlavia grandiflora (which is now placed by botanists in the genus Phacelia), but has a much more spreading and bushy habit of growth, and is therefore more floriferons ; an average plant will cover nearly a foot of ground. It grows from G inches to 8 inches high, and its numerous branches are furnished with broadly-cordate, sharply-toothed foliage. The great attraction of the plant consists in its large and numerous (lowers, of the finest deep Gentian satiny blue, of a shade rivalling that of Salvia patens, produced in terminal racemes of from twelve to twenty blossoms, which are developed in succession. Each flower is about an inch across, of an erect campanulate form, with a spreading five-lobed limb and short funnel-shaped tube, marked in the throat with five oblong white spots. It received the award of a first-class certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society when exhibited in the sum- mer of 1882. It succeeds best in dry warm soils, and may be treated either as a hardy or half- hardy annual. In the latter case it should be sown under glass early in March in light soil, but without bottom-heat, the seedlings being pricked off early and gradually hardened off prior to plant- ing out. When grown as a hardy annual it should not be sown in the open ground before the end of April or beginning of May, and for succession up to the end of May. Campanula Tenoeei,— Although the Cam- panulas cultivated in gardens are already nume- rous, the present very distinct specie."! cannot fail to be welcomed as an important addition to their ranks. It is allied to the well-known and popular C. pyramidalis, having foliage and flowers similar to those of that species, but differs notably from it in being very much dwarfer in habit. The stems do not exceed 6 inches to 9 inches in height, many being produced from the same root. They are furnished with smooth glossy foliage, varying in form from heart-shaped to oblong-lanceolate, an inch or more long, and bluntly toothed. The flowers are produced from July to September, and terminate the stem in a close raceme of from twelve to fifteen blossoms, which are nearly an inch across and broadly bell-shaped, of a delicate pale violet-blue, the centre being often deeper in tint. It is a hardy border species, but will also probably be found a useful rock plant. Native of Southern Italy. It has been described by botanists under the synonyms of C. Rosani, C. Thomasi, and C. versicolor. Eeitrichiu.m STEicTrM,— There is so little to distinguish the fiowers of this genus from thoje of Myosotis, that by the ordinary observer most of the species would be taken for Forget-me-nots. The most obvious distinction is in the smaller size of the flowers in Eritrichium, to which, however, there are some exceptions ; E. nanum, for in- stance, has blossoms as large as many species of Myosotis. The seed-like fruit or nuts show, how- ever, that they are really related to the genus Cynoglossum, or Hound's-tocgue. Most of the species are insignificant weeds, but that just named is eminently worthy of cultivation, and the little annual now offered, though less remark- able, is deserving a place in the borders. It grows about a foot high (though some of the plants frequently assume a dwarfer habit), having a tuft of Myosotis-like foliage from which the stems arise, these being very much branched, and bear- ing lone terminal racemes of small bright blue flowers in succession for a considerable period. If by cultivation the size of the corolla could be enlarged, it would add considerably to its value. It is of the easiest cultivation in any light or mixed soil, and will probably succeed treated as a hardy annual, but the seeds now offered have been saved from plants raised under glass. Jan. 31. 1885.] THE GAEDEN 81 Layia glandulosa. — This very pretty Com- posite is the counterpart of the Layia elegans sent ont by me two years since, from which it differs in having pure white ray-florets instead of yellow. It grows about 9 inches high, with linear to linear- lanceolate foliage, mostly entire, each shoot being terminated by a snow-white flower-head about 1 J inches across, with a yellow disc. White Com- posites are by no means abundant ; this very neat and desirable annual should therefore be an acceptable addition to their number. May be treated either as a half-hardy annual for early blooming, or as a hardy annual, in which case seeds should not be sown before the end of April. A native of California. Papaveu Hookeri. — Considerable interest at- taches to this pretty novelty, both on account of its intrinsic merits as well as for the singular fact that although cultivated only for two seasons since its introduction from Northern India, it has already shown a marked tendency to become double. It approaches in its botanical characters the well-known P. Rhieas, but is a taller and more robust plant, with larger and more finely incised fo'iage, and flowers nearly as large as those of the Opium Poppy. They are of the most varied colours, including many shades of crimson, pur- plish red, rose, &o , some of them being single, but many as densely double as the long cultivated Pjeony-flowered and other annual garden Poppies. The flowers from their large size are extremely showy, and as further cultivation will undoubtedly p[ive rise to numerous varieties, it is from every point of view a desirable acquisition. Pentstemon Rattani. — This is a neat Cali- fornian species of dwarf, but robust, growth, re- sembling in its general aspect the well-known P. digitalis. It grows from 12 inches to 18 inches high, bearing rather large broadly-ovate, acumi- nate foliage, stalked below, but sessile and stem- clasping above, repandly toothed. Flowers are produced in terminal panicles, and are of a lilac- purple colour, each about an inch in length, and in form like those of the species above named. It requires only the treatment of other border species, blooming the second season from seed. AsTEK DiPLOSTEPnioiDES.— The genus Aster includes within its limits many plants of great value, but none of them are likely to exceed in interest this species, should it prove to be perfectly hardy, of which there is little doubt. This opinion will scarcely be called in question when we state on the authority of M. Max Leichtlin that the flower-heads are nearly i inches across. The plant is said to grow about 18 inches high, the stems arising from a tuft of oblong, lanceolate, entire, strongly-nerved foliage. The flower-heads are borne singly at the summit of the stems, which in a strong plant are numerous, the ray florets being of a bright violet-blue, those of the disc or centre deep yellow. It appears to be somewhat alpine in character, and succeeds best in somewhat cool soils in preference to those of a light or burning nature. The plant has, however, been in cultiva- tion so short a time, that further trials are needed to determine its requirements. It is easily raised from seed, which will probably give flowering plants the second season. A native of the Hima- layas. Delphinium teiste. — It occasionally happens, as in the present instance, that plants are sent into the horticultural world bearing a name which is well calculated beforehand to ensure their re- jection by the amateur who may be looking out for something bright and showy. Who wants a plant of a sad or funereal aspect in his borders ? And yet, its lugubrious name notwithstanding, the Delphinium triste cannot fail to interest any real lover of plants, if not by its beauty, at least for the singular colour of its flowers, which affords so great a contrast to that of most other plants. The species is not new, having been cultivated at least fifty years since, but the true plant is probably so ,rare that few amateurs are acquainted with it. It is of comparatively dwarf habit, not much ex- ceeding a foot in height, with palmately divided foliage and flowers in terminal racemes, the entire plant being conspicuously pubescent. The flowers themselves are of average size, and at once arrest the attention by their sooty black colour, tinged, as in the Bean Flower, with sepia. It will succeed in any mixed or even light soil, and may be raised as readily as the better-known species, flowering the second year from seed. A native of Dahuria. Digitalis obscuea. — Although this interesting species of Foxglove has been in my collection for several years past, no special reference has hitherto been made to it. Kow, however, that experience has shown its thorough distinctness from the species commonly cultivated, I think it deserves being brought into notice. It has but one draw- back ; it is rather tender, though it does fairly well in light, well-drained soils and upon rock- work, in proof of which it may be stated that it has borne uninjured full exposure the last three winters in a sandy border. It grows about 3 feet high, having a shrubby base, furnished with some- what fleshy, ovate acute, entire, dark green foliage, and stems terminated by a long raceme of most effective flowers. These are smaller than in the common Foxglove, but of similar form, and are remarkable for their clear golden yellow ground shaded and veined with brown. It is in this curious combination of tint that the attraction of the plant mainly consists, but even its foliage, so entirely free from the coarseness which charac- terises the better-known species, is not without its influence on the total result. In raising this species from seed care should be taken to sow very thinly and to water carefully, the pot being placed on a greenhouse shelf close to the glass. The young plants should not be exposed in the open ground till the second year, when they may be planted where they are to bloom. A native of the Sierra Nevada in Spain, and is synonymous with the D. nevadensis of gardens. EucHAEiDiuM Brevtebi.— The " Golden State " has contributed to our gardens few more attractive annuals than the Eucharidium concinnum and its variety grandiflorum. Any new species of this pretty genus comes to the front, therefore, with all the prestige conferred by the popularity of its congener, though the E. Breweri has sufiicient intrinsic merit to be independent of such aid. It is a dwarfer and more compact plant than the older species, but somewhat more spreading in its habit, with oblong-lanceolate foliage and flowers in terminal leafy racemes. The individual flowers differ notably from those of E. concinnum in having the obcordate petals so broad as to overlap and in being furnished with a narrow linear- spathulate lobe in each sinus, giving a rhomboidal or somewhat Clarkia-like outline, to which genus the authors of " The Botany of Calilornia " con- sider it should be referred. The petals are quite destitute of claws, and another noteworthy cha- racter is the conspicuous dilation of the filament near the summit, where it is broader than the linear anthers. The colour of the flower is a very pleasing rosy purple, shading off to white at the centre, but the tint varies slightly in different specimens. The culture of E. Breweri is identical with that of other Californian annuals, but it is liable to suffer from excessive wet, and should therefore be grown in well-drained soils. Treated as a hardy annual, unless sown very thinly, it should be carefully transplanted at an early stage, in order to obtain the best results ; or while the seed is scarce and expensive, it may be sown in pots in a cold frame, the seedlings being pricked off at a suitable age and grown on under glass till the spring is advanced, like the half-hardy annuals, when they may be planted out. Glyptospeema Palmeei. — Although this plant can by no means be termed showy or a plant likely to become extensively popular, it is sufficiently distinct and unknown to claim a brief description. It may be shortly characterised as a miniature Asphodel-like perennial, growing about a foot high, producing a few Rush-like leaves, and slender, wiry, branched stems, the branches termi- nating in a naked raceme of small six-parted flowers. The perianth is of a pinkish colour, with a dark line in the centre of each segment, opening in sunshine only, and followed by a capsule which contains about half-a-dozen blackish triquetrous seeds. These are deeply grooved or sculptured, a feature to which the generic name alludes. It is readily raised from seed, which, if sown early, gives flowering plants the first year. It is probably only half-hardy, being a native of Mexico. Knautia magnific a.— The common indigenous Knautia arvensis is not entirely devoid of merit as an ornamental plant, but it must be acknowledged that there is small need of it in modern gardens. K. magnifica should be a much more desirable plant, coming, as it does, from that well-known horticulturist of Baden-Baden, M. Max Leichtlin. It is a hardy perennial, with radical foliage closely resembling that of K. arvensis and erect-branched stems bearing very large heads of pale rosy lilac flowers. It blooms the second year from seed and succeeds in any soil. Lathyrus splbndens.— This is said to be a handsome species, producing in abundance large purplish crimson flowers in erect racemes of ten to twelve blossoms, each of which is described as being from IJ inches to 2 inches across. Of its perfect hardiness in this climate there may be some doubt ; it will therefore be advisable to retain some plants of it in pots till this point is more fully determined. It is a native of Southern Cali- fornia. LiNARiA ANTICAEIA. — This interesting genus of Scrophulariads yields a rather large contiogent of ornamental plants to our flower borders and rockeries, among which may be especially men- tioned as eminently worthy of cultivation the com- paratively tall L. triornithopbora, with its singular bird-like blossoms ; the brilliant L. spartea, with bright yellow flowers ; the striking L. triste, with its pale sulphur-coloured corollas contrasting with the blackish brown palate; the more recently in- troduced L. maroccana and L. reticulata aurea, both of them valuable border annuals ; the pretty, but less effective L. multipunotata; and lastly, but by no means least worthy of notice, the elegant L. alpina, now tolerably well known and cultivated as a rock and wall plant. To the dwarfer section of the genus to which the last named species be- long the Linaria anticaria is a very recent acces- sion. Like the L. alpina, it forms tufts of procumbent shoots clothed with small linear, fleshy, greyish green foliage, the stems terminat- ing in short racemes of whitish flowers tinged with lilac-purple and delicately veined, freely produced for some weeks. Its cultivation involves no diffi- culty, but light warm soils seem to suit it best. It is strictly of perennial duration, but, being apt to perish in severe winters as well as in wet ones, will be better treated as an annual. Papaveb ceoceum ploee-pleno.— The single form of this pretty Poppy is so good, that a double- flowered variety will assuredly attract the atten- tion of many cultivators. I have no personal knowledge of this novelty, but it comes with good credentials, and as it blooms the first season if sown early, its value will be speedily ascertained. If one may judge from a small woodcut of this plant, the flowers are quite as double as those of the double Ranunculus, or French Poppy. The double white-flowered form presumably differs from the above in nothing but its colour. Primula eloribunda. — Remarkable less for the large size of its flowers than for their small- ness, this new Himalayan Primrose yet bids fair to become in time a popular plant, from the extra- ordinary abundance of its bright yellow blossoms. It appears to be closely related to the P. verticil- lata, but is entirely free from the mealiness which characterises that species, the whole plant being more or less hairy. The bright green foliage is ovate in form, incised, and crenately toothed at the margin, the spreading leaves forming a tuft which commences to throw up weak flower-scapes while still quite small. At first these bear almost simple umbels, but as the plant advances in size the scapes become not only whorled, but even throw up numerous secondary scapes from their base. A strong plant will yield a succession of flowers literally throughout the year. The corolla is scarcely more than one-third of an inch across, but is of a very pleasing deep clear yellow, which 82 THE GARDEN [Jan. 31, 1885. is quite efiective when the plants are in full bloom. At present it has been cultivated only under glass, but is probably quite hardy. It appears to be of easy cultivation, requiring the treatment of a Chinese Primula. The seeds being very small should not be covered with soil, but a layer of i\Ioss will be found useful in maintaining a damp surface. Salvia Geegoi.— This new Sage proves to be a very ornamental and almost perfectly hardy species, having resisted satisfactorily the last two winters without protection. In severe winters it might possibly be killed to the ground, but would survive at the root. It forms a large, much- branched bush from :i feet to 4 feet high, clothed with rather small, neat, bluntly ovate, en- tire foliage, the branches being terminated by long spikes of pretty rosy carmine or crimson flowers of medium size, the lower lip being very broad. It commences to bloom in August, and continues to flower till the advent of frost. The foliage has so marked an odour of Rosemary, that it may be very appropriately termed the Rose- mary-scented Sage. It is easily raised from seed, but will probably not flower till the second year. A native of Texas. XANTHOCErnALUM OYMNOSPEBMOIDES. — Though by no means a new plant, having been cultivated thirty years ago by me under the name of Gntierrezia gymnospermoides, this composite has sufficient merit to claim a brief notice. It is a tall, robust annual, growing about 3 feet high or more in rich moist soils, with a single stem branching corymbosely upwards, the branches all combining to form a single, broad, inversely pyra- midal inflorescence a foot or more in diameter. The individual capitules are about three-fourths of an inch across, both disc and ray being of clear deep or gamboge-yellow. The foliage is lanceo- late, tapering into a longish petiole, and sharply toothed, and is more or less pubescent, as is the entire plant. It flowers for a considerable period late in the summer when tlie earlier blooming composites are past their best, and is quite worthy of a place in the back of the border. Requires the treatment of half-hardy annuals, and is a native of Texas and Mexico. W. Thompson. A LOST HELLEBORE. Helleboeus lividus — The livid or purple Hellebore is figured in plate 72 of the Botanical Maijazitic (1789). It has a greenish white corolla tinged with purple at the edges. The buds are a deeper purple. The petioles and flower-stems are mottled with purple, as in H. niger, but the leaves are three-lobed or trifoliate. The description states, " It is not a little extraordinary that this plant, which has for many years been cultivated in this country, should have escaped the notice of Liniinjus. It is cijually wonderful that we should at this moment be strangers to the place of its growth, i.e., its natural habitat. Having three leaves growing together, it has been considered by many as the trifoliatus of Linnaeus, but his trifoliatus is a very different plant, a native of Canada, produc- ing small yellow flowers." Now, in the first place, Curtis errs in stating that it was not known to Linnieus, for I find in his " Species Plantarum," in 1763, p. 781, two three-leaved Hellebores de- scribed, viz., Helleborus niger trifoliatus, which occurs in the group 4 ; foetidus and H. trifolius, which is of itself group 5 — the latter being the yellow-flowered Canadian plant, to which Curtis refers as the trifoliatus of Linnajus, which it will be seen is wrong. Returning to plate 72 of the Botanical Maf/a- zine, I find it will come very well indeed within the description in Linnfeus' Helleborus niger tri- foliatus, as it is very like a poorly flowered variety of H. niger, and I see no reason whatever for doubting the correctness of Curtis's plate, as it was only three years before that time when he had figured the typical H. niger — plate 8 of his magazine (1786) — and he must have been well aware of points of resemblance and of differ- ence in the two specimens. I therefore come to the conclusion that we have here an actual picture of the H. lividus as known to Linnfeus and Curtis, and there is every probability of its existence if we can only find it. On looking over the lists of Hellebores offered in the catalogues for this sea- son, we find in Backhouse's supplemental list for 1884 "H. corsicus (H. lividus and iridifolius), very distinct and striking species, found by our collector." Here seemed to be the very plant, and I at once wrote off to Mr. Potter, of the York Nur- series, to enquire if it was truly the H. lividus of the Botanical Magazine, ^\3.te 72. Mr. Potter replied, " H. corsicus I believe to be true. I collected it on Monte Rotundo, in Corsica. The word iridifolius was a slip, which is rectified in this year's catalogue ; leaf of H. corsicus enclosed. There were two leaves, one three-lobed and the other two-lobed, and they were such as occur on the well-known H. argutifolius, and are certainly not the leaves of the H. lividus of Curtis.'' Barr's catalogue for 1884 has a very complete list of Hellebores, and we have there quoted, under the ornamental foli- aged group, " H. lividus (syns., argutifolius, tri- folius, triphyllus, corsicus, and ilicifolius), flowers bright green; foliage light rich green, very orna- mental. Backhouse's iridifolius. Iris-leaved, is evidently a mistake for Barr's ilicifolius. Holly- leaved, the latter being an excellent name for the plant, but better still is argutifolius, leather- leaved, and I believe this is the name most gene- rally used for the plant. Mr. Barr must see that the name he puts first, in heavy type, cannot be- long to the plant at all. He describes it as green- flowered, but H. lividus means purple-flowered. I hope he will amend this in his next catalogue. In The Gaeden for August, 1878 (p. 179), is a very good and useful article on the Hellebores. The Holly-leaved Hellebore is here also called H. lividus, with the following excellent remarks: " The specific name of this very distinct kind is so evident a misnomer, that either of the names argutifolius, ilicifolius, triphyllus, or trifolius, under which it is sometimes known, is preferable. The H. lividus, described by Alton in the last cen- tury, had livid flowers, but this has no tendency to assume that colour, and probably is another plant retained under the name." It will therefore be very clear to all that the plant figured by Curtis is not the variety which now bears the name. Further, that H. lividus is a well marked Hellebore, and may in all probability be found and restored to its position if a proper search be made for it in the habitats named for it by Lin- naeus, viz., Germania, Helvetia, Gallia, and I hope Messrs. Correvon, Froebel, and Gusmus will make diligent search for it now that the plants are in bloom. Last season I had the pleasure of recovering a lost Leucojum carpathioum, which was found in plenty when attention was called afresh to the plant, and we may quite hope to find H. lividus also. Wm. Beockbank. Brockhurst, Didsbury. Mossy la'wns. — I see enquiries about these. They are, as a rule, a sign of poverty in the soil and a cold climate. Here we cannot manure the whole of the lawn as it ought to be, and the con- sequence is that where the soil is thin and poor, and the Grass has been long cut by the lawn mower, there is little or no Grass left, and a carpet of fine Moss has taken its place, which looks almost as well as Grass in summer and better in winter. Where mossy lawns exist they are sure to be detected about this season of the year, as the Grass disappears, leaving the Moss exposed. Top- dressings of some suitable manure will do more to remove Moss than anything else under such circumstances, and the poorer the soil and thinner the oftener the dressings must be applied. Seed might be sown and scuffled in at the same time. I notice here, in the deer park, which is high and cold, and where plenty of Moss (fog, as it is called) exists, that near the deer sheds where the animals congregate in winter to be fed, and near which the soil is well manured, that as fine and close a sward is formed as could be seen any- where.— J. S. Tree Poppy. — In a recent issue of The Garden this name is suggested as a suitable Euglish equivalent for Romneya Conlteri. Un- fortunately, there is another Californian plant of the same Natural Order to which that name pro- perly belongs — viz., Dendromecon rigidum, once introduced here by Messrs. 'Veitch, if 1 mistake not, but probably not now in cultivation. 'Why not call the first named plant the Romney Poppy cr Coulter's Poppy ? either of which would serve to identify it. The latter I think the best.— 'W. T., Ij/sn'ir]t. Alexandrian Laurel.— To '• G. J.'s" re- marks concerning the Alexandrian Laurel, allow me to add a few words. I first became acquainted with it at Djffryn House, South 'Wales, where, growing as it did there in an arboretum border, it had a very pleasing effect. In a cut state, too, in large vases, mixed with sprays of Euphorbia jacquiniajflora, or even Calanthes or other flowers that require to be arranged in a loose state, it has a fine appearance. Except in South Wales, I have met with it nowhere else, but if better known it would certainly, I think, be more largely grown than it is, especially where Ferns are not much cultivated. — 0. W. G. Cape bulbs. — Two persons were disputing as to the proper pronunciation of the word " neither," one insibting it was " ni-ther," the other that it was " nee-ther." They agreed to refer it to the first person they met, who happened to be an Irishman. His answer to them was, " Sorrs, ye're both quoite wrong inthoirely ; it's ' nayther.'" lam fond of cultivating South African bulbs—an intractable lot— and eagerly look for any information as to their treatment. One of these is Narcissus monophjUus, and is like the rest of them. In The Gaeden (p. 36) it is said, " It is flowering beautifully in pots in the Cape plant house, the bulbs having been kept quite dry during the summer on a sunny shelf. ■This is, without doubt, the treatment to give this Narcissus in order to get it to flower well." I had not read the above ten minutes when I saw in the 6'a?Y7''«f/-s'r/(j-o«;c?f(Ithink)thattheabovedrying- off treatment was the very worst that could pos- sibly be applied to all S. African bulbs. Will some kind practical bulb grower step in and tell us if it is " ni-ther," " nee-ther, ' or " nayther " ? — A. R., Windermere. 5308.— Peacocks and bulbs.— Allow me to inform "J. B." that peacocks are exceedingly destructive, not only to bulbs, but to garden pro- duce generally — at least I have found them to be so to my cost. Thsy are particularly destructive to newly-planted Cabbage plants, and to prevent them from eating whole rows of Peas, French and Runner Beans requires the most vigilant precau- tions. They are also literally ruinous to Straw- berries, as they walk over a large plantation in a very few minutes, and take a bite out of every coloured berry with which they meet. Again, wherever there happens to be a seed bed they are certain to make themselves familiar with it, and it must be securely netted if it is to escape havoc. I notice, too, that they always keep an eye on the vineries, or rather on the Grapes, and if there is half a chance of their getting inside, believe me, they will not miss it, nor will they fail to attack every bunch of Grapes within their reach. In short, of all the pests with which a gardener has to con- tend, peafowls are the most vexatious. — Josiah Jeffeey, Dcrry, liosscarlerij, Co. Cork. I am a grower of some thousands of bulbs, and I must say that I have found peacocks very destructive to them. Nothing seems to please them more than to get into the centre of a Tulip or Hyacinth bed in flower, and the brighter the colours the more they seem to delight these birds I do not think they are naturally mischievous, but colour attracts them— at least such is my ex- perience. The farmyard is the proper place for them.— H. Harbison, Stmr Souse, Bedham. Swamp Pink.— Will any American reader o{ Ths li.MU'EN tell me what this is? It is one of the very few names of plants I cannot fluil in Jliller's Dietionarj-. I would also like to know what is the Heartleaf, whicli, how- ever, I suppose to he ViUiu-sia.— Thoueau. Jan. 31, 1885.] THE GARDEN 83 Orchids. BULBOUS CALANTHES. It not nnfrequently happens that when the treat- ment found to answer best for any particular plant has been so far proved by growers collec- tively as to be looked on as beyond doubt, some- one makes the discovery that the plant in question can be made to thrive with directly opposite treatment, and the treatment thus newly discovered generally turns out to be something which the concensus of practice has proved to be wrong, or indifferent in its results compared with the generally accepted course. Of this character evidently is the cold treatment of Calanthe bulbs recently advocated. The varieties of C. vestita are natives of Burmch, and have been in the country nearly forty years. C. Veitchi is a hybrid. Their merits for winter-flowering cause them to be largely grown by many who cultivate few Orchids and by almost all who have col- lections of them, and I should suppose that there is scarcely an old hand amongst Orchid growers who has succeeded in growing them up to the mark who has not tried and noticed the difference between bulbs kept in a warm house after flowering and others kept cool, and who is not con- vinced of the advantages of warm treatment ; the latter fa- vours the growth of better and larger bulbs than are forth- coming after keeping the old bulbs after blooming cold. It is well to note that the ability of Calanthes to flower is regulated by the size of their bulbs. Wbere the treat- ment was such as the plants require, I never yet saw an instance of big bulbs failing to produce proportionately more flowers than smaller ones. From the all but unequalled usefulness of these Calanthes for the decoration of a warm stove or Orchid house and the time their spikes of bright flowers last, either on the plants or when cut, they, from the first, were particular favourites with me, and during the many years I grew them I tried all I could to do them well, and was so far successful, that I have had bulbs of the red-eyed variety of C. vestita strong enough to enable them to pro- duce spikas bearing 120 flowers each. Those who have a knowledge of the intensely and continuously hot climate of the country from which these Calanthes come will not feel surprise at their doing best kept warm, even during the time of comparative rest, for they may be said to be never wholly dormant ; as soon as the flowering is over the growth buds for the following year at once begin to swell if the bulbs are in a tempera- ture warm enough to help them to do this. When grown strong they increase more than doubly as fast as if the bulbs are comparatively small. With the treatment I gave them I soon had a large stock, which enabled me to try them in different ways. After blooming I have kept the bulbs in different temperatures — from that which was cold enough to cause them to decay up to that of the warmest stove, and in every case the warmest quarters gave the best results. If keeping the bulbs cold effected any saving in the attention re- quired in the cultivation of the plants, or anyone was enabled by the cold treatment to grow them who otherwise could not, something might be said in favour of.it j but where there is enough heat to grow Calanthes well (and they like as much heat as any plant will bear, provided they are kept close to the glass), the bulbs are just as easily kept in the stove in which they are grown through the rest of the year. I have tried Calanthes in different kinds of soil, and could not see much difference in the results, I provided other essentials in their cultivation were present. Some I put in turfy loam, others in fi- brous peat, and others in a mixture of peat and Icam, with in each case about one-four{h rotted manure that had been exposed on a Vine border or an Asparagus bed, with a little sand and some pieces of charcoal or crocks, and there was little or no difference in the size of the bulbs or in the quantity of flowers they bore. I found them to - Finely-flowered plant of Calanthe vestita. get much stronger when hung up over the path, with their leaves all but touching the glass, than in any other position, always using a thin shade when the sun came with any force on them. They attain a larger size with two or at most three bulbs put in a 7-inch or 8-inch pot than if more together ; 2 inches of drainage is enough ; when strong they root profusely, filling the soil full of their fibres. They should be potted just as the young roots are seen ready to issue from the base of the young shoot which is to form the new bulb ; if the pot- ting is delayed later, the young, tender rootlets al- ready protruding are almost sure to get injured, which so far interferes with the season's growth, that, like most Orchids, when the roots have their extremities injured they have not the power to at once make good the injury like other plants. Care must be taken not to make the soil too wet during the bhort time intervening between potting and the roots getting hold of the material ; after this, as the leaves attain size, water must be given freely until the growth is completed, when much less must be applied, or the roots decay before their time, the consequence of which will be that the leaves also die off sooner than they otherwise would do, interfering much with the appearance of the plants when blooming. From the rai^idity with which Calanthes in- crease when well managed a suflicient stock for ordinary requirements is soon available. When enough are at hand, anyone disposed to grow big bulbs capable of producing an exceptional amount of bloom may do so by the following means : After being treated in the way described for a couple of years, with the plants kept close to the roof through the growing season, the stock will be stronger than such as are ordinarily met with. When the blooming is over the individual pieces will usually consist of two or three bulbs of the previous summer's growth at- tached to the old bulb which has produced them ; remove the smallest, letting the largest one still remain attached to the old bulb, which will gene- rally remain sound another season, giving more strength to the single bulb to which the ensuing summers growth is to be confined than if it was re- moved. Kept warm, as I have already advised, the bulb of the preceding season will in the course of a month or so after the flowering is over push two or three buds from the base and sometimes one or two from the eyes near the top; reduce these to one, the strong- est at the bottom, removing the others as soon as they are big enough to be got at ; the old back bulb will frequently push a bud or two the second season, which also rub off. Each piece, now consisting of two bulbs as described, should have a 7-inch pot, or two pieces may be put in a 9-inch pot. In potting, keep the old bulb well against the side of the pot, or the young onenext forthcoming will not have room to swell as it may be expected to do. Most likely more buds will be formed at the base or top of last year's bulb soon after the strong one left begins to push into growth ; lub these out directly they appear, so as to concentrate all the strength in the one retained, by which means it should reach double the size of that of the preceding season which has produced it. Fol- ~^ low a similar course the next year, confining the growth to one bulb ; each plant by fol- lowing this course will attain a very large size, producing flowers in abundance. The strongest may now be expected to produce as much as three spikes from the base with one or two on the shoulder of the bulb, and not unlikely one at the extreme top. I have let half a dozen, which were produced as above from a single bulb, go on to bloom, but the number thus allowed lost something in the size of the individual flowers, which were considerably larger where the spikes springing from the bottom of the bulbs were alone allowed to remain ; more- over, when so many were allowed to go on, it took a great deal out of the bulbs, for, as will be easily understood, the roots from their natural disposition to perish early, even when all that is possible is done to prolong their existence, are not in a condition to contribute much to the develop- ment of the thick succulent stem and the flowers it carries, which collectively are in a great measure so much drawn from the strength stored in the bulb. 84 THE GAKDEN [Jan. 31, 1885. The leaves of this section of Calanthes, being so much thinner than those of most Orchids, are easily injured by either insects or too much ex- posure to the sun. It is scarcely necessary to say that where an attempt is made to grow large bulbs, care must be taken that the foliage does not suffer in any way, or the bulbs will not attain their full size and strength. When the plants are hung up overhead in the way recommended, not only are they benefited by the abundance of light they get, and without which it is impossi ble for them to attain a maximum of strength, but it admits of the syringe being better brought to bear on the leaves, by which means they are kept free from the attacks of red spider, thrips, and aphides, all of which if ever allowed to have a footing quickly interfere with the season's growth. The yellow- eyed variety of C. vestita is not quite so strong a grower as the red one, neither is C. Turneri. The beautiful varieties of the hybrid C. Veitchi can be grown similarly strong in the way described, by which means tlie colour of their flowers is con siderably intensified. T. Baines. EPIPHYTAL ORCHIDS. The limited extent to which Orchids are depen- dent on the soil for the food which they require is evident in the case of the epiphytal section, a circumstance which has not unfrequently led to a supposition that this section of the Orchid family does not require anything more in the way of sus- tenance than such elements as are present in the moisture of the atmosphere with which the structure in which the plants are grown is supplied and in the wa'er given directly to them ; that most of the species of epiphytal Orchids can exist for a time and make fair gi'owth when merely attached to a bit of wood or other material of a like nature from which they cannot obtain any appreciable amount of food anyone who has grown Orchids will have proved in actual practice ; but with a few exceptional kinds, such as the Bar- kerias, when so treated the plants do not attain near the strength which others possess that have vegetable matter in some form or other as a medium for their roots to extend in, and from which they derive sustenance. The roots of these plants when existing naturally in their native wilds are, as a rule, to be found clinging to the stems of the trees that support them, descending until they reach the ground, where they find an unlimited amount of food in the rich mould there deposited ; neither are the roots wholly without the food supplied from de- caying vegetable matter during their descent to the ground, as between the forks of the branches they will meet with small deposits of this material ; even the bark of the trees to which they cling, the outer covering of which is itself ever undergoing a process of decay, will yield something if only little nutriment. Bat all this affords sufficient evidence of the need which most epiphytal Orchids have for more food than they can get from the atmo- sphere alone. Still, as might be expected from the widely different conditions under which they exist naturally, there is much difference in the requirements of different species, a fact which is confirmed by every-day experience in tlieir cultiva- tion. The roots of some genera, amongst which may be mentioned the Cattleyas in particular, show that they have a marked dislike to being in a body of wet matter, such as is present if the peat and Sphagnum which these and most other Orchids are potted in are used in too thick a mass. This has led many growers to use only a very thin layer of the material over the drainage which the pots were all but filled with, thus reducing the food- yielding matter to the lowest point. Until the system of potting Cattleyas with very little mate- rial that could hold water came into fashion, those who adopted the over-shading, half-dark course of treatment, combined with a maximum of moisture and a minimum of air — a method long and per- sistently looked on as the orthodox way of grow- ing Orchids — found that they could not keep the lOots from rotting except by the use of soil that barely more than covered the crocks. A more rational system of treatment in giving more light and air, whereby the roots, like the rest of the growth, have more substance and solidity in them, enables them to retain their vitality very diffe- rently from what was possible under the close, dark, sweltering course of management. From trials which I have frequently made in potting Cattleyas and other epiphytal Orchids in a thin layer of material such as described, and others of the same species in two or three times the quantity, or about as much as is required to fill two-fifths or one-half of the depth of the pots, I found I could get stronger growth, as shown by the greater number of flowers which the bloom spikes contained, and stiil more by the more double breaks which the plants made when more potting material was used. There is no more con- clusive evidence of strength and well-doing in Orchids than the plants making double breaks and finishing them up full sized, and thus I never could get Cattleyas or their near allies, the Lselias, to do when very little material was used. The system of using so little potting material was doubtless one way of lessening the mischief arising from premature root decay, but it was applying a palliative to the effect instead of the cause which in most cases was attributable to the semi-dark, airless condition of the houses in which the plants were grown, which resulted in roots, bulbs, and leaves alike having no staying powers in them. It will be easily understood that where a large body of material is used water will not require to be given so often, a matter that is of some moment where a large collection has to be attended to. A circumstance connected with the natural economy of Orchids as they exist in a state of nature, and which has a direct bearing on the question of their requiring vegetable matter for support, is that their roots are short-lived, a large proportion dying yearly. From their spongy nature they decompose quickly, and in this state are available for food for the fresh crop of roots annually forthcoming from the same source- -the base of the young growth, and which, following the same course travelled by roots that have preceded them, naturally come in contact with those in a state of decay. Orchids in a cultivated state potted fre- quently, as they generally are with the old dead roots removed as usual at the time of potting, are thus deprived of one of the sources from which, in their natural state, they have food ready at hand. T. B. gathering being L. Dawsoniana. Mr. Horsman's variety, a lovely kind, we do not remember having seen before. — Ed. WHITE FORMS OP LJELIA ANCEPS. In your last week's number you speak of the lovely Lfelia anceps Percivaliana as white, which it is not. Pure white forms are L anceps Daw- soniana, Hilliana, and Williamsiana, of which I send specimens. L. anceps alba, which Mr. Bull received some years ago, and of which some plants were sold at Mr. Day's sale, is also pure white. The variety Percivaliana beside these would seem far from white. Seen alone, it is nearly, but not quite white, having a decided tinge of pink or lilac ; it is wliat we used to call French white. I do not think this detracts from its beauty. I send two other forms, very light, but still further re- moved from pure white than Percivaliana, viz., one called delicata and one recently imported by Mr. Horsman and described as white forms. Both these are beautiful varieties, though to my mind the dazzling pure white of the variety Dawsoniana, coupled with its broad petals and the lovely violet colour of the blotch on the lip, make it the best form of all. Hilliana is equally white, with a very faint pink tinge on the lip. Williamsi is likewise equally white, and the lip is also pure white, except that it has streaks in the throat. By way of contrast, I send a dark form from a plant belonging to Blr. Winn. This has great substance and lasts longer in flower than other varieties. E. Haevey. Aighurih. *jf* With this Mr. Harvey sends flowers of the five varieties of L. anceps which he mentions, all of which are very beautiful, the queen of, the Culture of Calanthes.— I should feel obliged if "J. C. C." would say what variety of Calanthe is so well grown at Powderham Castle under the cool resting process. I grow a number of C. vestita rubro-oculata for winter decoration, and I failed when I gave them the cool resting process. My soil and way of growing them is as follows, and I never fail to have very fine spikes of blooms : I grow them in wire baskets about 8 inches across, suspended from the roof of a stove, and about 2 feet from the glass, in a compost of lumpy peat, old cow manure, charcoal broken about the size of small nuts, and Sphagnum Moss. After blooming, I shake them out of the baskets and immediately re-basket them, placing five or six bulbs in each, according to size, and hang them up in their places again, giving very little water until they begin to push out roots. As they gain strength, I increase the water supply, and during the summer I give weak guano water once a week, which I find vastly improves them, their foliage being ample, stout, and of a dark green colour, the bulbs often throwing up three spikes, two from the base and one from the top, often measuring Zh feet in length and bearing 40 flowers on each. If they will bear cool resting, I do not see why they would not stand in a conservatory when in bloom, which I find they do not with me, and bloom well the next season. But I find the flowers stand well in a cut state and are very useful. — Hy. McCKOWE, Belle Vuc, Pussaffe M^est, Cork. Trees and Shrubs. FORSYTHIA SDSPENSA. Amongst hardy deciduous shrubs few are more attractive when in flower than this Forsythia or more useful. It is one of the best of wall plants, as it grows very quickly, and the slender shoots hang down naturally in a graceful manner or may be tied in loosely as thickly as may be desired. The bright yellow flowers are borne in the greatest profusion in spring throughout the whole length of the preceding summer's growth, and the slight protection afforded by a wall is of material import- ance in protecting them from spring frosts, the plants themselves being quite hardy. Some placed iiugly amongst shrubs of an evergreen nature in various prominent positions of the flower garden or pleasure grounds produce a charming effect in spring, and are by no means unattractive in sum- mer, the leaves being of such a bright shining green. Again, any spare plants kept in the re- serve ground or lifted from the open shrubbery about this time and placed in large pots may be had in perfection in the greenhouse a month in advance of those outside. Before touching For- sythias with a koife, a knowledge of their habits and mode of flowering should be possessed by those about to use it. To cut and nail them in when most other deciduous wall plants are attended to, say in February, would of course mean the destruction of nearly all the flowers ; yet it is questionable if this is not a practice of annual occurrence, even in the case of many whose position should entitle them to the credit of having more than ordinary intelligence. It mat- ters not how thick the shoots are, they should every one be allowed to remain at this season and until flowering is past, when pruning may be attended to without delay, by removing the whole of them nearly close back, unless they are required for enlarging the size of the plant as a bush or for co\ering more space on a wall. No leaves appear until the flowers begin to decay ; consequently the young shoots may be encouraged from the first without detriment to those of the pre\'ious year, i.e., if the latter are removed at the proper time. These remarks on pruning apply to the plants wher- ever grown, but their application is too frequently neglected in the case of those in the outside shrubbery border. F. viridissima has more of an erect, slower growing habit, and is inferior in Jan. 31, 1885.] THE GARDEN 85 every way to F. suspensa. It has one point in its favour, namely, that of flowering later, and so con- tinuing the season. The flowers are not so plen- tiful, neither are they bO evenly distributed along the shoots as in F. suspensa, but individually they are both very similar. These desirable shrubs are natives of China and Japan, and were introduced to this country about forty years ago. A later introduction, named F. Fortunei, is synonymous with F. suspensa, or is at least insuiBciently distinct to merit a separate specific name. J. G. E. AUSTRALIAN TREES IN ARRAN. The Rev. D. Sandsborough, of Kilmarnock, has contributed to a recent meeting of the Edinburgh Botanical Society an interesting report on the Australian and New Zealand trees and shrubs that are being grown on the east coast of Arran. This island, as Mr. McNab long ago stated in the columns of The Garden, enjoys a climate in which the severity of winter is as little felt as in any part of Britain. The east coast is especially mild, as here cold frosty winds are tempered by crossing the sea, while their force is destroyed by the high mountains of the Goatfell range, rising immediately from the coast to a height of 2866 feet, which so lift up the wind that trees along the coast, instead of being scourged, actually in full luxuriance overhang the sea at high tiie. On this side of the island the following measurements were taken in the beginning of August, and unless otherwise mentioned, were made 5 feet from the ground. Gum trees have done remarkably well, and are assuming goodly proportions. An example of the Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) at Lamlash has attained a height of 30 feet, and has a girth of 1 foot 7i inches. A specimen of Almond-leaved Gum (E.'amygdalina) at Corrie is 25 feet high, and has a girth of 11 inches. A tree of the White Gum (E. coriacea), planted in the spring of 1879, has a girth of 4 inches, and is 14 feet 6i inches in height. Mountain White Gum (E Gunni) has attained a height of 3 feet 10 inches at Lamlash, and the alpine Gum (E. alpina) has attained a height of o feet at Corrie. Not a leaf of the White Gum was even browned in the winter of 1879-80. Cabbage Palms, as the Cordylines are popu- larly designated, grow in Arran in the utmost luxuriance, and have never been even browned by the frost. Some of the most noteworthy specimens are Cordyline australis, 9 feet 7 inches high, 11 inches in girth at 12 inches from the ground ; leaves 3 feet 7 inches long and IJ inches broad. C. indivisa, 12 feet 10 inches high including the leaves, 1 foot 5 inches in girth at 18 inches from the ground ; leaves 3 feet 10 inches in length and 2 inches in breadth. C. Veitohi, 9 feet 11 inches in height, 1 foot 4 inches in girth at 12 inches from the ground ; leaves 2 feet 7 inches in length and l.J inches in breadth. As they are all in per- fect health and growing rapidly, it is expected that they will bloom ere long. The specimen of C. indivisa was raised from seed sown in 1872, and the others were raised at a later date. Tree Ferns have succeeded admirably ; the island of Arran, indeed, is stated to be the only place in Britain where Tree Ferns, altogether un- protected, grow luxuriantly in the open air. Three species have been tried — viz., Cyathea dealbata, which stood a winter, but was stolen in the fol- lowing summer ; Dicksonia antarotica, and D, squarrosa. The specimen of D. antarctica is 1 foot 11 inches high, has a girth of 2 feet 3 inches, and a crown of sixteen fronds, each about 5 feet 6 inches in length and 1 foot 8 inches in breadth. It was planted in 1867, when very small ; in fact, not larger than an example of Cystopteris fragilis, and a period of ten years elap.sed before its stem began to in- crease in height. D. squarrosa is 7 inches in height and 10 inches in girth ; the fronds are 2 feet 8 inches in length, by 1 foot 3 inches in breadth. It was planted in 1877, and had then a stem about 4 inches in height. The situation occupied is colder than that in which D. antarc- tica stands and the plant was accidently injured in the previous summer. Dwarf Ferns, consisting of Todea superba and T. hymenophyUoides, grow well. Beefwoods are being tried, and the results are such as to encourage further experiments. The He Oak (Casuarina eqnisetifolia) was planted in 1882, when it was 8 feet 6 inches high ; since then it has increased considerably, and is now 10 feet 10.} inches in height. It is proposed to try also the She Oak (C. quadrivalvis) and the Cork Oak (C. suberosa). The Australian Bramble (Rubus australis) deserves special notice for its distinct character. It was planted this year in the Brodick Castle High Garden against a north wall, where it is growing admirably, and has a more tropical ap- pearance than any plant in the garden. Its leaves are even iiner than those of Aralia Veitchi and much more curious, as they are studded over with little white prickles ; they would form a beautiful fringe to a bouquet. If abundant in Australia, its innumerable prickles must render it a perfect torment in the bush, for they are sharp and turned back, and will catch and hold and tear. Wattles have done well. The Blackwood of Australia (Acacia Melanoxylon), so valuable as an ornamental timber in Australia, had not a leaf browned by the severe winters four or fire years ago. It grew most luxuriantly, which proved its destruction, as it was blown over by tlie storms of last winter. A young plant of the Golden or Broad-leaved Wattle (A. pycnantha) at Lamlash is uninjured. The Black or Feather-leaved Wattle (A. decurrens) at the same place ia a beautiful plant about 5 feet in height. Miscellaneous plants other than from the Antipodes include several of great interest. Ca- mellias bloom freely ; Myrtles flower most abun- dantly ; Buddleia globosa is very beautiful ; Des- fontainea spinosa is 7 feet 6 inches high and covered with flowers ; Photinia serrulata, El^agnus reflexus variegatus, Euonymus latifolius aureus, 4 feet 9 inches high ; Coccoloba vespertilionis, Platanus orientalis, 3 feet 8 inches in girth ; Schi- zostylis coccinea, which blooms most abundantly every year ; and the Chinese Broad-leaved Fir (Gunninghamia sinensis), planted by the late Mr. Townley about 1858. Azalea amoena. — There are, I find, two forms or varieties of this in cultivation. Some years ago I had plants from two different sources, and one is very much superior to the other. The best has rather large flowers approaching a bright crimson in colour, while the other has much smaller blossoms of a decidedly lighter hue. The only way to make sure of getting the best variety is to select the plants when in flower, and there is so much difference in the quality of the two, that it will prove profitable to do this.— J. C. C. Daorydlum Frank:lini — Strolling through the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens down to the rock garden, I was much struck with the beauty of this Conifer. It was planted by the side of the walk in front of some Evergreens of taller growth. Its graceful pendulous habit and the beautiful tracery of its greenery were exquisitely beautiful. There was not a brown leaf or evidence of ill health about it. This would seem to show that it would be perfectly hardy on any moderately shel- tered lawn. To many tastes it must be as beauti- ful as variegated Cypresses or Cryptomeria elegans with its mahogany colouring. — C. A. M. C. Ceanothun rlgiduB succeeds well in our southern and western counties, but whetlier it will do equally well in the north I do not know. Where, however, it can be relied upon there is no more distinct or serviceable plant for warm walls than this Evergreen is. — J. C. C. Clianthua punlceua —I grew this plant here some few years ago out-of-doors. It covered a wall 16 feet high and as much in width, and one year in particular it was a glorious mass of Howers ; but a cruel winter followed and killed it to the ground, notwithstanding the fact that it was covered with movable frigi domo. Except that we did not cover it with glass, it had every cav^. Our disap pointment was too great to attempt to grow it out-of dOLjrs again.— J. C. C. RE-DRAINING OLD GARDENS. Draining a garden is an operation that often seems to be looked on as if, once done, it is done with ever after. At all events, the present condi- tion of many oldgardens that at some time or other since their formation have been drained would lead one to suppose that this is the impression. Yet such an idea is far from being correct ; drain- ing is an operation that, even if carried out on sound principles and the work well executed, cannot be reckoned on to last for ever, even when the subsequent uses to which the land is put are favourable to the drains continuing to act. It is scarcely necessarj' to say that a good deal depends on the crop or crops that are grown, as they have no inconsiderable influence on the last- ing properties of land drains constructed princi- pally with a view to the removal of surface water. For instance, in pastures or meadows there is scarcely a possibility of the pipes getting silted up in the way that is more or less ever going on in arable land, leaving out of the calculation stop- page by the roots of the crops grown on the land, and — what is much worse — the roots of trees and shrubs such as are always to some extent present on lawns and pleasure grounds ; and to their en- croachment may be attributed the wet condition of these in old gardens often noticeable in moist weather. In kitchen gardens where the soil is of a nature to require draining, some of the freer rooting crops grown strike low enough to reach much of the shallow drainage often present, to say nothing of the roots of the numerous fruit trees usually to be found located in this department, and to which in the dry summer weather, when most active, the moisture about the pipes naturally acts as an attraction. To this cause the wet state of some old gardens that once were sufficiently dry is traceable. But it is oftener in old pleasure grounds that the superabundant moisture shows itself on the spaces devoted to Grass, which, after spells of moist weather, may be seen remaining much longer than they should in a condition that does not admit of their being walked on with any degree of comfort, or where the Moss-grown sur- face is such as to indicate the presence of too much moisture over a great part of the year. Only a little reflection is necessary to show that ground devoted to such purposes, and which was ever wet enough to require draining, is all but certain, in the course of time, to have the drains choked by the presence of trees, the multitudinous roots of which stretch out in search of food to distances that would scarcely be credited by the non-obser- vant. Such species as Lime, Ash, and Elm, be- sides producing a profusion of small fibres that occupy almost every inch of the soil within their reach, extend far ; in the case of the last-named tree— Elm — they will stretch out to a distance of 50 yards, and in localities where the rainfall is light they seem to have something approaching ani- mal instinct in making for spots where moisture is present. It thus becomes nothing more than might be looked for that the drainage in many old gardens is often found reduced to a useless condition. The various and frequently opposite theories that have from time to time been advo- cated by those who professed to act as qualified teachers on the subject have done a good deal in leading to wrong impressions as to the best means of carrying out such work in gardens, as well as in ground devoted to other purposes. Fifty years back comparatively little had been done in land drainage ; then the ordinary earthenware pipe of the present day was only coming into use, follow- ing the horseshoe-shaped tiles that had before done duty in localities where there was a scarcity of stone, which in one shape or other was the mate- rial most used where available. Eighteen or 20 inches was looked on as the right depth for the spur or gathering drains, which were almost always placed so as to run directly across the fall of the land, or nearly so ; as a matter of course the main drains which carried the water from the spurs were placed in line with the descent of the ground. The defects of this arrangement, with the collecting drains running across the descent, was that they could do little more than draw off the water from the land on the higher side of each 86 THE GARDEN [Jan. 31, 1885. as that on the opposite lower side ooald not pos- sibly be made to ran up hill ; hence it mas that the land on the lower side of drains so placed was only benefited to the extent of 2 feet or 3 feet by the drain above it, a circumstance so obviously inevitable as to cause surprise that it was so long unnoticed. Drains placed as they now usually are— running in line, or nearly so, with the descent of the ground — collect the water evenly from each side, thus causing its more effectual removal from the land, and also admitting of the drains being placed fur- ther apart. Another fault of the too shallow system of draining that used to be all but general was that such drains manifestly could not do more than remove the extreme top water as it fell from the clouds or found its way to the surface from adja- cent land; none of the superfluous water lying deeper could be carried o£E by them, and which, consequently, often laid stagnant, keeping the soil cold and sour during much of the year, through which cause trees and deep-rooting shrubs fre- quently were unable to make the progress they otherwise would. Under like conditions early vegetables are adversely influenced ; in fact where the land holds too much water early crops are an impossibility ; the chilled state of the ground pre- vents its getting warm enough to promote growth until the season is far advanced and time allowed for the superabundant moisture being removed by subsidence, aided by evaporation from the surface. After the shortcomings of the shallow .'system of draining became apparent, the opposite extreme of sinking them 4 feet or 6 feet down into the clay was declared the only right coarse to fol- low. Many adopted this advice, the result of which was that in most cases the work, like the money expended in its execution, was so far buried as to give little trace of its effects on the surface at times when most wanted, as in heavy soils, where draining is usually most required, it took too long, after heavy rainfall, for the water to find its way down to the drains. The simple facts re- lating to land drainage are that to name any fixed depth for the execution of the work in soils of all natures is so far impossible, that, should the advice be followed, much of the work will be so far un- satisfactory as to be of little use. In the same way, no uniform distance apart can be named as the best for all localities differing to the extent which both the surface and the subsoil does in different parts of the kingdom, a difference that necessarily exerts a powerful influence on the quick or slow percolation of the w.-iter through it. Bat it is well to err on the safe side, and it is better to put the drains a little closer than abso- lutely needful rather than underdo the work by having them too far apart, particularly in gardens, either such as are being newly made, or with old ones that require the work re-doing. The advisa- bility of this course can scarcely fail to be seen when account is taken of the comparatively small cost involved in draining a limited area, such as that occupied by even a large garden and grounds, compared with the advantages obtainable by the well - doing of the various things grown therein, and the amount of pleasure derivable from dry lawns and paths thus made fit to walk upon in all weathers. In the draining of gardens and to secure the work lasting, it is well worth while to go to a little further expenditure in material than simply putting in the ordinary pipes and filling them over in the usual way, for where this alone is done, unless the drains are shallower than they should be, the water is not drawn oil quickly enough either in kitchen gardens or pleasure grounds. I should advise the drains being something deeper than in land used for ordi- nary purposes. Supposing the top soil to be of fair average depth, the pipes may be laid from a foot to 20 .Qches into lue clay or whatever material the subsoil is composed of, filling in above the pipes with burnt ballast, clinkers, or brick rubbish, that will let the water through it, up to the bottom oE the porous surface soil. In this way the water cannot fail to find its way quickly down to the pipes ; in addition to which, the roots of trees and other plants will be much less likely to find their way into the pipes ; and even if such should happen, and they were to get blocked up, the open material above will continue to take off the water for many years. T. Baines. Excessive church decoration.—" J.G." misrepresents the case when he says last week (p. 65) that the art of church decoration must be of the most " primitive kind " where "Northerner" resides. He and other readers will perceive, if they read my former remarks attentively, that the " smother " of Evergreens I cited as an example was that furnished by "J. G." himself, in which he admits to smothering the font (usually ornamental and sculptured) out of sight, the window-sills, the groins and arches, the pulpit, the columns, the altar, and the reredos ! Not content with a few flowers and sprigs on these, he particularises how they were literally smothered with Moss and tall plants, the pots alone of which would require a barrowload of litter to hide them. I only gave his example as one of many, and his description of his own handiwork in that line shows that the word " smother " was fitly applied. He particularises a list of a dozen or more varieties, exclusive of " fo- liage plants," and one is driven to the conclusion that he must have had a waggon and two horses engaged in the business. It is true, as he states, that cut flowers are now worn by everyone, but that is quite another matter, and then "everyone" does not smother his person with flowers, like " J. G.'s ' church. Personal and house floral deco- rations on festive occasions are often overdone, and I expect we shall soon have to do as the Americans do now — have printed on funeral and other cards " no flowers," presents of that kind having, we read, lately become an encumbrance in that country. I do not object to decorations themselves, but to their abuse, and I maintain that the description quoted by me was an example of that sort. In one or two churches with which I am acquainted the decorations are frequent and liberal, but not one pot plant is used, only cut flowers and sprays of Evergreens, and these are disposed so as not to give the object decorated an " overladen " appear- ance or hide it in any way. There are very few people who can be trusted with the execution of such work ; hence the necessity of all decorative plans and devices being submitted first to some- one with some taste in such matters. As for the " softening and humanising influence " of flowers as " J. G." writes, that is an old text, the truth of which no one disputes, but the gentlest nature would resent having to carry a burden of floral decorations on all occasions when a button-hole bouquet was all that he required. — Noethebnek. Garden Flora. .5300.— Woodlloe.— These can only breed and exist where conditions are favourable, which they are where there is warmth and dryness; and there- fore it the places in which they hide are made wet their increase is at once stopped, and they make off to seek more comfortable quarters, or they may be trapped readily after being dis- turbed. The way we got rid of ours in a large in- door fernery was to give a lot of water behind the rook and down amongst all the fissures where the heat came up from the pipes, from which places they turned out in quantity and were killed as fast as they showed themselves ; after that we trapped constantly by having a lot of flower-pots baited with boiled Potatoes, and Beet, and Turnip scooped out, the pots and Beet and Turnips being filled loosely with wisps of hay, which were re- newed from time to time when they became wet. By looking at the traps every morning and empty- ing out the woodlice, their numbers became so reduced, that we only found a few during the week, and now I do not think we have one in the house. I have heard that Battle's Vermin Killer will de- stroy woodlice, and if so, they may soon be got rid of, as, like crickets and beetles, they will cat almost anything, and poison ought to make short work with them if they can get it. Arsenic being tasteless, it is most likely they would take that if mixed with cooked Potatoes or meal, but these things require much care in their use, and to be put where nothing but the woodlice can eat them.— S. D. PLATE 477. THE CULTIVATED GENTIANS. (WITH A FIGURE OP GENTIAyA ANDEEWSI.*) To no one genus in the whole range of hardy alpine plants are we probably so much indebted for varied and vivid colouring as to the Gentians. The intervening forms between the handsome, almost stemless G. bavarica and the stately G, lutea are numerous. Their distribution, too, seems to be as varied as their characters, extending as it does from the limit of almost perpetual snow on Cotopaxi to our own charming and much- admired G. verna, lowly nestling in Irish bogs— in early spring a carpet of the deepest blue. With Gentians, as with most alpine plants, one condi- tion at least is essentially important, and that is when once fairly established, they must be left undisturbed. Many of them, like G. lutea, have long tap roots, and ill withstand transplantation. Such annual species as G. Amarella, G. Jloorcrof li- ana, and a few others are not to be despised, but those of perennial duration are so numerous and handsome, that we can well dispense with annual kinds in most gardens. In the Himalayas alone over forty distinct species of Gentian occur, some of which are said to possess considerable beauty, and yet, singular as it may appear, it is a fact that not a dozen of them are in cultivation at the present time, and those only in a few gar- dens. Shade as well as sunshine is recommended for the majority of Gentians, but this to a great extent depends on the soil. In localities where the latter is shallow and of a light sandy charac- ter shade is absolutely necessary, even where the supply of water is unlimited, but where the soil is deep and retentive they will flourish in full sun- shine with the exception of the Himalayan species, which thrive best on north exposures and in a variety of soils. Although many of these Gen- tians may be increased by division of the roots, G. acaulis is the only one not injured by the ope- ration, and as they nearly all ripen seed in this country — even the late-flowering G. Andrewsi — their increase is easily effected in that way. The seeds should be sown as soon as ripe, either out- doors or in shallow pans, and placed in a cool frame, the latter where practicable preferred. The kinds of Gentians in general cultivation, and which are the most useful and durable, are as follows ; — G. acaulis, the Gentianella of gardens, is probably the first, or at least amongst the first, that was in- troduced to this country, and certainly the first commonly grown. Its introduction dates as far back as 1629, and with little or no intermission, in the north especially, it has held a foremost place as an edging or carpet plant. A good retentive soil is that generally recommended for it, but at- mospheric conditions have also probably got some- thing to do with its success ; where these have been favourable we have seen it grow luxuriantly, even in diflierent or only ordinary light garden soil. In localities in which its cultivation is difficult, a good plan is to give it a rich top-dressing early in spring or as soon as it begins to send out its young, growths ; and success has also been attained by claying the bottom of the bed and filling up with good, rich, lumpy soil. Choice of situation is al- ways important in the case of this species ; the spot where it grows should be cool, but not shady ; sunshine and a plentiful supply of water in sum- mer are also essential. In planting, it may be broken up into small pieces and placed at short distances apart ; thus treated, it will soon form dense cushions or edgings of a permanent cha- * Drawn at Munatead, Godalming, inSeptember. iNTIAl- EWSI Jan. 31, 1885.] THE GARDEN 87 raoter. Being of dwarf habit, it seldom attains, even when in flower, more than 2 inches or 3 inches in height ; the leaves are smooth, oval-shaped, and pointed, and of a dark, shining green. The flowers, which are about 2 inches long, rise directly from the base on very short stalks ; they are a beautiful deep or streaky blue, and appear early in May and June in such quantity as to entirely hide the leaves. It is a native of the European Alps, Pyrenees, &c. The variety alba, though said to be abundant on the Alps, is yet compara- tively rare in cultivation ; G. a. Clusii, a variety found in the Pyrenees, differs but little from the type except in size and in the intense blue of its flowers. G. a. excisa is by some quoted as a distinct species, but it is hardly distinct enough for the garden. G. a. alpina is another fornl with much narrower leaves. Other and newer varieties are pallida, ccerulea, albo-raarginata, coelestina, alba ccerulea, azurea, albida, and others not generally in cultivation. G. ADSCENDBNS. — Of this tWO varieties are published in the Botanical Magazine, but practi- cally they differ but little, ex- cept in colour. G. adscendens produces many weakly stems, de- cumbent at first, but rising after- wards at a short distance from the crown. The flowers, which are blue, are in some of the forms intense, and, but for the peculiarity of its calyx and lateness in flower- ing, it might be taken for G. asclepiadea, which it very much resembles. The stems rise from a tuft of lanceolate leaves, those on the stem being narrower than those at the base and produced in pairs, gener.ally facing one way. The flowers, which are blue, are produced in terminal clusters and in the axils of the upper- most leaves. It requires a deep soil, owing to its forming long tap roots, and thrives best in a shady position. It commences to flower in July, and continues in bloom until September. It is a native of Siberia. G. decumbens is said to be a form of this, but of dwarfer growth. The variety of G. d, Pallasi, figured in Kegel's Gartenflora, is very handsome and desirable. Its flowers are deep blue, and the plant has the lowly habit of G. Walujewi. G. AFFiNis, a handsome species of recent introduction, bids fair to become common. It is much in the way of G. septemfida, and varies in height from 6 inches to 1 foot. The leaves are oblong or narrow lanceolate and of a pretty light green. The flowers, which are few, sometimes almost solitary, are an inch in diameter, funnel- shaped, with lobes spreading hori- zontally, and of a fine deep vel- vety blue. It often attains a trailing or decumbent habit, and is well suited for rocke- ries, where is seems to flourish best on an east exposure. It flowers early in summer, and is a native of California, Sierra Nevada, and the Rocky Mountains. G. ALGIDA. — This Siberian species was first de- scribed by Pallas in his " Flora Rossica." It is allied to the European G. Pneumonanthe, though it is dwarfer, very robust plants being only about a foot high. The flowers are about 2 inches long, white or yellowish white, spotted and streaked with blue. Pallas found it growing with Rhode dendron chrj'santhum in alpine situations, and it has since been found to have a wide range. This must be a fine showy species, and it is satisfac- tory to know that it is in cultivation, though still rare. G. Andrewsi, of which the accompanying plate is a coloured representation, is one of the few American plants that make themselves quite at home in our bog gardens. When once properly established it is one of the handsomest of the Gentians in cultivation, and one which never fails to produce a profusion of its clear amethystine flowers. It is upright in habit and grows from 1 foot to 2 feet in height ; the leaves, which are lan- ceolate, have rough margins, and grow on the Gentiaua asclepiadea. stem in opposite pairs ; the flowers, which are barrel-shaped and produced in terminal clusters, and also half way down in the axils of the leaves, are always closed at the month, the lobes being obliterated, and represented by broad fringed or notched appendages; the calyx is reflexed or recurved — one of the main distinctive characters between this and its near ally, G. Saponaria. It is a native of N. America, and flowers in September. (Syn., G. Saponaria.) G. ASCLEPIADEA (the Swallow-wort) is a tall and very handsome species which requires to be grown, as at Wisley, by the square yard in order to develop its real beauty. It grows from 1 foot to 3 feet high. Its stems are rather weak, but in large patches it makes a first-rate border plant, thriving well even in ordinary garden soil. Its leaves, which are oval-lanceolate, run to narrow points and are of a fine lively green with five veins, which meet at both ends. The flowers, whicii are bell-shaped, are bright deep purplish blue with darker spots inside, from twelve to sixteen being on each stem. It is a native of Southern Europe.andflowersin July and August. Thevariety G. a. alba has a habit much the same as the type. G. BAVARICA. — This, though one of the smallest, is also one of the most variable. Specimens of it from the Valois are less than an inch in height, whilst those from the little plain of Zermatt are over 6 inches, and quite lose their pretty rosette habit. It seems to be also variable as regards requirements, being as much at home in prepared gritty soil as in a peat bog. It, however, prefers a place among the Droseras, where it flourishes in perfection. In early spring and summer it cannot get too much water, and daily showers from a watering-pot may be given with safety. It is essential, however, that the drainage be perfect. Its flowers, which are terminal, are produced one on each stem ; they are large in proportion to the plant, velvety, and of an intense Prussian blue ; the leave?, which have a yel- lowish tint, are smaller and more oval than those of G. verna and are in opposite pairs. It comes from the alpine meadows of Central and South Europe, &c., and flowers in July. (Syn., G. serpyllifolia.) G. BuRSEKi. — A handsome Gen- tian from the Eastern Pyrenees, said to be a hybrid between G. lutea and G. punctata, which is probable, as it partakes of the characters of both. It produces tufts of long elliptical leaves, from the centre of which rises the stout flowering-stem from a foot to 18 inches in height; the flowers, which are yellow, are spotted with purple, campanulate, in dense terminal clusters, produced in July, and last a considerable time in beauty. It thrives best in a peaty loam and requires plenty of room, as it sends out young shoots from the base of the previous year's growth. G. CILIATA. — This is a pretty species, and one which is useful on rockeries, as it adapts itself admir- ably to the fissures, &c., between large stones and thrives well in such dry positions ; the stems are about a foot long, producing pretty, solitary, fringed flowers, blue or lightish purple in colour. The leaves are linear-oblong and point- ed, and the flowers are produced in July and September. It is a native of Southern Europe and Siberia. G. COEONATA. — A Himalayan species and exquisitely beautiful, but rare, if indeed the true plant, be in cultivation at all. It produces many wiry, decumbent stems, thickly beset with neat, ovate-acute leaves in opposite pairs. The flowers, which are produced in autumn, are a lovely azure or sky-blue, corona shaped, and in terminal bunches of from six to nine in a head. G. CRINITA. — A pretty Gentian, though unfor- tunately only of biennial duration. It generally grows about a foot in height, and the stems, which are much branched, terminate with large clusters of deeply fringed indigo-blue flowers ; the leaves are lance-shaped, cordate at the base, and clasping the stem. It thrives in a moist, peaty soil, and is a good companion to the closed Gentian. It flowers in September, and is a native of North America. (Syn., G. fimbriata.) 88 THE GAEDEN [Jan. 31, 1885. G. CEUCIATA (the Cross-wort).— Common in gardens, and one of the easiest to cultivate. It grows well in any moderately dry border in good loam, but seems from its straggling, loose habit much better adapted for the rockery. The stems are from a foot to 18 inches in length ; the leaves in pairs, each pair crossing the next alternately, broad, lanceolate, and often curled. The flowers, which are in whorls, contain only fonr instead of the usual live segments. They are deep blue and produced from May until August. It is a native of Central and Southern Europe. G. FRIGIDA.— A species as yet rare in cultiva- tion, but, from its singular flowers, worthy of more attention. It thrives well in borders in rich, moist soil, and is also useful for rockeries. It is of rather humble stature, being rarely more than 6 inches high. It has narrow, thickish, linear leaves in pairs, and sheathing at the base. The flowers, consisting of from one to three together, terminate the stem ; they are funnel-shaped, about 2 inches long, of a yellowish white tint beset with purple dots, and very pretty and lasting ; they are pro- Geutiana lutea. duoed in August and September. It comes from the alpine regions of the Rocky Mountains. G. KURROO.— This is one of the most beautiful of the Himalayan Gentians, and also one of the easiest to cultivate, accommodating itself to cir- cumstances in a surprising manner. In the south of Scotland a large clump of it in an ordinary border is not considered remarkable, but then alpine ludian plants find there a congenial home. Grown near London on a rockery having a north aspect, it has flowered profusely, eclipsing, indeed, everything else for the time being. The compost in which it grows is a rich peaty mixture, and it receives copious waterings during the summer months. It forms a tuft or rosette of smooth, lan- ceolate leaves about 3 inches long, from the base of which rises the flower-stalk, and from the upper Geiiti.ina Piieumonanthe. joints spring short stalks producing single flowers an inch broad and of tlie brightest azure-blue. The time of flowering lasts from July to August. It is a native of the Western Himalayas, and is common about Kashmir at elevations of from 5000 feet to 11,000 feet. G. LODERi.— This is another beautiful Hima- layan species lately introduced by Mr. Loder, whose name it bears. The seed is said to have been collected about the Lidar Valley. Its flowers are large, blue, fringed between the larger lobes, and very pretty. The leaves are oval and opposite. In habit it is straggly and unlike any of the others in cultivation. G. LUTEA being very well known in gardens, little need be said about it. It is essentially a border plant, its large, bold habit rendering it very striking. It seems to be partial to a rich, moist soil, the tap root descending in many cases very deeply. It grows 3 feet or 4 feet high, and pro- duces whorls of flowers at the upper joint, about an inch broad and of a good yellow colour. It flowers in July and August. It is a native of the Alps and Pyrenees. G. MACROPHYLLA. —This differs from crnciata only in having much longer leaves and in being without the accessory segments to the corolla. It forms tufts of broad lanceolate foliage, sheathing at the base. Its stems are at first prostrate, but gradually become erect. The flowers, which are terminal, are collected together in whorls, dark blue, and produced in July and August. It is a native of Siberia, where it is found in elevated meadows. G. ORNATA. — This handsome little Himalayan Gentian seems to be quite at home in the Edinburgh Dotanic Garden. There I remarked a large patch of it on the rookery, where, judging by the innu- merable brown , flower-stalks with which it was beset, it flowers profusely. It will be found to do well in a peaty mixture, and in the sunny south should be grown on the shady side of a rockery. It forms little tufts of numerous stems ?> inches or 4 inches long, spreading from a common centre. The leaves are small, oval, and pointed. The flowers, which are produced singly at the ends of the branches, are funnel-shaped and intensely blue. It flowers early in May and June, and is a native of Sikkim, where it occurs at elevations of from l.^^OOO feet to 1C,000 feet. G. PANNONICA, a rare species, and nearly allied to the more common G. punctata. It grows from 1 foot to 2 feet high. Its leaves are oval, lanceo- late, and beset more or less with sheathing scales at the base. The flowers are both terminal and axillary in clusters ; tube, yellowish, dotted with purple, and dense at the mouth. It flowers in June and July, and comes from the European Alps. It has been referred to punctata and to purpurea. G. Pneujionanthe (the Marsh Gentian) is a British plant, and though not plentiful over a wide area, it is far from being scarce on the moors around P,agshot. It is seldom met with in gardens, but this is more owing to its aquatic or semi- aquatic requirements than to its lack of beauty. It may be had in perfection in an artificial bog, where, when doing well, it is truly handsome. It grows about a foot in height and has numerous slender upright stems, terminated by clusters of rich blue flowers and often striped with white. They appear in August and September. G. PUNCTATA is a handsome species, not un- common in gardens. It grows about 2 feet high : its leaves are shorter and more ovate than in G. pannonica ; the flowers, which are in clusters at the extremities of the stem, are pale yellow, spotted irregularly with purple. It flowers in June and July, and inhabits the high mountain ranges of Europe. G. PURPUREA. — This is said to be a variety of punctata, thoueh the flowers are distinct, their colour being different from that of any other Gentian. It grows about 2 feet in height. Its leaves, which are broad and oval-shaped, are in pairs, sheathing at the base : its flowers, consisting of from four to eight together, are terminal, bell-shaped, and of a curious dark, dingy purple colour. It thrives best in partial shade in rich, well-drained loam, and flowers in June and July. It is a native of the European Alps. There are both rose and white varieties of it, but not, we believe, now in cultivation. G. PYRBNAiCA.— This little Pyrenean alpine gem grows only 2 inches or .1 inches high. Its flowers, which are large, are deep blue, with fine Gentiana cruciata. prettily fringed appendages between the lobes and produced singly on each stem ; the leaves are few and narrow. It flowers in June and July. G. Saposaria (the Soapwort) is with us one of the most accommodating of American plants, although it seems to be most at home in situations similar to those which suit G. Andrewsi. It pro- duces many upright stems about 2 feet in height, and is well furnished with long pointed opposite leaves, spreading horizontally. The flowers are terminal, and also in the axils of the upper leaves ; they appear in August and September, are pale blue and very handsome, club or barrel shaped, and partly open at the mouih. It is a native of moist woods in North America. (Syn., G. Cates- biei.) The variety named linearis is in cultivation under the name of Frcelichi, and differs but little from .the type. 6. septemfida is a universal favourite, and one that adapts itself to the most varied circum- stances. It grows alike well in sunshine or shade, provided it is supplied with occasional moisture. It varies very much according to the situation in which it is placed, thus giving rise to numtrous imaginary forms. One of these forms, figured in I'axton's Maiiuzine of Botatiy under the name of G. gelida, seems to be permanent in character, and therefore is figured ia the Botanical Magazine, t. 641)7, as G. s. var. cordifolia. G. gelida, ajel.ow- Gentiana septemfida. flowered kind with five instead of three-veined leaves, is not in cultivation, and although this fact has been previously published, a Gentian is still sold under that name. G. septemfida grows from a foot to IS inches high, often trailing, but sometimes sturdy and upright; leaves ovate, pointed, and somewhat stem-clasping; flowers large, bright blue, whitish in the throat, fringed in the inter lobes, and terminal. It flowers in August and September,, and is a native of the Caucasus. Jan. 31, 1885.] THE GAKDEN 89 G. TIBETICA, although a species of recent intro dnction, has already added much to the confusion which exists in this genus, owing to its having been circulated under the names of affinis and macrophylla. It grows about 2 feet high and has little to recommend it but its large beautiful £^^V1!- Geutiana algida. leaver. The latter grow about a foot long, 3 inches broad, aud are bright shiny green. The flowers are greyish white. It flowers in July and August and is a native of the Himalayas. G. VERNA. — Although this is a native, and pre- sents no real difficulties as regards cultivation, it is remarkable how seldom it is met with in gar dens. If there at all it is generally in the shape of small bits. There is, however, little doubt that it might be had in perfection in most gar dens if growers could at once hit on the exact position suited to it. After many failures we have it forming dense tufts in a stiff loam on an east exposure and unshaded. It does all the better if surrounded with small stones half buried, and a cool bottom and plenty of moisture in spring and sum- mer are essential points. As received from the Alps it seems to vary a good deal, some of the forms having leaves almost the size and texture of those of G. acaulis. It grows from 1 inch to 2 inches high, forming tufts of shining oblong, blunt, firm- textured leaves ; the flowers, which are hardly an inch long, are funnel-shaped and of a rich blue colour, with white throat. They generally appear in April and May, but at Kew it is now in flower. Ct. brachyphylla, a small form of this, comes from the Alps and Pyrenees. D. K. Planting Rosea.— In lifting a quantity of Eoses lately for potting — some that had been laid in temporarily, and others that had stood all the summer in the same position — I found that those lifted in autumn and laid in as just described were much more active at the root than those that had remained undisturbed. A well-known writer on Roses stated in The Garden some time ago that root disturbance promoted root activity ; the statement was received with incredulity, but I find from several instances that have come under my observation since then tha,t such is substantially correct. This seems to confirm the advantages attributed to early planting or transplanting, and that the latter is of benefit to Eoses if done early in the season there can be little doubt. I have frequently seen beds of dwarf Eoses said to be worn out restored to health and vigour by simply lifting and replanting them. I would recom- mend anyone having beds of dwarf Eoses planted several years, and that are deteriorating, to lift them early next season, say in October and Novem- ber, and trench up the bed two spits deep, adding some good rotten manure and fresh soil •, then re- plant rather deeper than before, and mulch the surface with some half-rotten manure to keep the roots in an equable state as to moisture and from sudden fluctuations of temperature. Thus treated, they will not only start into growth more strongly, but will increase in vigour as the season advances. I feel sure, indeed, that if the practice of lifting and replanting was generally adopted, we should hear less of llose failures than we now do. — J. G. Kitchen Garden. BEST SOETS OF VEGETABLES. As people will now be getting in their season's supply of seeds, a few words as to the best sorts of vegetables may be of use to many in making their selections, and save them from being over-burdened with varieties that differ little or nothing from others, except in name. Taking them alphabeti- cally, we will begin with Asparagus. — The best are the Argenteuil and Connover's Colossal, kinds that grow to a great size, the former being extensively cultivated for the French and English markets, in which huge heads may be seen, and the latter being a favourite among gardeners in this country, most of whom have beds of it now. The middle of March is quite time enough for the sowing, which should be made in deeply trenched, highly manured ground, in rows a yard apart, that is, if the plants are intended to stand, which is the better plan, as, however care- fully lifted, they are sure to suffer a check at transplanting, and the putting in two or three seeds at 18 inches asunder saves this, as all but the strongest in each place may be pulled np and discarded. Beets.— Of these there are many sorts, the best among them all being Dell's Crimson and Nut- ting's Dwarf Eed. Dell's has medium-sized roots of a rich deep crimson, which, when cooked, are very tender and of excellent flavour. Nutting's is also a fine Beet, possessing the same good quali- ties, but is distinct in its foliage, which is small and not so deep bronzy a shade as Dell's, the leaves of which are very rich and high coloured. The land for Beet should be in good tilth, but not fresh manured, unless the manure put on is quite rotten. Borecole or Kale are very useful, especially the tall and dwarf Green Curled, both of which are very hardy, and have a sweet, tender flavour. These are the finest for winter, but for spring there are none equal to Asparagus Kale, which yields a great number of the most delicious sprouts, melt- ing and marrowy when tliey are cooked. For garnishing, a few of the variegated Kale should be grown, as the leaves, besides being curled, have beautiful markings or suffusions of colour, varying from white up to rich crimson. Broccoli are in almost endless variety, and should be divided into early, second early, and late sorts, the finest among the first being Veitch's Protecting Autumn, which comes in im- mediately after their grand Giant Cauliflower, which it somewhat resembles, and lasts on, if sharp frosts keep off, till Snow's or Back house's follow. The last mentioned, when it can be had true, is a fine kind, forming very close white heads, which are well protected by the leaves folding closely over the hearts. For cut- ting in spriog none are better than Veitch's Spring White, Dilcock's Bride, and Penzance, the latter being the sort which is so extensively grown in Cornwall and sent from thence to London and other markets in such quantities all through the latter part of the winter. Veitch's is an early kind, having medium-sized heads that are pure white and well protected, and Dilcock's Bride is large and of the same desirable colour. For late use Model is the best, as it is very hardy, and bears close handsome heads that are hearted over and preserved from spring frosts. Cattell's Eclipse is also an excellent kind that has hard woody stems, which enable it to stand the severest of winters, its only fault being that the heads are not quite so white as the others. Sander's Protecting is a fine variety that comes in about the end of April and lasts in cutting for nearly a month after if the plantation is large. The way to grow Broccoli is to plant them i feet apart and have a row of Potatoes between, as the latter crop being cleared off early allows them plenty of room with full light and air, when they not only develop themselves properly, but become firm and large in the stems, which may be earthed up and made proof against frost. If they are planted nearer, it should be in hard land that has not been dug, for though they may not grow so big, they will be more consolidated and hardier than when their progress through summer is rapid. Another thing that tells against Broccoli standing the winter is sowing too thickly, which causes the plants to become drawn and long in the leg, in- Gentiana veraa. as when in an undecomposed state it is almost sure to make them fangy by preventing the down- ward course of the tap roots, and this obstruction causes them to branch out at the sides. The time for sowing is the middle of April for the first pull- ing, but if the main crop is in a month afterwards, it is soon enough, as the seedlings are tender. stead of which they ought to be dwarf and stocky at the time of planting, and to get them in this desirable state it is a good plan to prick them out in rather poor soil, after which they will, as a rule, be found to lift with plenty of roots and large balls, when, as a matter of course, they suffer little or no check on removal. 90 THE GARDEN [Jan. 31, 1885. Brussels Sprouts. — The tendency of late years in the case of these is to have size, which is a mistake, as small, close-hearted, firm Sprouts are far better than the large loose ones, most of which are strong and of inferior flavour. If a fine selection of the Imported be sown, they are sure to give satisfaction on the table, but if those in favour at shows must be had, then Veitch's Ex- hibition or the Aigburth should be ordered and grown. Whichever is chosen ought to be sown at latent by the middle of March, and it is a good plan to get the first lot up under glass, as it is only by having fine strong plants early that large stalks full of nice sprouts can be got. Some sow their Brussels Sprouts where they are to stand and thin out, so as to save transplanting, under which system I have seen them quite a yard high and stout in proportion. As the plants are gross feeders, the land for them cannot well be too rich, and it is important that it be deeply worked, that the roots may find their way down, or the check will be great during dry weather. Cabbages. — Although there are many kinds of these, three or four are quite suflBcient for any garden, the two best for coming in first being Ellam's Dwarf and Wheeler's Imperial, both of which are small, closp-hearted sorts, that are tender and first-class in flavour when cooked. To succeed these none are better than Enfield Market and Fnlham, which are large and fine in quality, with few outside leaves when they turn in. The time to sow is the middle of July and again in August, the plants raised in the latter month lasting on as long as Cabbages are cared for in summer. Ellam's and Wheeler's may be planted in rows 18 inches apart and the same distance from plant to plant, but the larger growers require more room. Like all the Brassicas, Cabbages re- quire plenty of manure, and in dry weather are much benefited by a good soaking of sewage. Couve Tronchuda must not be forgotten, as it is a most delicious vegetable, tender and marrowy in texture and flavour. To have it fine, the seed must be sown early and the plants got out by the middle of May, and if this is done, the heads will be fit to cut in October, when they should be used before being injured by frost. Chou de Burghley is said to be a cross between a Cabbage and a Broccoli, but, however raised, it is a valuable vegetable, as it forms a very large, long, conical heart, and comes into use all through the winter, and is of a very mild, agreeable flavour. Carrots. — There are two sorts of these that are very desirable, the one being the French Forcing and the other James' Intermediate, the first named for sowing on a gentle hotbed in sandy soil or on a warm border, to be pulled and used when young, and James' for the general crop in the open. As a dressing on the ground for Carrots, soot is the best material, and this should be scattered on and dug in before sowing the seed, when it will be a great help in preventing the attacks of wireworm, to which Carrots are particularly subject, and are often quite spoiled by their ravages. Cauliflowers.— Early London is usually relied on for first cutting, and very good it is, the best for succeeding it and affording a supply during summer being the Walcheren, and for autumn none are equal to Veitch's Giant, which produces very large, close, heavy heads that come beautifully white and well protected with leaves. The time for sowing the Early London is the middle or end of August, and when the plants are large enough to handle they should be pricked out close under a wall on a warm border, where they will winter in safety. If handlights or glass can be spared, they may be planted or potted singly and kept in cold frames, which is a good plan, as then they may be turned out in the spring without feeling a check. To have the Walcheren all through the season referred to, successional ' sowings must be made, commencing in March and ending in June, but for Veitch's the end of April is quite late enough, as plants of that variety take a long time to turn in. Deep cultivation and rich soil are the things needful for Cauliflower, and during summer a little shade and a cool position are desirable, and if the ground along the sides of the rows can be mulched, that will be a great help to the plant.s Celery. — If this is wanted for salads or to be used in an uncooked state, the best to grow is the Sandringham, which is very dwarf and solid in leaf stem and the finest of all for crispness and flavour. Not only is it superior in the points re- ferred to, but as it is so dwarf and stocky, it requires but little earthing to blanch it, and it is easily protected during the winter, as there is then so little of its top exposed to the weather. For culinai-y parposes the larger sorts are desirable, and among these none are better than Major Clark's Solid Red and Wright's Giant White; to get these of full size they should be sown in gentle heat about the middle of March, and as soon as the plants are large enough it is necessary to prick them out in rich light soil on a half-spent hotbed or a hard bottom, where they can be kept close under glass for a time to give them a start, when they should be freely watered, as any check through dryness or other causes will make them bolt. This being so, it is important at the time of planting to lift them with good balls and give them a thorough soaking as soon as they are in the trenches, which ought not to be deep, but heavily manured, and the manure well mixed up with the soil. Cucumbers are so numerous and so good, that it seems invidious to pick out just two or three ; but those who grow Telegraph or Tender and True for summer and Sion House Improved for winter are sure to be satisfied, as their bearing qualities and flavour are first rate, and Tender and "True is so handsome in shape, as to be one of the very best for show purposes. To have them free from bitterness, crisp, and juicy, they must be quickly grown, which can only be done by giving them fresh, rich soil and a brisk moist heat, either from fermenting material or hot water, or, better still, a combination of the two, as then a more genial atmosphere can be maintained and the temperature kept regular under any state of the weather. Endive. — Of this two kinds are enough, the green curled and the round-leaved Batavian, and if these are sown about the middle of July and planted out when large enough, they will be large and fine for lifting to blanch in sheds or frames late in the autumn. Leeks are becoming much more used than they were at one time, and as the quality of all is about the same, size is a point that has most to be con- sidered, and in this respect Ayton Castle Giant has it, but to get even this variety to its full dimen- sions early sowing must be resorted to, and the best way is to raise the plants in heat at the end of February or beginning of March, and after- wards treat them the same as advised for Celery, as they requtte trenches and blanching to have them with big edible stems. Lettuces. — These come in two classes, Cabbage and Cos, the Cabbage being used principally for cooking and the Cos kinds for salads, for which latter purpose none are superior to Veitch's Superb White, and the Paris White for summer ; and for standing during winter Hicks Hardy Cos and the Bath Brown Cos are quite unrivalled. Among the Cabbage varieties, the Victoria and Neapolitan are the most desirable, and these may be sown at in- tervals from April, according to the demand, and the same with the White Cos ; but the Brown and Hick's should not^be put in till the middle of Au- gust, unless they are wanted for cutting early in autumn. To have Lettuces sweet, crisp, and suc- culent they must have rich ground and be quickly grown, and to save transplanting, which causes such a check to young plants during the summer, it is a good plan to sow in rows where they are to stand and thin out, so as to -leave them standing at the distance required. Onioxs. — The varieties of these are ever increas- ing, but few, if any, will beat the good old Read- ing and James's Keeping to sow for winter use, and to come in before these are ready the Giant Rocca is one of the best, and this should be sown in Au- gust and the other two about the middle of March. To obtain fine large bulbs the land for them must be heavily manured and deeply worked, as it is surprising what a way the roots go down ; but though Onions like a loose bed below, it is neces- sary to have it firm and solid above, or instead of bulbing properly they are apt to grow with large necks, and are then of no value for storing. The best kind for pickling is the Silver Skin, and this should be sown on very hard, poor soil, when the bulbs, if the plants are not thinned, may be had about the size of marbles, in which small state the}' are prized. Parsnips.— Of these there are two worth grow- ing, the Hollow Crown and The Student, the first of which is large and good, and the latter small and of excellent quality and flavour. Loose light land is the thing for Parsnips, and they cannot well be sown too early, the middle of February being a good time if the land is then in fair order. Radishes. — For forcing, the early scarlet and white Turnip and the French Breakfast are the best, but for summer use Wood's Frame and the Long Scarlet ,stand the heat better ; to get them young and good, frequent small sowings have to be made. Spinach. — The round is the sort to grow for summer use and the prickly for winter, but it is difficult, even under the most skilful management, to keep up a supply during hot weather, and as a substitute then the New Zealand should be culti- vated, or the Perpetual Beet sown, as with either of these in the garden there is always plenty to pick at. The first sowing for spring gathering may be made as early as February and the round for winter by the middle of August, a warm sunny position being necessary to keep it in growth. In starting with the New Zealand it is necesfary to raise the plants in pots in heat and turn them out towards the end of May, and if this is done on an old spent hotbed, the yield will be great. Tomatoes are now coming very largely into use and the last addition to the many fine sorts is the best. This is the Hackwood Park Prolific, which is an early vaiiety, bearing handsome, large-tizcd smooth fruit, in long clusters that show freely all up the stems. Hathaway 's Excelsior is also a re- markably fine kind that produces heavy crops, but to enable any of the Tomatoes to set their flowers it is necessary to keep them well supplied with tepid water and to mulch over the roots, or the blooms fall. As the season at best is short for ripening them, the plants should be raised early by sowing seed in February. Get the plants up strong and hardened ready for planting out by the last week in iMay, when they ought to be protected during the night by having some kind of covering in front, or placed round or over them if they are out in the open ; where so planted, they must have a hot sunny position, or the fruit will not be ripe by the autumn. Where it can be spared a light house is the place to grow Tomatoes, as there they may be kept in large pots or planted out and run up under the roof, and if thinned out, when the shoots need that attention, the crop will be heavy. Peas. — These are becoming much too numerous, and it is, therefore, a most ditlicult matter with many to know which to select, but those who have had experience with them keep to a very few varieties, for after all there are none to beat the sterling old kinds ; Veitch's Perfection among the dwarfs and Ne Plus Ultra among the tall sorts have never been beaten. Although these are so good, and the very best that can be obtained for summer, we must have some that are earlier for a first gathering, and if these are to be grown in a frame or under glass, Chelsea Gem or American Wonder are the ones to choose, as both are re- markably dwarf and very prolific. For sowing on borders none are better than Kentish Invicta and William I., and to follow on immediately after these a row or two of Days Sunrise or Advancer should be put in, and these ought to be succeeded by the two first-mentioned above. Almost any land of fair average quality will grow early Peas, but to produce them in quantiiy during the summer the ground must be specially Jan. 31, 1885.] THE GARDEN 91 prepared by digging trenches and manuring the bottom, when they should be nearly filled in again with soil and the Peas sown. These rows ought not to be nearer than say from 6 feet to 10 feet, according to the kind of Peas grown, as they bear far better wide apart, and Celery may be planted between, which position is just suited for it, as daring the hottest weather it delights in half shade. Sparrows, which are so troublesome in most gardens, may easily be kept off the rows by runniag three or four lines of black cotton along, which, if just clear of the heads of the young Peas and strained tight, alarm them greatly, and they flee from the unseen danger at once. Potatoes. — The name of these is legion, but for all that there are only a limited few that are of really first- rate quality when cooked for table, although there are plenty of fine shape and very handsome appearance. It is not these, however, that most growers want, and to suit the generality of people none are better in the kidney class for first use than the good old Ashleaf, which possesses good flavour. Myatt's is a variety of it, and is nearly equal and much more prolific, but a fortnight later in coming in. Welford Park is a valuable kind that has a future, and Magnum Bonum is the best for a general crop. Among the rounds, Paterson's Victoria, Bed font Prolific, Schoolmaster, and Vicar of Laleham are the finest, but these, as do all others, vary a good deal in different soils, which have great in- fluence on Potatoes ; those from fields composed of sandy poor land are generally superior to those cultivated in gardens, from which highly ma- nured ground they are mostly close and unpleasant in flavour. Turnips.— At one time it was a difficult matter to compass the season with a supply of these esculents, as long before spring-sown ones came in the autumn bulbs had started to run up to flower, but with the Extra Early Milan a month is saved, as this kind is quite that timein advance of all others. To succeed this the Snowball is the best, and to follow on during the summer and autumn, Veitch's Red Globe is superior to any, as it is free from that rank, hot flavour peculiar to most othersduring the seasons referred to. For the first sowing a warm, shel- tered border is the best place, but for succession a cool spot should be chosen, the land most suitable being that in good tilth and not freshly manured, as when over-rich the Turnips run more to leaf than is desirable. Vegetable Mabeows are not at all numerous in sorts, the best among them being the Custard, unless this is beaten by the new comer named Pen-y-Byd, which has the merit of being a small round kind and very prolific in habit. The shape of the Custard is taking, but the others being long or oval are not useful for dishing. To have Marrows early, a hotbed is necessary, and on it some rich soil should be placed and the plantsturned out under hand-lights early in May or before, and if kept close for a time till they get a good start they will soon fruit and be ready for cutting. J. S. sweetness, and Telegraph and Pride of the Mar- ket for those who do not like sweet Peas ; third, for their productiveness and exhibition qualities. They are, moreover. Peas that all market gar- deners should grow for this reason : some cus- tomers like a sweet Pea, and others do not, and, of course, a market gardener has to study all tastes. " W. I. M," says we make two sowings of Tele- phone at an interval of a fortnight— a long row of each ; but why a long row of each if it is only fit for exhibition ? As regards stakes, allow me to tell " W. I. M." that market gardeners in this neighbourhood stake nearly all their second and late varieties ; they consider that it would not pay of Ne Plus Ultra, and is especially valuable where the soil is light and tall stakes not easy to pro- cure. There is no doubt about the quality of this or any other variety allied to Ne Plus Ultra being first rate.— W. I. M. Gentiaua affinia. The most profitable Peas.— I see (p. 69) that " W. I. M." says he has grown Telegraph, Telephone, Stratagem, and Pride of the Market as long as any private gardener in the country. I, as an amateur gardener, can make a similar statement. " W. I. M." asks us to explain why we should grow four such Peas as those just named. My reason is, first, because I think there are no four Peas that have a stronger or more robust con- stitution ; second, because they are four Peas that will suit all tastes — Telephone and Stratagem for them to grow late Peas without stakes. I have seen from one to two acres of Peas all staked, and that with bought stakes, too. " J. C. C." says (p. 69) that he has to study quality, and that, in his opinion. Telephone is only fit for exhibition. Will he kindly give us the name or names of the Peas that he finds much better in quality than Telephone ?— Henhy Marriott, Frosjiect Hmise, Skirbeelt, Boston, Lxncolnsliire. Pea Omega— Mr. John Roberts (p. 47) speaks very highly of this variety, and is surprised I omitted to include it in my list of profitable Peas. I am sorry to say it does not grow satis- factorily on our heavy land, but on lighter soils it is found to be very serviceable, especially for late crops. It is correctly described as a dwarf form WINTER SALAD PLANTS. Throughout the summer and during genial weather it is an easy matter to have a good and constant supply of salad plants in gardens of all sizes, but as winter comes on the supply, both in quality and variety, shortens, or in many instances ceases altogether. Sometimes the severity of the weather causes this ; in other oases it is the fault of the cultivator in not doing his utmost to extend the salad season as long as possible. The most tender kinds of summer Lettuces do not grow well late in autumn or early winter, but there are special winter varieties which, if planted in asheltered position late in summer, will continue to grow and keep fresh and good until far into winter. Those who possess a few frames or handlights with water- tight roofs may keep Lettuces good during most of the winter. They should be lifted before frost injures them and planted closely together in ashes. So long a, they can be kept moderately dry they will remain good. On fine days the lights should be taken quite off them, and in wet weather they should be kept con- stantly shut. The broad-leaved Bata- vian Endive is hardier than any Let- tuce and one of the very best of winter salad plants. It becomes one broad mass of firm leaves, and should never be tied up for blanching until a fort- night or so before it is wanted. So long as the plants are left untied there is not much danger of their decaying, but when tied up in wet weather the inner leaves soon rot. It will bear a few degrees of frost, and should only be taken under cover in quantities consisting of a few dozens at a time. If lifted with good balls of soil and planted in a frame amongst ashes and then covered over and kept in the dark and from wet, they will blanch nicely without being tied up. This variety may also be blanched in the open by tying it up or placing a flower- pot upside down over each plant, with a broad slate or tile on the top to keep out wet. We have placed quantities of it in a dark shed, but there it soon decayed. Chicory, or Witloof, as some choose to call it, is a useful winter salad plant. Roots of about nine months old are the best for forcing. They should be taken up and potted as closely as they will stand together in 1 0-inch pots. Then plunge them in a bed of leaves or other fermenting material, and tender, creamy growths will push up in abundance. All the green points may be cut off in potting them, and the whole may be cut over when ready for use, as a second crop will push up in a short time. This is one of the easiest of plants to cultivate and the surest to give satisfac- tion. Radishes are never-failing salad plants. The China Rose variety, sown in October, will bulb now and onwards throughout the winter, let the weather be what it may. This is the only Radish worth growing for winter. It is as hardy as a Houseleek, and as tender as if of May production. We have pulled them up about the size of one's fist, and they have been as tender then as when only a quarter the size. Those who grow this Radish will always have at least one kind of salad vegetable in winter. Mustard and Cress, which everyone values, are easily grown if a little heat can be give them. They are the only things which can be got up quickly to supply some deficiency, as they can always be grown to be fit for use in 92 THE GARDEN [Jan. 31, 1885, ten days. Som etimes the seed can be sown on the snrf ace of a Vin e border, or a little soil may be put into shallow catting boxes. Sow in these, and put them into 60°, and give plenty of light. The soil shonld be very firm, moderately moist, and the seed shonld not be covered over. Water, too, may be withheld until the plants are up, and when about 2 inches high move them into a cool place and keep them there until used. Beetroots are excellent additions to winter salads, and they may be kept fresh and good if stored in any outhouse or cellar throughout the winter. J. MuiB. NEW T'. OLD SEEDS. Before obtaining sufficient new seeds for the year it is customary with many to overhaul what are left from the preceding season— a wise pro- ceeding, as doubtless in many cases it is a means of curtailing expenditure, which most of us are called upon to study now-a-days. At the same time, in the matter of purchasing seeds we may be too parsimonious, and I venture to remind em- ployers especially that it is the reverse of econo- mical to refuse their gardeners reasonable latitude in this matter. ^Ye require good varieties and seeds of the best quajity, and without them we ought not to be expected to keep pace with those who do get them. As it happens, many of the best sorts of vegetables are rather the dearest to buy, and many are tempted to order cheaper sorts, and yet, perhaps, will be the first to com- plain if the result is not quite satisfactory. Collections of seeds are particularly tempting. In one sense they are cheap, and in another they are dear— cheap, because in no other such, for instance, as may be had by sifting over a heap of old potting soil. In any case, even where the ground is light and warm, it is advisable to sow old seeds much more thickly than new ones, this being the only way to secure an even plant. Those who have heavy land to deal with will do well to sow old seeds of nearly all kinds of choice vegetables either on slight hotbeds or in boxes, pans, or pots of fine soil, placing these in a little warmth. Peas, Beans, Onions, Asparagus, Sea- kale, Rhubarb, Globe Artichokes all transplant readily, and the four last named are best raised in heat, while it is possible to secure more plants of Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflowers, Let- tuces, and such like in a pan or box of soil than are frequently obtained on a good sized open piece of ground. These methods, how- ever, necessitate much extra labour in the shape of pricking out or transplanting, and I merely mention them for the benefit of those who must rely largely upon seeds of an inferior description. A ^mixture of oil and new seeds is sometimes advantageous, especially in the case of Turnips and other members of the Brassica tribe. The new seeds, being the first to germinate, may be destroyed by one of the piany enemies common to gardens, and the older seeds, coming up later, escape. As a rule, I prefer new seeds and also those bought to any that we can save, with the exception of Peas and Beans. As most of the seeds of the two last named are saved in the open fields and on unslaked plants, there is naturally a great difEoulty experienced in properly ripening them during wet seasons. Seeing that we can now the new variety has any really good properties non-existent in the older sorts it is so much of a gain, and it will not fail to meet with full appre- ciation ; but if novelty in colour is all that can be said in its favour, it is only one more added to our sadly overgrown list oE vegetables, and the reverse of a gain.— T. .Baines. Indoor Garden. GREEXHOUSE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. The Chrysanthemum has become within the last few years one of the most popular of exhibition plants, a purpose for which it is well adapted, and it is owing in a great measure to the multi- plicity of exhibitions that the Chrysanthemum bas become so popular and the improvement in the flowers so rapid. Chrysanthemum exhibitions in gloomy dark November are like glimpses of sunshine to pent-up citizens in large towns, and they tend to bring this useful flower more and more into favour. Thousands of people who would not think of taking either plants or cut flowers to an exhibition like to admire them in their own gardens at home. The question indeed how best to grow plants or flowers for exhibition must be held to be subordinate to the more im- portant one of growing Chrysanthemums so that the best display shonld be obtained from them for the greenhouse or conservatory as well as a plen- tiful supply of blooms for room decoration. For the latter purpose good, well-formed flowers must because if fine blooms are most es- lucijj^uiiug «=>,=>.=..=^^=. .^..w^fe .^-., •■-- [jg ^own, because if fine blooms are most es- purohase good sorts of all kinds of vegetables at | ^^^ K^^ ^^' ^^ g^ijii,ition^ thgy are equally valued manner can such a bulk of seeds be so cheaply purchased, and dear, because great quantities of them are either not wanted, or the sorts are not suitable for all gardens alike. I hold that it is true economy to spend a larger sum on a lesser quantity with the certainty that these are of good sorts and perfectly sound, and this any respectable seedsman will admit. Besides, it is of the greatest importance that the majority of the seeds should be nearly or quite new, but if the surplus seeds each season are not burnt or otherwise destroyed, what becomes of them unless the purchasers of collections get them ? If I give a fair price for seeds, I expect all or nearly all of them to germi- nate ; if they do not, .and if I felt satisfied that they received fair treatment, another seedsman would have my next year's seed order. New seeds always germinate more quickly and stronger than old ones do, and there are some kinds that are comparatively useless after being kept one year. Many old seeds will germinate well in heat, and yet would have perished in cold ground, or at any rate have produced but a very poor plant; consequently seedsmen's trials are fre- quently misleading. Sound seeds of Peas, Broad, Kidney, and Runner Beans, Carrots, and Parsnips that have been kept in a dry place for another season will germinate fairly well in heat, but in the open they are very unreliable. The same may also be said of seeds of Onions, Leeks, Salsafy, Scorzonera, Mustard and Cress that have been kept two seasons. Artichokes, Lettuces, Endive, and Tomatoes kept three seasons, and Broccoli, Cabbage, Kales, Brussels Sprouts, Savoys, Spinach, and Turnips kept four seasons, while Parsley, Beet, Celery, Melon, and Cucumber seed may be kept six or more years, the two last, indeed, re- taining their vitality for a much longer time. If we could depend upon being supplied with new and sound seeds, we might venture to rely upon many kinds we have saved, but as seedsmen know better than we do, perhaps, how long they may safely keep seeds, we may reasonably assume that we are not onfrequently supplied with some old ones; consequently, whenever we sow old seeds we must in any case take extra pains in the sowing, and yet be prepared for a partial or com- plete failure. If the ground is in a cold wet state, it is a mistake to sow even sound new seeds at a certain time, and doubly so if old seeds are to be sown. We must wait till the ground has become warm and in good working order, or else the seeds must be covered or surrounded with light, fine soil. a fairly cheap rate, I consider it a mistake for gardeners to attempt to save many seeds of their own, and which can rarely be relied upon. W. L M. ■Varieties of Broccoli. — New strains of Broccoli from trustworthy sources ought always to be tried, for if most diligent care is not taken, the strain soon gets mixed and loses its distinc- tive character. The first year's seed of a new Broccoli is almost invariably good and the plants true to one type. Bat of how few can this be said after a lapse of say ten years ? Perhaps the varieties that have the greatest share of popular favour are Snow's, Leamington, and Cattell's Eclipse. Of the first and last it has been a difii- cult matter to obtain seed true, but now the seed supplied by the leading firms of these two varie- ties is much better. Likewise the seed supplied of three somewhat recent varieties grows up very true to name, to whit. Self-protecting Autumn Broccoli, Model, and Late Queen. Model is to my mind unsurpassed as a late variety. Its small, delicate white heads are the most delicious treat the Brassica tribe affords. Those who wish to grow that excellent variety Lauder's Late Goschen would do well to procure their seed from Edin- burgh, as it is a very popular variety with the market growers there. — M. C. American "White Plume Celery.— If this Celery has not some good properties more than seem to have yet been claimed for it in becoming white or blanched without earthing np, or unless it is capable of resisting frost to an extent that the ordinary varieties of this vegetable hitherto in cultivation are not, it is not likely to be much, if any, improvement on them. If it is not in a fully blanched condition before November, frost often comes soon after that time keen enough to do serious injury to any part of the stems not pro- tected by the soil as it is nsaally placed in the ordinary process of earthing up. The stems of Celery that have been frozen through begin, from the time they have been so frozen, to decay as far down as thefrost has reached, the rotting process generally extending, if slowly, lower down than the point where frozen. Albinos, or even the white parts of variegated plants, are usually less able to bear extremes of any kind, either of ex- posure to the sun or of frost, than green forms, and unless this Celery is one of the few exceptions in this respect, it can scarcely be supposed to stand more frost than the ordinary green varieties. If at home. I do not mean to say that they should be placed on boards and firmly fixed in tubes, but large, well-formed flowers may be cut with some bright green foliage attached to them and sur- rounding flower-buds, and placed singly in small glasses of water, where they will remain fresh for a couple of weeks. The time to peopagate Chrysanthemums is about the end of November or early in December. All cuttings then ready may be taken off and potted singly in small pots. There are two kinds of cuttings, those formed on the old stems near the base and root suckers, that is shoots that grow from the roots near the base of the stems. If the latter can be obtained, the others should not be used, as stem cuttings sometimes run to flower as early as May, and such plants are of no value as good flowering specimens in November. Cat- tings taken off in November and December should be placed in frames with the lights drawn close over them. The small pots containing them should be plunged np to their rims in Cocoa-nut fibre refuse. Some will form roots sooner than others, and will begin to grow. Such as have rooted must be taken out, else they wUl become drawn up weakly, owing to want of air. The rooted plants require to be placed in a pit, frame, or light airy greenhouse where a constant circulation of air can be admitted and be kept there until May ; by that time they will be good-sized plants in 6-inch or r-inch pots. As to the form in which the plants must be trained, I may remark that the bush shape is the most natural. Some, however, like the pyramid or cone form, and at some exhi- bitions prizes are offered for specimens trained in this w.ay. I have seen plenty of specimens exhi- bited, but none of them that I would like to place in any greenhouse or conservatory of which I had charge. Another style encouraged at exhi- bitions is the Mushroom form. In order to obtain this the shoots are tied down one over the other, the flowers projecting from the concave surface like pinbeads from a cushion. I have seen a specimen trained in this way 2 yards across and not more than 2 feet high from the surface of the pot. Being unnatural, this, as well as the cone style, should be avoided. Standards are formed by training the plants, in the first place, to a stem about 3 feet hieh; the point is taken out, and the shoots, four or five in number, grow out from the top. They are trained to a round head, and when well managed, make good decorative objects in certain positions. Jan. 31, 1885.] THE GARDEN 93 Specimen plants should be formed by pinch- ing the top ofiE the young plant when it is about 6 inches to 9 inches high. This will cause four or five shoots to branch oat ; these, when i inches or 5 inches long, should be tied down to slender sticks inserted in the pots. When these lateral growths are about 9 inches long their points should be pinched out. This will be about the third weelc in June, and about a week afterwards repot into the flowering pots. They might have their final shift earlier than this, but when potted too early the leaves are more likely to become yellow, and drop off before the flowers are fully open. In May they should be placed out-of-doors and given plenty of room. Large-flowered varieties and the Japanese require much < he same treatment. The largest plants should be grown in 11-inch pots, the smaller ones in 10-inch. Pompones may be grown in 7-inch and 8-inch pots. Their treatment is simple enough. The shoots require training out to sticks as they grow, not tied down. The pots should be plunged half their depth during the growing season, and plenty of light and air will preserve healthy foliage down to the base. Small plaxts may be obtained by striking cuttings in May and flowering them in 6-inch pots. Some plant out their specimens in the open ground, a system which saves a great deal of trouble when work is pressing during the hot sum- mer months, though I do not wholly approve of it. They should be dug up and potted as soon as the flower-buds are set, but at that time they receive a very serious check, which they never quite over- come. Large exhibition blooms.— The production of these has hitherto been confined almost exclu- sively to those who grow for competition at flower shows. The plants which produce them, as usually seen when in flower, are not very attractive, hav- ing stems from 6 feet to 9 feet in length, with from one to three flowers at the end of them. There is no room for such plants in an ordinary greenhouse or conservatory, and if there was, their flowers are so high up, that they could not be examined without the aid of steps. As I act as judge at many of the principal Chrysanthemum shows, I have frequent opportunities of comparing the relative merits of different methods of culture to obtain certain results, and last season's exhibi- tions furnished conclusive evidence that large, well- formed exhibition blooms can, however, be ob- tainei from plants that are at the same time well adapted to furnish a good display of bloom in the greenhouse or conservatory. The first prize at Kingston for a group of plants was awarded to Mr. C. Orchard, of Kingston-on-Thames, and these plants were furnished with blooms quite as good as the usual run of those seen on stands at exhibi- tions. I had some conversation with Mr. Orchard about them, and he admitted that if he had to grow his plants to obtain single blooms to exhibit for competition only, that he would cultivate tall plants; but his object is the decoration of the plant houses at home and to furnish an effective exhibition group. The ordinary system of culture is followed up to June 1. At that time the plants may be in 6-inch pots and about 2 feet high or so. Between the 1st and 0th of June Mr. Orchard cuts down the late varieties to the hard wood, i e., to within 6 inches or 9 inches from the base, and be continues to cut down a few plants almost daily up to the third week in that month. It is evident that this radical cutting down effects somewhat of a revolution in the time of flowering. The plants take a long time to start from the old wood, and when they do start they do not make a very long growth ; on the contrary, they make a dwarf and substantial growth sufficient to produce large handsome flowers. Doubtless the cutting down of such late kinds as Princess Teck, Yellow Perfec- tion, Mount Bdgcumbe, Grandiflorum, Ethel, &c., say about the end of June, will throw the bloom- ing of these late varieties still further into the winter, and thus a good late supply is assured, not as at present by chance, but by a well regu- lated system of culture. Mr. Orchard's plants tain handsome flowers that can be admired on the plants — the plants themselves being very effec- tive decorative objects in the greenhouse or con- servatory, while the flowers can be conveniently cut at any time without having to climb for them, as the plants do not average more than 3 feet high. To keep the foliage in a healthy state and of a deep green colour, frequent applications of a weak liquid manure should be applied as soon as the bads are set, which is about the end of August. After this time keep the plants well supplied with water, and before taking them into the house about the second week in October, dust the leaves with flowers of sulphur whether there is any trace of mildew upon them or not. J. DotjGLAS. TECOMAS AND THEIR CULTURE. A DESCRIPTIVE account of cultivated Tecomas will doubtless prove a useful supplement to the inte- resting paper on garden Bignonias which accompa- nied the plate of B. Cherere in the last volume of The Garden. The two genera have always been confused with each other, both by gardeners and botanists, although the characters by which the two are distinguished are sufficiently well marked to prevent their being mistaken for each other — at all events this holds good so far as the cultivated species are concerned. All the Big- nonias have trifoliate leaves, but in most of the leaves, instead of the terminal leaflet being a blade, it is altered to a long, branching hook-tipped ten- diil, by means of which the plants are enabled to climb. The Tecomas have pinnate leaves, the number of pinnfe to each leaf varying from seven to nine or eleven. They do not possess any ten- drils, nor do the shoots of the climbing species twine ; they develop instead short, sucker-like roots all along the branches, exactly similar to what is seen in Ivy, and they climb by means of these roots as Ivy does. In addition to these dis- tinguishing characters, the seed vessels of the two genera supply differences in form, kc. by means of which they are separated from each other by botanists. In the genus Tecoma there are many species, according to the " Genera Plantarum,"and of this number the seven hereinafter described are or have been in cnltivation in English gardens. There remain several good ornamental kinds to be introduced. For their cultivation Tecomas require a little extra attention if their beautiful flowers are to be enjoyed, no plants being less floriferous when carelessly treated. They grow rapidly and vigour- ously under ordinary treatment, butnnlessthe wood of those species which flower on the ripened shoots be properly matured by exposure to the influences of sunlight and fresh air, few or no flowers are produced, whilst for those kinds which flower on the young shoots exposure to bright sunlight is a necessary condition to their flowering. AH the species prefer a strong loamy soil, good drainage, so that water may be liberally supplied during the most active season of growth, and that rest by the withholding of water may be enforced after growth is completed. When grown under glass the strongest shoots of Tecomas should be cut back to within a few inches of the main branches ; but species of slender growth require little or no pruning, except what would be essential to the full admission of light. When planted out-of- doors, T. radicans and T. grandiflora ought not to be pruned much, or the flowers will be scant. The weakest shoots may be cut away, and the strongest ones cut in a little it growth has been excep- tionally vigorous, but at least 2 feet of these should be left, as it is from the short branches poshed from the strongest shoots of the previous year's growth that flowers are developed. Trained against a wall with a south aspect, and in as sheltered a position as can be found, the hardy kinds often prove free flowering enough — at least in the warmer parts of England and in Ireland. For the distinctly tropical species stove treatment during the summer, to be followed by a short period of exposure out-of-doors in the autumn, would most likely prove a surer plan for their -^ — --. w^^*w.„ ^.»ut..j ..uuiu ujuou AtE^vij fj±\jit^ a/ DUlf^l piail lUl LUCil were grown in 9-inch and 10-inch pots. We can flowering than leaving them indoors all the year now, by this simple method of cutting down, ob- j round. T. AU8TRAL1S (Wonga WongaVine).— Acommon plant in Eastern Australia, where it is a native, and is represented by various forms both in the size and colour of its flowers and also in the shape of the leaflets. The variety grown in English gardens is the finest of these forms and is a vigorous grow- ing climber, requiring for its cultivation a warm greenhouse. The flowers are borne generally early in summer, after which to ensure a crop of bloom in the season following it is necessary to treat the pi nt liberally, giving it plenty of water both at the root and overhead and allowing it all the sunlight possible. By the end of summer the new growth should be sufficiently sirong to allow of its being ripened by the admission of plenty of air and withholding water ; daring winter no water should be given. In a low temperature or a too shaded position the flowers, if produced, are small and sickly, sometimes dropping off before ex- panding. The shoots grow rapidly, are smooth, twining, and bear pinnate leaves of a shining green, the leaflets being ovate and toothed. The flowers are borne in panicles on the ends of the branches, forming a large cluster of Gesnera- shaped flowers, the tube of which is about 1 inch deep, half an inch wide, with spreading lobes, the whole being white, tinted with rose on the out- side and streaked with purple in the throat. T. australis is an old garden plant. It is figured in the Botanical Magazine as Bignonia Pandorea, t 86.5. T, CAPENSis (Cape Honeysuckle). — A handsome climber with stout branches of erect habit ; it may be trained on a trellis or rafter, or, by careful pruning, made to form a compact bush. It thrives in a greenhouse, either planted out or in a large pot, flowering in September. The leaves are Asn- Jike, smooth, toothed, and dark green, and the flowers are borne in large erect racemes on the ends of the ripened branches, forming a handsome bouqaet of scarlet trampet-shaped blossoms, each measuring 2 inches in length, with a wide mouth and spreading lobes. AH the sunlight possible is required to make the shoots strong and flori- ferous. In India and other tropical countries this species is a favourite garden plant, where, owing no doubt to the amount of light it gets, it flowers frequently and abundantly. With us it is seldom seen, though there is no doubt of its possessing good useful characters to recommend it as a green- house plant. In a stove temperature it grows very freely, but seldom flowers. A native of the Cape and other parts of South Africa, from whence It was introduced to Kew in 182.3, and was figured in the Botanical liegister, xiii., t. 1117. T. GRANDIFLORA.— A beautiful species and widely cultivated. In the greenhouse it seldom fails to flower freely during summer, whether treated as a climber and pruned on exactly the same principle as is practised for Vines, or grown as a standard, as advised by Mr. Gnmbleton, whose plants are 8 feet high, with large heads[ and which flower freely in September, each plant bearing over a dozen racemes of fine Gloxinia-like flowers. In the warmer parts of England this species succeeds well planted out-of-doors on a south wall or trained up the headless trunk of a tree. Unless the position is exceptionally favour- able, however, flowers are rarely produced by this plant out-of-doors, although it is apparently perfectly hardy and grows freely always, even in positions unfavourable to its blossoming. In the Chelsea Botanic Gardens, in various places in Kent, and in other southern counties T. grandi- flora is most successfully grown as a hardy plant. The shoots should not be cut in as short when out- of-doors as is advisable for plants grown indoors. No doubt root-pruning would be found conducive to the production of flowers on plants which grow freely, but do not bloom. It is a robust-growing climber, with a thick stem and long, flexible rod-like branches, which when ripe are brown and resemble the canes of a Vine. Like se- veral other species of Tecoma, the branches of this one bear clusters of short aerial roots, with the aid of which the plant attaches' itself to a wall, tree, or other support, as the shoots do not twine or develop tendrils. 94 THE GARDEN [Jan. 31^1885. The leaves are pinnate and dark green, the leaflets being toothed and long pointed. The flowers are half as large agaiB as in T. radicans, to which they otherwise bear a close resemblance, and are not smooth, shining, and with entire pinnEe. The flowers, which are produced in autumn, are de- veloped on the young ripened shoots, and are in large compact racemes or panicles ; they are over an inch long, bell-shaped, with wide-spreading lobes, and are pure white with a deep red throat. The resemblance of these flowers to a common variety of Gloxinia flower is most marked. It is a they are developed in autumn. It is a native of Mexico and the West Indies, and is figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 3191. T. FULVA. — A handsome-flowered shrubby spe- cies with purplish branches and narrow, pinnate, green leaves, from the axils of which, near the ends of the shoots, spring leafy panicles of Pent- stemon-like flowers with aslightly curved tube. In Teconia capensia. unlike those of Bignonia Cherere, figured in The Garden, plate 471. They are borne in large ter- minal panicles on the young shoots in summe- 'f grown under glass, and late in autumn if out of doors. It would be ditticult to find a grander pic- ture than is presented by a large well-flowered specimen of this plant, its brilliant orange-red, trumpet-like flowers, which are clustered together in large loose panicles, each flower lasting in per- fection for several days and opening in quick suc- cession, having a most attractive appearance even amongst the brightest of summer flowers. During the winter indoor plants of this species must be kept as dry as possible, and of course the more air it gets the better. Like T. radicans, it sheds its leaves in autumn. It is a native of China and Japan, where Fortune met with it forming one of the most popular of garden plants. It is figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. IP.llS, as Bignonia grandiflora, and there described as being without stem-roots, which is an error. A variety of T. radicans called major is sometimes known under the name of Bignonia grandiflora. T.JASMixoiDES (Bower Plant). --Atall, glabrous, woody climber resembling luxuriant specimens of australis, but with much larger flowers. It is one of the many beautiful plants introduced from Australia by Allan Cunningham about forty years ago, but ovring to its shy-flowering nature it is rarely cultivated, though an exceptionally hand- some flowering plant when successfully managed. The best flowered specimen I have seen was treated as follows : Planted out in a house along with Camellias and Azaleas which during the summer were turned out of doors, the Tecoma had covered one side of the roof, and as the roof was formed of sliding lights, it was thought that by removing the lights and exposing the plant to full sunlight and air it might be induced to flower. In Septem- ber the lights were replaced, and in less than a month afterwards the Tecoma was clothed with hundreds of racemes of large Gloxinia-like flowers. From this it will be apparent how essential to the native of Queensland and New South Wales, and \ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ u^^ ^-^^^ a^bro'ad streak of red is figured in the Botanu-al Magazine, t. 4O01. ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ gj^g ^f j^g j^^jg .j^^^ pi^nt was in- T. RADICANS (Trumpet Flower),— This is very troduced from Peru by Messrs. Veitch & Sons in similar to T. grandiflora, but is not so strong a grower nor quite so large flowered . It is an old garden plant, having been grown by Parkinson in 1640. For its cultivation the same conditions as for T. grandiflora prove suitable. It flowers in August and September when grown out-of-doors, where it is not so shy a bloomer as T. grandiflora. The flowers are in terminal panicles, trumpet-shaped, U inches long, and are of a deep orange-red colour. A variety called minor is distinguished by its smaller flowers, and a second one, called major, by its larger and deeper coloured flowers. It is a native of North America, and is figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. IS.J. T. STANS. — This is truly a splendid plant of shrubby habit, and when about 6 feet high flowers abundantly. It grows freely in its early stages, but rather slowly as it gets older. Not- withstanding its early introduction (150 years ago), it is still a rare plant in gardens, most likely on account of its being slow to flower with us. It is apparently a sun-!oving plant — at least such would appear to be the case, judging by its not flowering in the few gardens where it is cul- Tecoma .lu^tralis. Tecoma grandiflora. flowering of this plant exposure to sunlight and air during the summer must be. The above specimen was planted pretty close to a flue, which, being warm during winter, would soon dry the soil about the roots of the Tecoma. The leaves of T. jasminoides are pinnate, dark green, TeconKi radicans. t-ivated in this country. In tropical countries it is a popular garden plant, and in them it appears to be an almost perpetual bloomer. In Trinidad, Jamaica, Calcutta, and other places it is frequently reported as being a most beautiful plant. There seems no reason why with special treatment its good qualities might not be enjoyed in English gardens. It forms a graceful shrub, with pinnate leaves and leaflets 4 inches long, notched and long-pointed. The flowers are of the ordinary Tecoma type, and are of a golden yellow colour ; 185.J, by whom it was first flowered, but I am not aware that it is in cultivation at the present time. It is figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 489C. Under Tecoma we must now include the Camp- sidium.", of which two species are grown in gar- dens, as botanically there is no difference between thtm and true Tecomas. For garden purposes there exists in the habit of the Campsidiums a good distinguish- ing mark, namely, in the stecas being distinct twiners and in their being without the sucker-like aerial roots which are always present on the stems of true Tecomas. In other respects the two so-called Campsidiums do not differ very much from the characters general to Tecomas ; their leaves are pin- nate, with a dozen or so of pinnse, and the position and form of the flowers are exactly the same as in that genus. T. (Campsidium) Valdiviana. — A handsome climber for a cool unshaded greenhouse, graceful in habit, a quick grower, with leaves dark green, pinnate, and rather crowded along the stems, which, under conditions favour- able to their growth, sometimes reach to a length of 40 feet. The flowers are borne on the ends of the weaker shoots and are in drooping racemes, orange-scarlet in colour, about an inch long, nrn-shaped, resembling the flowers of Correa cardinalis, but broader in the limb ; they are usually produced in April. For the intro- duction of this plant we are in- debted to the Messrs. Veitch, who obtained it from Chill about ten years ago, where it is said to grow under the same conditions as Ber- beridopsis corallina, both being found wild together. (Syns., Camp- sidium chilense, T. mirabilis, T.Guarume.) Figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 6111. T. (Campsidium) filicifolia. — This plant is at present only known to us as a pretty stove climber, with elegant, deeply-cut. Fern-like foliage and slender habit. This graceful character is, however, only present in young plants, old woody specimens, such, for instance, as may be seen in the Palm house at Kew, assuming a less graceful habit, the leaves being larger and coarser and re- sembling Ash leaves. The Kew plant is quite Jan. 31, 1885.] THE GARDEN 95 25 feet long, and is trained along the side glass for some distance, from whence it stretches across the house by means of a wire, round which the young growths twine like Woodbine. The above name is merely provisional, though there seems little doubt of the accuracy of the generic name ; the other cannot, of course, be decided till the plant has flowered. It was introduced from the Fiji Islands eight years ago. In the Kew herba- rium there is a specimen of Campsidinm from Fiji, the leaves of which resemble exactly those of T. filioifolia on the large plant at Kew ; should the two prove to be identical, we have in this plant a very large-flowered, richly coloured Tecoma, quiteas handsome as T. grandiflcra in its flowers, and even more so in the character of its foliage. To bloom this Campsidium, I suspect a high summer tem- perature with plenty of moisture would be the most likely treatment for it when making its growth, after which, complete rest in winter, by lowering the temperature to that of a greenhouse and withholding water altogether, would cause the wood to ripen and probably result in the produc- tion of flower on growth recommencing. What- ever the species, this Campsidium is almost cer- tain to prove a beautiful and distinct flowering plant, and as it appears to be pretty well known and grown, ihis tact should induce those who pos- sess plants of it to treat it for its flowers instead of for its Fern-like leaves, as has hitherto been the case. W. W. Cara?uata sanguicea— This has flowered again with us this winter, but I cannot report favourably of it under the influence of dark English winter days. The scarlet leaves or bracts surrounding the flowers have been only spotted with red, and during my absence, instead of spreading, the red spots have now almost disap- peared, rendering it of no value for an average English winter. I had hoped it would have done better, and shall give it another year's trial — E. H. W. Repotting Lilies. — In confirmation of Mr. CornhiU's statement thatweoften repot Lilies when unnecessary, I may add that, once having some rivalry in the growth of Lilium auratum, I planted bulbs in the largest pot I could obtain. The result the first year was good, one stem producing, I think, eleven flowers. I did not turn the bulbs out the second year, but, laying the pot on its side, re- moved the soil down to tlie crowns and filled up with rich, fresh compost. The result was very good ; one stem was 9^ feet high from the rim of the pot and produced over fifty flowers. I have now Arum Lilies in a mass in half an old petroleum barrel and they look well. — C. J. Naylor, Kerry, Montgomery sldre. Strelitzla Reglnse. — You have done good service by directing attention to this far too little known plant. As you say, a warm greenhouse or temperate plant house is necessary for it. This secured, it will thrive with but little attention beyond the customary waterings and an occasional shift (say once in one or two years) into fresh soil, giving it moderately increased pot room. Under such treatment it will flower annually, and its blossoms are exceptionally quaint and highly original in form and colour. Like all plants pos- sessed of large roots or rhizomes. I.e., underground root branches, it can be increased slowly, but cer- tainly, by division. Its leaves are always orna- mental. If it has any drawback, it may be said to consist in an inherent liability to be affected by scale. This, however, in judicious hands is readily disposed of as it occurs, if not altogether prevented. — William Eahley. FIcus elaetica variegata.— There are two forms of this plant, one of which is much superior to the other in point of variegation. The better one is distinguished by its broad, irregular band of creamy white running all round the outtide of the leaf, a second band of greyish green being between the white and the dark green inner por- tion. The midrib, of this form is also creamy white. When grown in a warm, moist house and afforded a position near the glass the variegation comes out well, some of the leaves, especially those made in summer, being as much white as green. There is a plant of the finer variety in the stove at Kew, where apparently it grows quite as freely as the ordinary green form, and in which the varie- gation is striking and beautiful in character. As an ornamental foliage plant this variegated form of the old Ficus elastica is a good addition, and is deserving of a place wherever foliage plants are in favour. Messrs. Kerr & Sons, of Liverpool, were the first to introduce this plant. The second and inferior variety is very little better than the ordinary green form, from which it differs only in having a band of greyish green surrounding the darker green of the leaf. Both forms originated as sports from the old green India-rubber plant.— 1!. Freeslas — Will some one of the growers of Freesias in Guernsey inform us how the earliest batches of these plants are managed there ? I saw a bunch of Freesia flowers about a fortnight ago which had come from Guernsey, and which were of such extraordinary size and so deliciously scented, and borne on branching racemes quite 18 inclies high, some of them even more, that 1 failed to recognise them at once as Freosias. It would be difficult to find any winter flowering plant of greater value than the white-flowered form of Freesia when grown as it is grown in Guernsey. Those of us who are at their wits' end for choice and pleasing flowers in mid-winter would most likely be able to fill up large gaps in the decoration of plant houses as well as indoors, if we could only succeed in growing a few dozen potfals of Freesias as well as they are grown in Guernsey. I obtained a beautiful spike of those I saw and placed it in water in a room, where it lasted for about ten days, and continued to emit a strong fragrance till the last flower had opened and withered ; I therefore repeat, will some of our G uernsey friends give us t he d etails of the treatment which results in such excellent flowers so early in the year/ — 1!. Spotted Mimuluses. — In order to secure a rich display of these beautiful flowers, they should be treated as biennials. Seed sown in a shallow pan and on very fine sandy soil at the end of Oc- tober and placed in a frame or greenhouse near the glass will germinate in a week or two without the aid of heat. In a month or five weeks the seedlings will be large enough to dibble out thinly into other pans or shallow boxes, or, if thought preferable, into small pots singly. Such plants shifted into larger pots during the month of Fe- bruary or afforded more space by dibbling out into a frame will yield a grand show of bloom in pots in April, or if the leading shoots be pinched out and the base shoots made to push up evenly, a superb display may be had outdoors in May. The Mimulus is a plant that likes cool treatment and good soil and a moderate amount of moisture. If thus induced to flower during May and June, the results are far in advance of what can be obtained by spring sowing, as the plants are so much earlier, stouter, and more firmly rooted. My own stock of seedlings is now dibbled out in beds in a cool greenhouse, and each plant is about 2 inches across. They suffer nothing from slight frosts, and if the night promises to be a severe one, a couple of newspapers laid over the plants keep them quite safe. No flowers producing such gor- geous blooms can be so easily raised as spotted Mimuluses thus are. They seed freely, and a little saved from the best flowers will enable a regular supply of plants to be always maintained. For pot culture the most suitable soil is turfy loam, well-decayed cow manure, and a little sand. Growers will find some variation in the height of the plants, but where fine flowers are foupd a stout compact habit should be secured also if possible. — A. D. has decided to refer the report back to the com- mittee. Canon Pelham, the rector, made a strong speech in favour of the planting of trees in Lam- beth, and he was supported by several of the leading members of the vestry, one of whom urged that if trees did not always flourish in our streets, it was because the proper kind of tree was not tried. The gardens of Lambeth Palace afford sufficient proof that trees may continue to exist in the midst of a highly deleterious atmosphere. Fruit Garden. Tree planting in London.— Lord Brabnzon has offered a contribution of £\0Q towards the expense of planting trees in the thoroughfares of Lambeth. The subject was referred to a com- mittee of the local vestry, but that body reported against accepting the offer. The vestry, however, itself appears to be of a different opinion, for it A FEW GOOD PEAES Pears differ greatly in quality according to the locality and soil in which they are grown, and therefore, although the following selection has been made with every care and from my own ex- perience of the several varieties, they will not be found to do equally well in all districts. Taking them in the order in which they ripen, the first to come under notice is Doyenne dEte, which, though small, is very hairdsome and good, and of value on account of ripening so early, as it is ready for table by the end of July or beginning of August. To succeed this none are equal to the Jargonelle, as it is large and showy and of first-rate quality, but, like most of the summer Pears, will not keep many days without going to decay or losing its flavour. Williams' Bon Chretien is a general fa- vourite and more largely grown than any other kind, especially in market gardens, and it well merits that attention, as it is large, melting, and juicy, with a rich and powerful aroma, besides which the tree grows freely and is very prolific. To follow on, Beurre d'Amanlis is the best, and of this there are two varieties, the one striped with brown and the other plain, the latter being the most desirable, as the fruit is superior. Beurre Superfin is a good Pear to succeed the last named, and so is Fondante d'Automne, which is large, melting, and delicious, with a nice agreeable per- fume. Louise Bonne of Jersey is a fine October Pear, the fruit being very handsome and high flavoured and the tree remarkably prolific, as it often bears a crop when other sorts fail. Comte de Lamy must not be left out, as it is a high-class kind, the fruit being exceedingly rich and sugary, but it will not keep more than a fortnight or so after being gathered without becoming mealy or soft in the middle. The Seckle is a delicious little Pear that ripens in October and does well as a pyramid on the Pear stock or double grafted on the Quince, which mode of working suits a good many. Doyenne du Comice is so superior, that it should be in the smallest collection, as it is good at all points, the fruit being large, high-coloured, juicy,melting,and deliciously flavoured. Durandeau is also a large handsome kind and almost equally desirable, coming in at the same time as do many others of high merit, one being especially note- worthy, viz., Marie Louise, which has stood the test of years and is unrivalled in its season, which is during October and November, when it becomes a rich yellow and the flesh buttery and melting, without the least grit. Duchesse d'Angouleme is likewise deserving of cultivation, as it is a large, showy kind, full of aroma and rich juice, but comes gritty unless the tree is planted in a warm posi- tion and has light, dry soil for the roots. Van Mons Leon le Clerc comes in well to succeed the last named, and is very large and handsome, melting and high flavoured, but ripens quickly during November, and is soon over. Huyshe's Prince Consort comes in about the same time, and is a fine kind, after which Passe Colmar is the best, and one that lasts long in season, and bears abundantly medium-sized fruit that is more juicy than any other I know. For midwinter, none are equal to Glou Morceau, but to grow it really good the tree must have a warm situation, when the fruit comes very clear and smooth in the skin, with soft buttery flesh, that is remarkably rich and full of sweet juice. Winter Nelis is another high class Pear that ripens just after the last named, and when this is over there are but few desirable sorts, as, excepting Josephine de Malines, Easter 96 THE GARDEN [Jan. 31, 18^5. Beurre, Beurrc Ranee, Ne Plus Meuiis.and Berga- mot Esperen, all others might with advantage be discarded, for they seldom ripen fit for the table, and to have these last named in that condition it is necessary to grow them on a sunny wall, or if as pyramids, in dry soil and very favoured posi- tions, or the fruits never come up to the mark, as they require a long season with plenty of solar heat to finish them properly. To form large fan or horizontally trained trees, the Bear stock is the best ; but if to be grown as cor- dons or pyramids, the Quince must be made use of, as that has a dwarfing effect by greatly restricting the formation of wood and favouring the setting of flower-buds. Cordons answer well for small gardens, as by having them many more sorts may be grown than space could otherwise be found for, as the cordons, having only one, two, or more stems, take but little room, and maybe trained to strained wires fixed along by the sides of walks or across the quarters, so as to form divisions of the ground, in either of which ways the trees get full exposure to sun and air, and the fruit under such favourable circumstances always comes of a high colour and flavour. Where it is intended to form a Pear garden, or even only to plant a few trees, the soil should be trenched, and if light it is a good plan during the cperat ion to work in some clay, which should be in small nodules, that it may be better mixed or become incorporated as the work of trenching proceeds. If manure is nsed at all it is always advisable to keep it well down, so as to have it away from the roots, wh'ch find it when they most want it, and that is when the trees come into fruit. To give these a good start at first, each should have some fresh loam, that from an old pasture or turfy sods from any waste place being the best, and the fresher and more fibry the sod.- if the soil is sweet and good the more suitable they are if chopped up rough and uttd in that state, as then the roots revel in the open material. In planting, the roottjshould be spread regularly out at dift'erent depths according to the po.sition from which they emanate, after which the covering them with turfy loam should follow immeciately and a mulching be given to keep the frost out. What injures freshly planted trees more than any- thing is wind-waving, as it does no end of injury by constantly straining the roots, and not only that, but the motion chafes off or damages the tender fibres by the friction against the earth, and the tree under such conditions has little chance to get hold. Planted against walls or trellises trees are secure from such danger, as they may be tied or nailed, and support ought to be given to pyramids by securely staking them, so as to render them im- movable however boisterous the weather may be. Refore closing I would just reiterate my re- marks against the cutting back of the branches, and decry the pernicious system again, as it serves no useful purpose, but does a great deal of harm bj' crippling and retarding the plant that is treated in such a barbarous manner. Instead of cutting back, the shoots should all be preserved full length, and only those that are misplaced taken out; by pursuing this course of treatment, trees may be made to cover their allotted space in half the period they used to take, and be much more healthy and strong, as any check in infancy always shows itself and is felt ever after. It is quite time enough to employ the knife when the trees have attained their full size, and it is to be hoped that young gardeners will have this pointed out to them and impressed on their memory. .S. D. Coe's Golden Drop Plum.- Mr. Grieve's account of the origin of this Plum is extremely interesting. It is an instance of the luck that sometimes accompanies hap-hnzard hybridisers. The Golden Drop, however, seems to have been a self-sown seedling. If the same raiser is respon- sible for Coe's Late Red, his good fortune is equal to that of the raiser of Cox's Orange Pippin and Pomona Apples. Perhaps Mr. Grieve will be kind enough to say. It is a matter to be thankful for that the greatest improvements and the most ster- ling novelties do not always proceed from great men in the craft. Indeed, success so often falls to the comparatively unknown, that nobody, however small a garden or greenhouse he may have, ought to despair of permanently benefitting the garden- ing world. Hardly anything in gardening is more engrossing than hybridising, and if well managed the reward for a really good thing is great. Mr. Grieve apparently desires some information anent the hardihood of Webster's Gage. At Nowton Court, near Bury St. Edmunds, it fruited very freely one year on a north wall ; and I had it from Mr. Webster himself not three weeks ago that he considered it a high-class hardy Plum.— C. A. M. C. WORK DONE IN WEEK ENDING JAN. 27, 1885. January 21. Fkost having again set in, the work has been shaped accordingly. Having completed the wheel- ing of soil and manure in kitchen garden, the next best work we have on hand for such weather is the clipping of hedges — Privet, Thorn, and Laurel — and grubbing np stumps of copse wood and trench- ing the ground to plant afresh. The leaf heap has also been turned over and built up in a smaller compass, and the rubbish-heap fire has been well supplied with all the clippings and clearings of hedge ditches. Indoor work has been the sorting of stock roots of such kinds of Dahlias as are re- quired in large numbers, potted thorn and placed them in heat for the production of cuttings. Single and pompone varieties are our favourites. The show varieties are of but little account for the flower garden proper. Began potting Ferns, as our entire stock is required for vase and bas- ket furnishing in the mansion. Small plants are of most service ; consequently those that are large and will divide, such as the common Adiantum, are cut up into small pieces for potting in 5-inch and fi-inch pots. Adiantum cuneatum, A. pubes- cens, A formosum, and Lomaria gibba are amongst the best for house furnishing that keep in good condition for the longest period. To retard or keep them in flower as long as possible, Hyacinths, Tulips, Lily of the Valley, and Christmas Roses have been shifted from the early vinery to a later one, and others have been put in heat. The tem- perature of the early Peach house (now in flower) is kept at 50° by night and frrm 56° to 00° by day, and at midday the pollen is distributed by a shake of the trellis and a gentle touching over with a camel's-hair pencil. January 22. Haid frost ; outside work has been in every re- spect the same as yesterday. Put in cuttings of several kinds of bedding plants. Lobelia speciosa amongst the number. Seedlings are not to be depended on, at least not if uniformity of growth, colour of flower, and season of flowering be desired. Besides, it is just as easy to raise the plants from cuttings as from seeds, and by this means all risk of disappointment is avoided when once a good strain has been secured to propagate from. We strike them in the Melon house in a prepared bed of leaf soil and sand, over which glass fits tightly, and soon as rooted they are transplanted into boxes or pans somewhat thickly till the weather gets warmer, when they are again transplanted into cold pits, there to remain till the final plant- ing out. Cuttings of Mesembryanthemum cordi- foliuni variegatum have also been put in ; these we strike in shallow boxes of sandy loam and leaf soil. The boxes are placed on bricks standing over the hot-water pipes in the forcing houses, no covering of glass being required. The cuttings are placed at 3 inches apart each way, as they have to remain in the boxes till planting-out time. Sowed Pyrethrum Golden Feather, Cannas, and Helianthus major ; the latter is quite hardy, and makes an excellent sub-tropi- cal plant. Increased stock being required, a large plant of Phormium tenax variegatum was lifted from the open ground, and split up into suitable pieces for potting into 8-inch pots. They have been placed in gentle warmth to get them into growth for fiower garden use in May. This and the common green variety tenax and the dark toliaged variety Colensoi are all excellent for winter plant- ing of flower-beds. Put more Seakale into forcing quarters and Asparagus in manure frames. This is not valued here till the season is well advanced to ensure its being well flavoured and of a purplish green colour ; consequently earlier forcing is not attempted ; blanching being considered both unnatural and unnecessary, a great depth of soil is not required. We use leaf-soil only for planting in, and the beds are made up of two- thirds leaves and one of stable litter. Sowed Muftard and Cress, potted a few more roots of Mint and Tarragon, and sowed a box of Chervil. January 23. Frost is still severe, and the same description of outdoor work continues as for the last two days. Holly cutting having been added. We have many very old specimens that were neglected as to cutting when in a young state, but which for the last few years have been well cut back, and the im- provement is most marked, a fact that points to the importance of shrub pruning, and more par- ticularly cf Hollies when in a young state. I would not be understood to mean by pruning close shearing, but simply knifing out leading shoots or such as may be causing the plant to look unevenly furnished or one-sided. Coniferous trees we serve in the same way, namely, all shoots that cause the trees to look lop-sided are cut back —at least, all that can be conveniently got at — and every specimen is kept to one principal leader. Cleared late Muscat Vines of bits of loose bark, and painted them over with the usual solu- tion as a preventive against the attacks of insects; gave the borders another watering, and being covered with wooden trellising, the house can now be utilised for bedding Pelargoniums, B^uchsias, &c. Potted Ferns and stove plants ; shook out and repotted Lilium auratnm. We grow them in pots for ihe purpose of standing them about the flower garden in July and August. Their strong odour is most appreciated in such positions, being far too powerful for house and conservatory furnishing. Watered Fig house border ; the water being warm— 90° — a slight re- mulching of litter was afterwards given to keep in the warmth thus imparted. The dull cold wea- ther makes forcing uphill work. Strawberries have made little advance for a fortnight past ; in- deed those in flower now are not setting so well as others did three weeks ago ; hence we are keep- ing them cooler till more favourable weather con- ditions set in. January 2-1. Weather still unchanged, so that out-door operations have also been much the same as for several days past. Swept up roads and walks, sifted leaf -soil for potting and forcing purposes, and renewed linings to forcing frames. The houses have all been extra well cleared up, as is usual, on Saturdays. Some of the Bouvardias that had done flowering have been cut down, and so has Plumbago rosea. This latter we train to Melon trellis for winter-flowering, and the space is now needed for Melons. Picked over all bedding Pelargoniums. Primulas and Cinerarias have also been freed of bad flowers and leaves and re-arranged in second Peach house. Grapes in bottles are examined twice each week to cut out bad berries and fill up the bottles if needed. Apples are still plentiful and keep well ; all bad fruits have been removed and the room cleaned out. Pears are scarce indeed, there being only a few Bergamotte d'Esperen, Ne Plus Meuris, and Beurro Ranee left. The last named kind with us is seldom usable as a dessert fruit, but it is equal to the best for culinary purposes, and it never fails to bear a full crop. January 26. Thaw ; slight showers ; shrub pruning continued. Trenching Potato ground, and also ground for Parsnips and Carrots. Soot and wood ashes are the only dressings applied to the soil for these roots, but it was well manured for the I'ea and Onion crc ps of last year ; depth, rather than rich- ness of soil, is best for these, and also for Beet, Salsafy, and Scorzoneia. Plants in cold pits that Jan. 31, 1885. THE GARDEN 97 have been covered up as loDg as the frost lasted are mach affected with damp; all decaying stems and leaves are being picked off, and as much ventila- tion given as the weather permits. Primroses and Christmas Roses that were potted a few weeks ago and stood in cold pits have not suffered by their enforced darkness, except that here and there a flower has damped off, but the great bulk of them really appear brighter than they did prior to the frost. Put another batch of bulbs into heat and a half dozen more Spiia:as and Deutzias. Potting stove plants ; completed the painting of late Mus- cat Vines, retied them to trellis, and thoroughly washed the glass and woodwork of the house. JANUABY 27. Occasional showers ; rolled walks and turf that was lately laid ; pressed down spring flowers and put more mulching (Cocoa fibre) on some of the beds; removed protecting covering from Celery, Broccoli, Lettuce, and Cauliflower plants ; pruning Peaches ; planted Rhubarb and began to make a new plantation of Horseradish. The ground has been deeply trenched, and straight pieces 6 inches long are dibbled in at 9 inches apart in the row and 18 inches between each row. Work about and in the houses has been the clearing away of litter used as extra covering and rearranging plants in frames, taking cuttings from Lobelias, Heliotropes, and Petunias ; washing the foliage of Gardenias and Eucharises, and putting more Straw- berries in frames, and taking others that were in flower from frames to the Strawberry house. Chrysanthemums have all taken root and have, therefore, been taken out of handlights, where they have been struck, and stood on shelf in second Peach house, and will be potted off in a few days. Hakts. Fkuits under Glass. Melons. — Where early Melons are wanted in May, seeds of some favourite green-fleshed kind will have been sown about the beginning of January. To succeed with these there should be full command of top and bottom-heat, and the young plants should be kept close to the glass where they can have an abundance of light. Having myself tried many kinds, I can safely say the Im- proved Victory of Bath and Eastnor Castle have not yet been beaten for early work. Sow two seeds in 3-inch pots ; if both grow, select the strongest and shift into 4-inch pots as soon as the roots touch the side ; plunge close to the glass and prepare the stations for the fruiting pots, which plunge to the rims in the fermenting beds. If there is danger of the pots sinking and stran- gling the plants after they are tied to the trellis, build up dry brick pedestals and cap them with a sod of good calcareous turf, grass side downwards. The turf, impregnated with ammonia, will form an excellent feeding medium for the roots, the brick pedestals will secure ample drainage, and, the pots being stationary, renovation of the plung- ing material can be carried on at pleasure. Comjwst. —Allbough the Melon will grow in almost any kind of fresh soil, strong calcareous loam from an old sheep pasture suits it best. If cut last autumn and protected from the weather, all that is needed is to chop it to pieces and add one-fourth of old lime rubble to keep it open. An abundance of water being an important element, crock well, fill the pots, loosely at first, and leave them to get warmed through by the time the l^lants are ready for turning out. Pi'SES.— I'm it i iig plants. — If not already done, the first batch of Queens may now be drawn from the pit in which they have been resting, and placed in the fruiting house for yielding the early summer supply. Space in all well-managed places being limited, it may be necessary to remove the plants, now swelling and ripening winter fruit, into a smaller structure, when the usual cleansing of the fruiting house proper and the renovation of the bed will of course precede the disturbance of the plants in the resting pit. When the heat in the bed has declined to 90°, select a few of the most promising early starters, i.e., those with thick stems and a number of small pointed leaves in their centres. Plunge lightly at first, and watch the bottom-heat thermometer, as a sudden rise after they are plunged might seriously injure the tender roots clustering round the insides of the pots. Water moderately at first, damp the paths and other surfaces to produce atmospheric moisture, but avoid overhead syringing, and gradually raise the night temperature to 70° by the time the soil in the pots is properly moistened and the roots show signs of renewed activity. The day tempera- ture must in like manner be raised until on bright clear days it touches 80°, or a little more after the chink of air which has been given is taken away. As many of the plants left in the resting pit will make a growth before they fruit, no change in their management will be needed just at present Si(cci'ssions. — The large pot system of growing Pines having seen its day, nearly all growers now shift from the O-inch or 8-inch pot into sizes some 1 inches larger, and find, as a rule, that the smallest pots give the best results. Where good strong September suckers have done well, the time is now at hand for giving all the most promising their one shift into fruiting pots. Cleanliness being such an important factor in all matters hor- ticultural, pots and crocks must be washed and dried. Composts must be dry and warm, and the structure intended for their summer growth must be properly cleansed or painted. If new tan or leaves be used for bottom heat, let them be thoroughly worked, fermented, and turne'l to get rid of violent heat and injurious gases before the operation of fhifting is taken in hand. Now, as all these preliminaries require time, advantage must be taken of every favourable opportunity, other- wise there will be delays when dispatch is of the utmost importance. Prejjaration of tlic plants. — Next to over-potting the worst step that can be taken is potting too early in the season. Therefore, when early in February increasing daylight admits of giving a little more heat and moisture, slightly moisten the surface of the bed and give a little water to in- duce the formation of new rootlets before the plants are taken out of their winter quarters. When this change from rest to activity has been secured, give a little more water to moisten every part of the ball, shift in the usual way, the best plants into 11-inch and the seconds into 10-inch pots ; plunge to the rims in a bottom heat ranging from 85° to 90°, and withhold water until fresh roots have taken hold of the new compost. The orchard house. — If this useful structure has been used for plants during the time the pot fruit trees have been out-of-doors, it must now be made ready for the reception of its legitimate occupants, as it is now high time they were under cover. In cold districts it is not perhaps advisable to turn Peaches and Nectarines out at all, certainly not to allow them to remain out after Christmas ; but in favourable localities, where the wood gets well ripened, full exposure to the elements for a time is advantageous. So far, this winter iias been highly favourable to exposure, as the weather has been dry, and of late sufficiently cold to keep the buds thoroughly at rest without injury to the most tender varieties. When the house is ready, let every tree be laid on its side and carefully washed with soap and water ; also scrub the pots, and see that the aperture at the bottom is clear before they are taken in. Place the trees on the borders as much as possible out of the keen draught from the front to the top ventilators, and let them be properly attended with water. It is just possible that they will not require frequent watering, but when needful, each tree should be liberally supplied, as one mistake on the dry side is sure to lead to the loss of many of the flower- buds. If the house is not heated, let the trees have the fullest exposure to air, otherwise the buds may get too forward and suffer in the spring. Defer pruning until they begin to burst into growth ; then cut back the strong shoots to a pro- mising wood-bud, but carefully preserve the points of weaker growths, as it often happens that the terminal and one at the base are the only wood- buds, and the loss of the terminal would render the intervening blossom-buds useless. Cucumbers (Winter). — Bottom Jieat. — The cold, dead, sunless weather which has prevailed for some weeks is not favourable to winter Cucum- bers subjected to constant dry fire-heat for the maintenance of maximum temperatures. Under such conditions red spider revels without molesta- tion, as the syringe can rarely be used, and the mildest insecticides applied to the tender foliage are rather dangerous. The best antidote is fer- menting material consisting of Oak leaves, to which a few basketfuls of fresh Mushroom manure may from time to time be added as the work of renovation proceeds. Hot-water engineers tell us there is nothing like an abundance of 4-inch piping, and their advice is sound ; but we want something to counteract the effects of dry fire- heat through the dull months, when the syringe is laid aside, and this will always be found in fer- menting decaying vegetable matter, particularly wherethe pots are permanently fixed on hollow brick pedestals, and the whole mass can be turned over to the bottom of the pit without upsetting them or disturbing the roots. Many people having plenty of fire-heat do not pay so much attention to this natural mode of obtaining heat and mois- ture as they might do, and they very often find the steed standing still when early salmon without Cucumbers is the forerunnerof unpleasantremarks. Let me, then, advise all young beginners to collect and harvest plenty of Oak leavee,not only forwinter, but for all the year round use, and they will find them a most valuable and economical aid to fire- heat. Manijni,latio?i of the growth. — The grower of summer Cucumbers pinches the points out of the shoots at the first joint beyond the fruit, some- times close to the fruit, and so vigorous is this tropical annual, that its productiveness is increased thereby. But treat a winter fruiter in the same way, and ten to one it will not survive the month of February ; therefore, from the time syringing is partially discontinued until it is resumed, the young growths should be allowed to extend regularly all over the trellis. If fruit is wanted, a few of the most promising may be allowed to swell, but superflu- ous "shows.'together with the male blossoms, must be constantly removed. As days increase in length and the sun keeps up the maximum heat, a few of the oldunsightly leaves will give way to advancing growths. The points will be pinched out of the strongest of the latter, unless they have consider- able space to fill, when extension will be prefer- able, and daily syringing will again be resorted to. From this time forward the management will be comparatively easy, as Nature will be with, instead of against, the cultivator ; more heat, more light, and more stimulating food being at command, plants so managed should give a plentiful supply of fruit throughout March, the most critical month in the whole year. Cucumbers (Spring). — Where circumstances render it desirable to get an early supply of fruit from spring plants and suitable accommodation is at command, the first week in January is a good time to sow the seeds. A good strain of Telegraph is not easily surpassed for all general purpose.", al- though some who recollect the handsome black spined varieties still prefer them for summer use. The conditions under which early plants should be raised and brought forward in no way differ from those given for Melons, but when ready for turning out the compost, either for pots or hills, should be much lighter than that recommended for Melons. Light rich turf, cut and stacked last autumn, three-fourths, flaky leaf-mould one- fourth, and a liberal mixture of old lime rubble or burnt earth will form a compost in which spring plants will make healthy growth, and pro- duce an abundance of fruit before they require feeding with stimulants. W. Coleman. Eastnor Castle, Ledbury. Asphalt© walks. — We find these to be of the greatest service here, and annually form one or more new ones. At one time, when only gravel walks were in use, every heavy storm of rain washed the greater portion of the binding gravel to the lower end of the garden, but now we only experience a difficulty in keeping the Box edgin 98 THE GARDEN [Jax. 31. 1885. alive. Imperishable tile edging is much the best for asphalte walks, and then there are no harbours for slugs and the walks are always clean. We can wheel over them in all weathers, as if found to be slippery a few sifted ashes qaickly obviates this diflBcnlty. In very hot weather the newest walks sometimes soften and smell somewhat of tar, but much depends npon their proper forma- tion, and the nuisance, if nuisance it is, is after all only a slight one. My impression is that well- formed asphalte walks are the cheapest and best for the kitchen garden, and many of the walks at a distance from the dwelling house might also with advantage be asphalted.— W. I. M. RAINFALL IN 1884. I SEND you the rainfall in 1884 at Bel voir Castle, Lincolnshire, and at Belvedere House, Mullingar, West Meatb. Belvoir Gardeus are 2.37 feet above sea level, and Belvedere Gardens are 3G7 feet. Both inland stations. BELvoir. Month. Total depth. Greatest fall In 24 hours. Number of days on which 01 or more fell. January February March AprU May Inches. 1'83 1 23 112 143 116 ■73 4 19 92 1-40 ■»i 1-04 2-18 Depth ■28 ■52 •45 15 •48 •31 83 •30 •69 •23 •25 •39 Dale. 24 i 6 3 9 11 14 1 9 3 1 14 14 13 r2 U 10 7 14 15 15 £1 July _ August September October November December Total 18-21 - - 177 — W. INGKAM. Belvebebe. Month. January ... February. . . Match April May June July August Septenil'cr . October . . . November . December . Total Total dt pth. Inches. 4^54 3^26 2 60 1 32 2-97 1^08 3 39 2 21 2 92 2'15 312 4 76 34 ^41 Greatest fall in 24 hours. Depth. 1^8 •64 •65 •60 •93 ■32 •60 •76 •86 •75 •65 •60 Date. S.3 20 30 4 14 1 24 11 6 31 11 7 Number of days on which •Ol or more fell. 18 IS 11 9 15 6 16 6 10 8 139 — JA3IES BaVLISS. At Belvoir, in Lincolnshire, there were only 18-21 inches registered witli 177 days on which ram fell. In the county of West Meath 31-41 inches were registered with 139 days on which rain fell. The rainiest months at the two stations were De- cember and January, when 1-83 and 2-18 inches fell, and at the Iri.* and English stations during the same months 4-54 and 4 76 inches fell, or 3 93 inches against 9.30 inches. April, May, June, and July were dry months in both places, the rainfall in England for those four months being 7-51 inches, and in Ireland 8 76 inches. Ebinsley Marlay. QUESTIONS. ffp^,!;7?^n"°?."i.<^?^"y— f«" =>".v reader of The GARDEN tell me if this delicious Italian Cherry has been successfully grown in England ?-F. B. r,Sl";rF"?*?.'"*^ Apple.- 1 have some seed of the Ustard Apple (Anon,-i). Can Ihe fruit-bearing variety be raised from seed ? and if so, what treatment does it require ■> iinlF '" '^r,"^" "'^ f™'* 'o perfection in an ordinary stove among a collection of plants ?— J. P. B. H^t'M?„7n^^?*^°™^-,.~' '^"^■^ '^ handsome old pink and n„H ,•„ fl" "'"'' * l"'"-^""" tree twciity-tlvc years ago rfM«,Vi ,' ,*'°V;""'P''°^"^«^'y' ■"" ^' 'ate years « lias greatly deteriorated. Can any of the readers of The Garpen ^ggest any remedy? last autumn I manured it richly, lilh^ I'S"'?"!^ ?v "1J«"0"S' It not, it would pive more light and au^ to the flower-beds roimd about -T. W F NOTES or THE WEEK. Proposed Orchid conference.— We un- derstand that it is in cjiitemplation by the Royal Horticultural Society to hold an Orchid conference at South Kensington during the ensuing season. We have little doubt, judging from the popularity which Orchids now enjoy— notably the cool kinds, embracing, as they do, some of the most beautiful varieties now in cultivation — that this conference will be a decided success. It is to be hoped that the promoters may meet with hearty support and that their labours will result in the same happy and useful way as those of the Daffodil conference held last year. Our vegetable supply.— At the anniver- sary of the re-opening of Columbia Market on Saturday last, Mr. George Brown, of Gaysbara Hall, said that while all the vegetables required by a million of people had to be brought to one spot, and so have a toll put on them at the will of a private individual. East London can never be properly supplied with vegetable food. Whilst such a state of things existed, it would be like putting a rent of .5.s. per acre on all land that has any pretension to grow vegetables. Bad as that is, however, it is tiiQing in comparison with the injury done to the consumer, for it is quite im- possible to feed such a great number of people properly from one spot by small carts from and to remote distances. The consequence is that prices have to be put so high that the public does not get half enough. Only last 3 ear he had ploughed into the ground 40 acres of vegetables, which he should have brought to market if he could have realised nearly one farthing per pound, and at that very lime the consumer was paying Id. per pound in London for precisely the same class of vegetables as he had to destroy. I have no doubt, he said, that much larger quantities of vegetables would be consumed if they could be properly conveyed to the consumer in fufficient quantities at reasonable prices, and I think the best way to increase and distiibute such food would be to introduce railway communication direct into market. It is not generally known that if green vegetables do not reach the con- sumer on the same day that they are brought to market their value goes down from 50 to 100 per cent., so that in forty-eight hours they are worth- less. It is monstrous that in this day our horses should be compelled to drag all vegetables 6 miles through London, and then other horses drag them back again, all in consequence of a foolish charter. In the present state of the law I can see no help for it, except Columbia Market breaks through the monopoly in East London. The National Chrysanthemun So- ciety.— This society, which adopted its national character last year, recently held its annual general meeting, and was able to make a most satisfactory report as to its doings during the first year of its enlarged work. The number of mem- bers had doubled, the finances were satisfactory, and the annual exhibition held at the Royal Aquarium in November last was the largest and best 'yet held. The officers were all re-elected, and a general committee of thirty-six members appointed. A meeting of this latter body was held on Monday evening last, and it had under con- sideration certain suggested new classes for the schedule of prizes. One novel feature was the provision of classes for late-fiowering Chrysanthe- mums, Mr. W. CuUingford having offered the sum of ten guineas for the purpose if an exhibition could be arranged about the middle of January next. Other offers of assistance were forthcoming, and it was arranged that a special exhibition should take place at the Royal Aquarium in January next, and that prizes should be offered for twelve incurved Chrysanthemums, twelve Japanese sorts, twelve blooms of any other type, a collection of Chrysanthemums, and also for six incurved blooms and six Japanese kinds. It was resolved that all varieties in good form at that time should be accepted as late-flowering varieties, and the prizes are to be awarded by the floral committee of the society. Mr. T. S. Ware and others having offered special prizes for single Chrysanthemums, a class was acded to the schedule as follows : twenty-four bunches of cut tingle Chrysanthe- mums, not less than twelve varieties, and not less than three trusses in a bunch. This should bring a good representation of this class. A class was added for six Japanese varieties, the prize to be competed for by those who have not hitherto taken a prize at the society's exhibitions. The ex- pediency of creating a class for undressed blooms of Chrysanthemums was considered on the read- ing of a letter from Colonel JIallard. A propo- sition was submitted to Colonel Mallard that in order to demonstrate the best method of exhibiting blooms of Chrysanthemums without cups, a class be made for not less than twelve blooms of in- curved varieties, distinct ; that any means of set- ting up may be adopted by the exhibitor ; that boards may be used or not, but that the right of withholding the prizes should be reserved until a method of general practical value is demonstrated. The exhibition committee enlarged to meet the requirements of an extended show was appointed, and the floral committee was enlarged from eight to fifteen members. Mr. W. Holmes, the secretary, announced that this body would now meet at the Royal Aquarium, and at 2.30 p.m. instead of in the evening as heretofore. NARCISSI SECTIONS AND POPULAR NAMES. Tub Gabden proposed some time ago that wher- ever at all possible flowers should get popular names, easily remembered and identified with some peculiarity likely to impress them on the me- mory. This principle might be commendably applied to the names of the sections of popular flowers in place of the words of " learned length and thundering sound " sometimes used by bota- nists, and which not one in ten thousand could possibly remember. Narcissi will be of abiding interest to the majoiity of your readers for the next four or five months, so, with your permission, I transcribe from Messrs. Burbidge and Barr's new manual thereon the following popular dis- tinctions of the several divisions : — 1. — Native or foreign varieties of N. pseudo- Narcissus may be called Trumpet or Flat-leaved Daffodils. 2.— N. Bulbocodium (Corbularias) in all forms, Hooped-petticoat or Rush-leaved. 3, — N. poeticus (Poet's Narcissus), pure white perianth segments, with red or purple rim to corona. 4. — N. Jonqnilla (Jonquils), any Narcissus with bright green Rush-like leaves. 5. — N. Tazetta, properly speaking, includes all forms of the Polyanthus section. 6. — N. incomparabilis, including N. biflorus, may be called the Peerless Narcissus. Mr. Burbidge, in his lecture before the Royal Horticultural Society last April, alluding to thi.», then adds : " Hence those popular names, which confuse so much when loosely applied, if used rightly and carefully, serve to distinguish the well-marked sections of this beautiful genus." Clonmel. W. J. M. Willo-w-s.— Try Mr. Scaling, Basford, Notts. Lfella anceps (IF. J. B. B.).— The flowers you sent arrived too much damaged to enable us to rpeak of their meiits. Chimonanthus frultinpr.— While staying in Bast Yorks I saw a tine bunch of l?himonantluis fragransin full llower, and also coveiTd with ripe seed pod^ from last year ; as I have never seen it in seed before, I mention it in case it is .IS unusual as I fancy it to be in England.— Edward H. -WOODALL. Names of plants —E. M. N.—'Soi the Madeira Holly, lait a silver-edged variety of the common Holly (Ilex A(|Uifolium). T. C— 5, apparently a hybrid between Helleboms atrorubens .and H. ob-nipicus ; 7, H. colchicus ; 8, H. olympicus. J. C — 1, Polystichum aristatum ; 2, Pteris quadriaurita ; 3, Nephrodium molle corymbiferura ; 4, Asplenium ebeneum.^ Subscriber. — Helleboms atroru- bens. J. T. (/'rcs^^ji i7n?0-— Solanlim betaceum. Names of fruits.— r. CripiK i- Soii.—wc>, Blenheim Orange; 137, Winter Hawthornden (of Paul); 120, not known ; 131, Brabant Bellefleur. E F. Griffen —1, Franklin's Golden Pippin ; 2, Gascoigne's Scarlet Seedling. Torrivglon. — Bedfordshire Foundling ; others not own.^— Oa:o7i.— Ilambledon Deux Aus. THE GARDEN 99 Ho. ego. SATURDAY, Feb. 7, 18S5. Vol. XXVII. " This is an Art Which does mend Nature : change it rather : but The art itself is Nature."— SA(iJ-esp«are. EOYAL GARDENS, KEW. It is found at Kew that it is difficult to get young men sufficiently skilful to carry on there the im- proved gardening of the present day. The authori- ties have therefore revised the rules relating to the admission of young men, and have slightly raised their pay in the hope of getting a better class of young men in future for the gardens, and with that view they have issued the following circular ; "Applicants for admission as gardeners into the Royal Gardens are furnished with a copy of a paper, which when filled in must be signed by their present or last employer and returned to the curator, accompanied by a letter in applicant's own handwi-iting. The wages are 18s. per week, with extra pay for Sunday duty. Applicants must be at least twenty, and not more than twenty-five years of age and have been employed not less than five years in good private gardens or nurseries. Preference will be given to men who have had most experience in the cuUivatioti of plants under glass, and no application mill be entertained from men who have not had some such experience. Where obtainable, testimonials from known practical gardeners should accompany the application. The applicant will be informed if his name has been entered for admission, and on a vacancy occurring he will receive notice to that effect. Should there be no vacancy within three months from date of application, it must be renewed if employment at Kew is still desired. If not renewed, the appli- cant's name will be removed from the book. Gar- deners who remain at Kew a year, and whose conduct is satisfactory, will be eligible, as vacan- cies arise, for the positions of sub-foremen, and will be recommended, according to the capacity they display, for employment in other first-class gardens either at home, in India, or in the colonies. "J. D. HOOKEE, Director. "J. Smith, Curator." *^* We gladly welcome any attempt to improve the condition of the young men at Kew, and have only to remark on the above rules that the words which we italicise are unfortunate. The want of the time is, men who take a true interest in the out- door garden and know what to do in it. This is a want felt more than ever now when people begin to see that they can have very beautiful conser- vatories without the aid of the glazier and the stoker. We often find the want cannot be readily met, though any number of men who know " all about glass " and little else can be had, and what a pitiful business it is when such men take charge of a place and do not know the trees that grow upon it, and the various forms of hardy plant life that may adorn it ! The paradise created by elaborate and costly glass sheds and heavy coal bills is not the only one that English gardens will show for the future. The neglect of good kitchen gardening, in which every old gardener was well versed, will not be tolerated now by owners of gardens. Kew cannot teach that, but it should encourage all kinds of outdoor gardening, and above all tree culture. To know trees and shrubs well, and to have a knowledge of hardy plants and fruit culture, should be as ready a passport to admission to Kew as experience in the culture of plants under glass. We should only expect such an injunction if the document had emanated from some factory- like glass garden, where people have eyes for nothing but what is in their " houses," but not the gift of even seeing what is frequently ugly in these. In days when our philosophers preach the virtue of manual labour to the rich, the idea that the gardener is to ensconce himself in the houses and leave all the fine healthy outdoor work to labourers is absurd. It is his duty, and it should be his pleasure to do and to know how to do every kind of manual work out-of-doors, and it is a misfortune that our chief botanic garden should in any way encourage the stupid and vain notion that the trained gardener is intended only for a " conservatory " existence. Then we should count with the new ideas which Kew itself might gain if a broader way of selec- tion were the rule. We know that for a number of years certain departments which in the country generally assumed much importance were neg- lected, and fell back in interest at Kew. Where is there a more likely way of selecting men for their improvement than by admitting young men trained in our best open-air gardens 1 There is no surer road to success as to the training of the best men than, other things being equal, appren- tices from James Backhouse's or Mr. Whitehead's rock gardens, from the arboretum at Bicton, or the American plant grounds at Knaphill ; such men would surely turn out as well as youths who have begun to learn the horticultural housemaids work in a suburban garden with a quarter of an acre of glass sheds and 2 perches of lawn. The crying evil of the day among owners of gardens is that they experience the greatest diffi- culty in obtaining gardeners who know anything beyond a smattering knowledge of indoor plants. Complaints often reach us from gentlemen of the scarcity of young men who are qualified to intel- ligibly attend to a choice garden, and the ignorance that prevails among young gardeners, nay, and old ones too, of trees and shrubs is most deplorable. Even head gardeners complain that the young men whom they employ have a paucity of knowledge of their work beyond that relat- ing to hot-house plants. We have always regarded the system at Kew of confining the young gardeners to the glasshouses as most objectionable. In nine cases out of ten they know very little more at the end of their two years' employment there than they did on the day on which they entered the gardens. The right course would be to allow the young men to spend a part of their time in the outdoor garden, so that they could obtain a knowledge of trees, shrubs, and hardy plants. Under the present system the work in the outdoor department is considered only fit for ordinary labourers, the consequence being that young men remain in ignorance of the com- monest operations connected with the open-air garden. If the many young gardeners who go to Kew obtained an intimate acquaintance with the multitudes of fine exotic trees there, our country seats would show something beyond the very com- monest of trees. The very motive of sending a young man to Kew should be to obtain a knowledge of its rich open-air flora ; hothouse plants can be studied in other gardens. It is a great mistake to suppose that for necessary operations in hothouses intelli- gent young men are needed. On the contrary, the very character of some of the work, such as bug-hunting, pot-scrubbing, path-cleaning, could be better done by common labourers. It is a notorious fact that these routine operations, which have to be done by intelligent gardeners, do more ^0 disgust them with Kew than anything e\se. Again, who is better fitted to act as a constable in looking after the public in the houses than a stalwart labourer ? The very atmosphere of the houses enervates young men, and oftentimes initiates in them lazy habits ; and it is a matter of fact that nurserymen, as a rule, decline to employ young men who have spent a time at Kew. If Kew is to be the educational garden it professes to be, the system adopted there of dealing with young gardeners will have to be radically changed. It is, perhaps, too much to expect a young man confined through- out the day in the close atmosphere of hothouses to devote himself to healthy study afterwards. It often means ruin to their constitutions. It is a real loss to horticulture that all the young men who go to Kew do not get a chance of know- ing the many fine outdoor things there. Stoves and greenhouses abound, but such collections as those at Kew are rare, and obviously one main reason for their existence is that our young gardeners should there learn to know the various types of vegetation that thrive in the open air with us. — Ed. FREESIAS IN GUERNSEY. " B.' enquires (p. 9.5) how we treat Freesias for supplying early cut bloom. We have had fair ex- perience with these plants, and usually commence cutting just before Christmas, a season at which the blooms are doubly valuable — first, on account of their own intrinsic beauty, and secondly, be- cause of the general scarcity just then of delicate flowers. For the first supply we find the following treatment best suited ; We put twelve bulbs in a (j-inch pot, using a compost consisting of loam, sand, and thoroughly decomposed manure in equal parts. These bulbs do a good deal of work in a comparatively short time, especially considering their size ; consequently, they are fond of good living. Early in August is a good time for potting the first batch, and relays at intervals of about three weeks ; by these means a supply of flowers can be continued from the end of December to the end of March, It should be borne in mind that the bulbs are not particularly fond of an excess of water during the early stages of their growth. We rarely water them more than once from the time of potting till the foliage begins to push up. When this stage is reached all danger is over ; therefore we recommend keeping the pots comparatively cool until root-action has become well established. When the foliage is about 6 inches in height small dressings of guano or of Standen's manure and occasionally weak or- dinary liquid manure, by way of a change, will prove of great benefit. There should be no hurry in introducing them to artificial heat ; we think it scarcely safe to do so before the flower-spike be- gins to push up. An important feature in their culture, as is also the case with so many allied plants from the same habitat, is plenty of sunlight and air. Keep the pots in a light position near the glass. If this is omitted they grow up spindly, and lack that strength of constitution which is necessary to produce fine flowers. Bottom heat, we would remark, should be carefully avoided ; we have always found this to mean no flowers and ruin to the bulbs. Nothing suits them better than a light position in an early vinery, out of which they might be moved to a dryer atmosphere as the first buds commence to open. It is quite surpris- ing what power the flowers of these plants have in perfuming a room, and yet their fragrance, though strong, is not overpowering. From 55° to 65° is the best temperature for bringing them into flower early. — C. Smith & Son, Caledonian Nursery, Guernsey. In reply to " B." (p. 95) allow us to state how we manage our early Freesias. Our first care is to select the largest bulbs in June and pot them at once in 6-inch or 8J-inch pots in a compost consisting of one-third well-decayed cow manat« 100 THE GARDEN [Feb. 7, 1885. and two-tbirds of good fibry loam. We place them in a frame till September, and then remove them in a warm greenhouse close to the glass, so as to keep them as dwaif as possible. We apply water sparingly till they show bud ; we then twice a week apply weak liquid manure, and remove them to a hothouse, where they flower most profusely from the middle of December on- wards throughout the winter. We find Freesias most useful, coming, as they do, when all fioweri, especially white, are very scarce, and they last for a considerable time in water. Our later batches we grow precisely in the same way, with the ex- ception that they are potted successively and are not placed in heat. Last season we had Freesias in bloom from December to June. — Hubert asd Maugbb, Doyle Road Nursery, Guernsey. PLANTS IN FLOWER; Primula Mrs. Walton. — A double white variety of the Chinese Piimrose Eent by Mr. Newsham's gardener at Higher Feniscowles, Blackburn, is very beautiful, the flowers being very double, spotless white, and the trusses large It is said to be a strong grower and profuse flowerer, and invaluable for affording a good supply of cut blooms for bouquets. Yel'ow winter Flax.— We have in the conservatory at the present time two groups of plants of Linum trigy- num which were taken there when they first came into flower early last November, and they have continued to flower more or les^ ever since ; they are, indeed, even better now than they have been at any time during the winter. The flowers, being a bright golden yellow, are very at- tractive. As a winter-flnwering plant we have few of the sjme colour that can turpass this F:as.- J. c C. Plants no'w in flo'wer In Febraary 3 :— open air, Anemone blanda Lithosp rmum rosmaiini coronaria folium Galanthus Imperati Vinca major Elwesi Eranthis liyemalis Saxifraga Burseriica Narcissus Taz-tta Krica cirnea Hepaticas, various Iris stylosa Frimroses lonicera fragrantissima Hellebores Chinionanthus fr^gran* nig r Cyclamen Coam colchicus Atkinsi and others orientalis Iberis gibraltarlca (hybrid) —G.J. Helleborus niger ruber.— Mr. Ware sends us more blooms of this variety together with flowers of altitolius for comparison. The two are no doubt distinct both as regards tint and form, that of ruber being shallow or saucer-like, while that of altifolius is cupped. The colour of ruber is a delicate rose-pink rather deepsr than that of altifolius. Associated with the white forms, this new variety is lovely, and must be welcomed as a valuable addition. Early hardy flowers — Already we are receiving from different parts of the country hardy spring Bowers, the mild genial weather of the past fortnight being favourable for theii development. Among a gathering sent to us by Mr. Ware is the lovely blue variety (ccerulea) of Iris reticulata, some uncommonly fine blooms of Galanthus Elwesi, the sombre- flowered Snake Iris (I. tuberjsa), while from frames come Lachenalia quadricolor, certainly one of the finest of the genus, and, together with L.pendula (coral-red) sent last week, indispensable for embellishing the winter greenhouse. Chines B Primulas.- A large and fine series of varieties of Primula sinensis has been sent to us by Mr. W. Ball, all beautiful, but some more delicate in tone and more pleasing than others. Among the latter, the kinds named filicifolia rosea, blush pink : striatiflora, large white, co- piously freckled with carmine ; and rosea, delicate pink, are particularly worthy of note, as are also four semi-double sorts, all of which are different from the ordinary run of Chinese Primulas. These are kermesina plena, rich carmine-pink ; rosea plena, pale blush ; alba plena, white ; and rubra plena, rich crimson-purple. The flowers of these semi-double varieties are not very large, but the little tufts of petals in the centre render them very pretty. Tlie most striking of Ihs other sorts rubra, very large, bright carmine-magenta ; violacea, large, and of a kind of slaty tinge ; filicifolia rubra and kermesina splendens, the latter remarkably rich and effective in colour. The new large-eyed sorts, such as those named alba oculata lutea ani lilacina alba oculata lutea, we cannot regard as good additions to the race of Chinese Primulas, though, perhaps, some would think them handsome. Double Violets. — The finest potfuls of double Violets that have ever been sent to us have reached us from Mr. Allan, Lord SuSield's gardener at Gunton Park, Norwich. They consist of three sorts, viz , the new double white Comte Brazza's Neapolitan, Marie Louise, and the old Neapolitan. The plants measure a foot across and are faiily smothered with bloom, which is prettily set off by the luxuriant foliage. Con- cerning these, Mr. Allan remarks that the Nea- politan is still one of the best of Violets for mid- winter, and that Marie Louise is unsurpassed for late summer and early autumn flowering. Comte Brazza comes into flower about a fortnight later than Marie Louise, say towards the end of August, and from that time flowers continuously throughout the winter with the greatest profusion. It is also more robust and vigorous than the two above varieties, and is sure to become a general favou- rite where Violets are grown. Czar I have used for frames, but always make it a practice to divide it and make a fresh bed of it annually. Treated thus it gives an enormous supply of flowers, espe- cially in spring. The single Russian still deserves a corner in the garden, as it is very sweet and nearly always in flower. We intend to give a coloured plate of these double Violets. Lachenalia pendula —This is the largest and certainly one of the handsomest of the Lache- nalias. It is slill rare in gardens, although the name occurs frequently enough, almost always, however, attached to one of the forms of L. tri- color. There is a plant of tlie true L. pendula in flower in the Cape house at Kew, and the wide difference between it and L. tricolor is easily seen. The former has an indefinite number of leaves, which are fleshy, 2 inches broad, and nearly a foot long; a flower-spike 18 inches high, stout and erect, the upper 6 inches being clothed with flowers, which are li inches long, in shape like the ordinary type of Lachenalia, and in colour a mix- ture of red and yellow, the tips of the segments being green and purplish. A comparison of the flowers with those of L. tricolor shows the former to have the two whorls of flower divisions almost equal in length, whilst in the latter the outer whorl is only half as long as the inner one. This is a good botanical distinction, whilst for garden purposes the size and colour of the flowers of L. pendula may be pointed to. The Kew plant has twenty-four flowers on the spike. It seems to be a general characteristic amongst the Lachenalias to become much brighter coloured after the flowers have been expanded a little while. Lachenalia growers should now place a few of their plants in a little extra warmth, so as to have them in flower early and in successional batches. Rhododendron Nobleanum. — What a glorious early-flowering hardy shrub this is 1 I say hardy because it is seldom the wood is injured, although the buds and open flowers sometimes suffer from severe frost after a prolonged mild temperature. The present season seems to suit it exactly. It opened its first blooms here a fortnight after Christmas, and, notwithstanding the check it received with the recent cold, it is now a blaze of dazzling scarlets— a contrast truly to the gloomy colourless surroundings. It is .also well suited for conservatory decoiation, requiring not a tithe of the care of hosts of less attractive plants. By a liberal use of liquid manure I have doubled the size of the blooms under glass compared with what they are in the open. Few would be without this plant, I think, if they were aware ot its wel- come colour at this time of the year. In exposed and cold situations it should be indulged with the most sheltered nook at command, or through its extreme rathness it would be pretty certain to Winter flowers.— The bridge that has con' nected the flower death of the old year with the flower birth of the new has now been crossed by the happy possessors of little gardens. With me the latest choice flowers that gladdened my eyes as autumn clasped the hand of winter were Stern- bergia angustifolia, Stobsea purpurea. Crocus spe- ciosus, Tritomas, Senecio pulcher and spcciosus, and a lovely salmon-coloured Poppy, Papaver lateritum. I think Pansies, Primroses, and Wall- flowers, with plenty of the sweet Petasitcs fra- grans, have cheered us up all through the winter, and we have never been without a hardy border Carnation in bloom up to this present writing. A few very useful annuals bloomed till quite late in the year, Alonsoa Warscewiczi being one, and another Amaryllis Philipsi. This latter is a won- derfully free bloomer, even when not cut, and the rich handsome blue of its showy blooms makes it a very desirable plant. The following early spring beauties are all out now : Crocus Imperati, form- ing a lovely clump; Iris Histrio, Muscari lingu- latum, and Iris reticulata cyanea. It is remarkable that the latter is blooming now, wbUe Iris reticu- lata, treated in every way the same exactly, is not nearly as yet so forward. I do not know anything more lovely than the sky-blue Iris reticulata cyanea mixed with the pure massive blooms of ""St. Brigid's " Hellebore.— H. Stuabt Wortlet (Colonel). in the coile3tion are punctata elegantissima 1 sustain injury. — J . t,!., Charmoufh, Dorset. Parle des Jardlns.— Although a very beau- tiful Hose. Marechal Niel is no longer the yellow Rose of cjmmerce. In looking through several large commercial Rose-growing establishments last summer I was surprised to find this once uni- versal favourite but sparingly cultivated, and the few specimens with which I did meet were re- tained, I think, more for propagating purposes than for blooms. The late Mr. Ellwanger, in his book of Roses, says : " the inexperienced would do better not to attempt its culture. The continued demand for plants of Mari-chal Niel is largely due to the fact that buds of the Perle des Jardins are supplied to customers for Marechal Niel by most of the city florists. For three monthly Roses no one could select better than C. Mermet, Niphetos, and Perle des Jardins. By all means, plant in the natural border, if possible, in preference to pot culture. If quick as well as satisfactory results are desired, a good plan would be to plant three plants of Solfaterre, a vigorous growing Noisette, and bud with the varieties mentioned. Flowers from the budded plants will be larger and finer than those from plants on their own roots. — Levant Cole, in lick's Magazine. Bare species of Dianthus.— On looking over some old notebooks the other day, I came across the following jottings relating to a few Pinks, that, though extremely pretty, are not in general cultivation, viz. : D. pubescens, a kind with a fine dwarf branched habit, hairy leaves, and large deep scarlet flowers profusely dotted with brown at the base of the petals : D. Balbisi, closely related to the above, leaves destitute of hairs, slightly glaucous, petals without dots, a beautiful species for rockwork ; D. ferrugineus, pale in colour, but good and compact in habit ; D. atrorubens, taller than D. cruentus, and a really good border plant ; D. arboreus, a fine shrubby kind, peculiar for a Pink, and very distinct; D. Bisignani, habit a little like the last, but having much larger and deeper serrated petals and a large protruding style; D. tataricus, a dwarf and very handsome species with deep pink flowers; D. cau- casicus, sometimes called montanus, a kind with pretty serrated leaves and large pink flowers, with dark blotches at the base of the petals, one of the prettiest ; D. asper, distinct, flowers pale ; D. bicolor, a pretty species with large, handsome flowers, but straggling in habit, good for rockery culture; D. orientalis, a handsome shrubby species with rosy fimbriated flowers ; D. discolor, a kind with large handsome flowers with pinkish serrated petals and white and brown spotted throat ; D. arbuscula, a species with large, bright crimson, very pretty, double flowers ; and D. corymbosus, flowers piiik with bluish protruding anthers. — K. Feb. 7, 1885.] THE GARDEN 101 Indoor Garden. THE LAPAGERIAS. The Lapagerias, both red and white, may be grown with equal success in pots or planted out in borders ; the main point is constantly to bear in mind that perfect drainage is indispensable, for, although natives of swampy parts of Chili, where they grow to almost any length supported bj' branches of trees, under cultivation they positively refuse to thrive where there are any signs of stag- nant water. As to soil, some are in favour of all peat ; others deprecate its use and prefer a com- post consisting of a more or less loamy character. With me they do equally well in either peat and sand, or in a mix- ture of these materials with an equal quantity of loam. I am ac- quainted with a L. rosea that does well planted in a wooden box in a small conservatory in London ; it Is essentially a town plant, be- ing accommodating in the ex- treme. This box, the surface of which was planted with hardy greenhouse Ferns, was filled with loam only, with the exception of about 6 inches on the top, which consisted of mixed soil, to suit the requirements of the Ferns. The Lapageria was originally planted in pure, very fibrous loam, and for six years it grew at an extraordi- nary pace, covering the entire roof, and when, some three years ago, through the owner leaving the premises, the plant had to be taken out of its box, the roots in the loam were found to be far more numerous and of greater substance than might have been reasonably expected. The young growths, too, thatstarted up all around the crown were not unlike in appearance those of Giant Asparagus, a fact which goes a long way to prove that, where perfectly drained, fibrous loam free of iron suits all the requirements of Lapagerias. They also succeed in peat alone, providedit is of a fibrous and sandy character ; but if of a comparatively clo.se nature, such as that inwhich Grass has been known to grow freely or that extracted from boggy places, the chances are that not only will the Lapagerias not make luxuriant growth, but that they will not grow at all. Here is a case in point. Our Lapa- gerias, which form an avenue in a perfectly cool house, in which no artificial heat is allowed as long as the temperature does not fall below .S,j°, have their stems or matured growths trained up on either side of a walk, but their young shoots and branches cover a roof overhead, as do those in the annexed illustration, and are al- lowed, when the flowering sea- son begins, to hang loose in all directions. These were planted red and white alternately in a border expressly prepared for them, and which to all ap- pearances, and judging by the quality of the materials used, should have given satisfaction. The peat was put in in a rough state ; it seemed rich in humus, and the coarseness of the silver sand copiously added to it ought to have ensured porosity. Such, however, was not the case, and within six months after planting, which was done in October, the plants, instead of making a whole- some start, as was expected, fell into ill health ; their shining leaves gradually lost their bright appearance and became flabby, and the ends of the shoots showed a particularly disagreeable ten- dency to wither away. At first bad treatment was suggested— too much heat, too great an abundance of water, too little of both, droughts, &c. Still, none of these suggestions seemed satisfactory, as there had previously been some Lipagerias which for many years, and under the same kind of treatment, had been in a most flourishing condition It was decided to look at the roots, when the real cause of the disaster was only too apparent. The peat used for the border although rich in nu- tritious properties, had not been sufficiently seasoned before being used, and the natural consequence was that as the young rootlets, and even the larger roots, came in contact with it they one and all lost their healthy colour and rotted oft'. There was no mistaking the pernicious effects of the closeness of the peat, for now and then we came across roots which had found their way into A houseful of the white Lapageria in the Chad Valley Nursery, Birmingham a handful of sand, and these were perfeclly healthy. It was, therefore, at once decided to re- move the offensive material and substitute some- thing more suitable. Loam of a thoroughly fibrous character not being obtainable and peatfibrous and sandy rather the exception than the rule, attention was naturally directed towards the formation of a compost which would in all probability produce the most satisfactory results. In this case prefe- rence was given to a mixture of two parts fibrous peat, one part fibrous loam, and one of coarse sand, with the addition of charcoal and old mortar or rubble from old buildings ; the latter, tliough not nutritious in themselves, have the power of keeping the whole mass of soil in an open and sweet con- dition. After removing as much of the original soil from the balls of the plants as we thought advisable and right down to the drainage, the compost just named was substituted and the beneficial effects of the change were soon manifest. Within a few weeks the leaves had regained their former brilliancy and stiffness, and quantities of young growths soon shot up through the new ."oil. These growths, however, were not of such good substance as they would have been had they been produced three months earlier by plantu in good health ; but, taking all things into considera- tion, they were really very satisfactory. After being trained in an upright manner during the ensuing season and provided with soft string on which to climb, and which they prefer to wires, they were allowed to bear a small quantity of flowers, which, as most people know, are produced in succession from August to January ; during the following .January more soil was removed from the bed all round the plants, starting from where the mixture was previously used. Being applied in this way, the new soil does not become sour before the roots derive nourishment from it. There being on each side of the walk and about 12 feet from the plants a back wall, which was to be also covered with Lapagerias, it occurred to ns that, instead of making nse for that purjiose of plants already established, it would be much more economical to use layers from the original plants, which was done ; two of the thin- nest of the long shoots among those of last season's growth were selected and layered, the majority of the shoots barely reaching the wall These two were firmly pegged down all the way along on a bed made of the same mixture as that placed around the plants, but ren- dered more permeable by the addi- tion of a little silver sand. Into this the shoots were buried about 1 :} inches deep, special care being taken to save the leaves and keep at least the upper half of each of them above the surface of the ground, the part of the border in which they were thus layered being kept moist all through the season. In tlie following summer the plants made large as well as numerous growths and flowered profusely, as many as eighteen flowers being found on 6 inches of flowering wood, and wreaths consisting of forty-five and forty-eight flowers each of L. rosea were particularly conspicuous intermingled with the white blossoms of L. a'ba. The layers also gained in strength and began to make a slight show on the walls, producing a small quantity of flowers. Moreover, when the last prepared soil was, as on previous occasions, added to the borderdcwn to the drainage, it was discovered that not only were strong shoots fully the size of one's thumb pre- sent in dozens on one single plant, but in many places the layers too had produced shoots of the same size and substance — that is to say, six or eight times stronger than the wood which had produced them. In most cases there were two, and sometimes three starting from the same point where the layer had rooted. The addi- tional strength thus accidentally produced, as it were, is of the utmost importance to all concerned in the culture of this lovely plant. I may add that these Lapagerias are not planted in a border devoted exclusively to them, as on it are placed plants requiring cool temperature all the year round, the majority of them being Palms, chiefly Chamterops, Corypha, and Phoenix, and Draca^cas of the lineata and indivisa types, all of which during summer receive a great amount of water both at the roots and overhead. In the rdinary course of things these would weigh heavy 102 THE GARDEN [pF.n. 7, 1885. on the roots of the climbers and seriously interfere with their growth ; in order to obviate this an iron grating is set on brickwork in such a way as to leave an open space of about 8 inches between it and the border. The water from the plants thus arranged supplies the climbers, and the surface of the border never becomes dry or caked. Although not strictly necessary, provided in the first instance the border is properly made, yet the practice of giving the plants fresh soil in the way above related is productive of excellent results, as it enables them to lay hold of the good material before the nutritive properties are washed out of it. It has also shown ns that Lapageria growths in a young state must not be interfered with. Some of these have been forced into an upright position, or prematurely brought above ground, so as to enable us to have a more complete control over the ravages of slugs, which are exceedingly fond of them, but always with disastrous results. Freqaent ■ and copious syringings during the summer months keep the foliage in good order. In hot weather, if well syringed overhead two or three times a day, seldom will any insects attack them. Green fly is about the only pest that affects the young growths, and it is easily disposed of by slight fumigations. It is only, I believe, in cases in which they are subjected to too much heat that Lapagerias are infested with either scale, thrips, or mealy bug, and when in that state nothing has a more wretched or repulsive appearance than they have ; while if kept cool and moist, flowers are produced in abundance, even in smoky places, although in such positions it would be unreasonable to expect the brightness to be found in blooms produced in a clearer and purer atmosphere. If, however, leaf insects can be warded off by means of cool and moist treatment, the same unfortunately cannot be said in reference to slugs and woodlice, both of which are extremely fond of the young shoots ; indeed, they often eat them while still under- ground. The best preventive is a zinc collar or a zinc tube from i inches to 6 inches long put over each shoot as it makes its appearance through the ground ; zinc is a metal to which snails and slugs have the greatest possible aversion ; hence its value for this purpose. The most effectual way of trapping both slugs and woodlice is placing here and there a pinch of new bran, in which most of them can be caught and destroyed at night. With the exception of full south, all aspects suit Lapa- gerias, provided they are sufficiently shaded during the summer months and the atmosphere at all times kept moist, but preference must be given to a house with a north or north-eastern aspect. Thus situated, they require no shading whatever, and their flowering season is extended some weeks longer than it otherwise would be. Pkunisg is to a certain extent beneficial to Lapagerias, so far as the old flowering wood or superlluons growths are concerned, but great care must be taken in using the knife to do so with discretion, and not be tempted into a free use of it about the lower part of the plant ; indeed, it is nothing uncommon to find shoots, which at their base are thin and wiry, with a sort of worn-out appearance, develop when a few feet higher into branching stems of good substance. These it would be unwise to cut off, as so doing would seriously damage the future crop of flowers. In one instance in particular do these plants derive real benefit from pruning, viz , when strong shoots, still soft in texture, but having already some per- fectly developed leaves, have their extremities cut off. This should not, however, be done later than the middle of June, after which time it is best to leave them alone. Several here were treated in that manner by way of experiment, and in all cases the practice proved satisfactory. These pruned shoots produced each from three to eleven laterals of a size equal to their own, and which had ample time to develop and ripen sufficiently to withstand the following winter. Propagation. — Lapagerias, especially L. rosea, may easily be propagated from seeds, but there is no dependence whatever in the forms obtained by Buch means, as the variations in size as well as in shape and colour are very great. They are also Bometim'js increased by cuttings made of pieces of wood furnished with from six to ten leaves, but increasing them in this way is a very slow pro- cess ; in the case of varieties it may be found pro- fitable to have them layered, thus securing young plants possessing exactly the same characters as those of their parents. This last mode of propa- gation is the one generally adopted in the case of L. alba, the seedlings of which very seldom if ever reproduce the pure white flowers of the seed- bearing plants, even when no red form whatever is allowed to grow in proximity to it. Than the Lapageria, few plants have been subjected to cul- tivation so long without producing some really striking variations at the hands of the hybridiser. True, we have the Nash Court variety with flowers finer both in colour and size than those of any other known form ; also the Fisher-Holmes variety with large, well shaped, and richly coloured flowers, but these are merely accidental seedlings. Now and then we also hear of double forms crop- ping up, though they all seem to lack constancy. Such variations are, however, well worth noticing and watching closely. They are " straws which, though in themselves not very valuable, show which way the wind blows.'' S. G. CYCLAMENS AND CHINESE PKIMULAS. Op these there is now a magnificent display in Messrs. Sutton's houses at Reading. Of Cyclamens, not only is" the variety great and the flowers the same, but the plants are models of good cultiva- tion ; there are plants here in C-inch pots with fifty leaves and 200 flowers, and that, too, from bulbs raised from seeds that were not sown till November, 1883. The leaves of the giganteum section range from 3 inches to 5 inches across, and are stout in proportion and most beautifully marbled or variegated ; the petals of several flowers which I measured exceeded 2 inches in length and half an inch in width. A variety named AVhite Butterfly, standing out conspicu- ously amongst the others, had the broadest petals. It is of the purest white, good in form and sub- stance, sweet scented, compact in habit, and handsomely marbled in the foliage. This and the kind called Reading Gem — which may be said to be the counterpart of the former in every particular, except that the base of the flower is rosy purple— are to my mind the two best varieties yet in commerce. Other extra good varieties noted were persicum rcseum album, p. purpureum, p. rubrum, and p. Phrenix, the last named being a brilliant self- coloured crimson, an excellent companion to the pure white kind of the same section. The best kinds in the giganteum section are roseum super- bum and roseum album. The housef al of what are termed mixed hybrids, that is, sorts of which no pedigree has been kept as to crosses with other varieties, is as grand a sight as are the groups of named kinds ; there is not an inferior flower amongst them, and why should there be ? Surely amongst such a wealth of perfection the throwing away of a few scores of inferior kinds must be a small matter, and each year in which such weed- ing occurs must reduce the percentage that needs to be thrown away as worthless. Pkimulas are cultivated with the same skill as Cyclamens, and they attain an equal degree of perfection. Amongst them, the most striking novelty is a semi-double variety, the colour of which is a rich rosy crimson ; in habit the plant is compact and the flowers are thrown well up above the deeply serrated foliage. The best of the single varieties are the following, viz. : Gipsy Queen, with deep brown foliage and white flowers suffused with light red dots, a most unique variety. Pearl, pure white, with flowers of great size ; habit of growth sturdy and spikes of flower long — standing up, indeed, quite clear of the foliage, a desirable quality in Primulas. Reading Blue is another very fine kind, but, like other so-called blue varie- ties, scarcely true to its designation : I should describe it as deep lavender, but for all that it is the nearest approach to blue that I have' yet seen. The flowers are very large (2 inches across), and the habit of growth all that can be desired. Reading Scarlet possesses the same excellencies, but the flowers are more crimson than scarlet. Reading Pink, Ruby King, Rosy Queen, and Snowdrift are all true to their designations and about of equal merit in every other respect. Many other kinds, too, are equally worthy of mention. Begonias, Calceolarias, and Cinerarias are grown here in numbers as large and to the same degree of perfection as are the Primulas and Cyclamens. Cinerarias are just beginning to make a show, and the Cabbage-like foliage of the Cal- ceolarias, which at present fill several pits, bespeak the treat there is in store for lovers of this flower a couple of months hence. 11. W. PROPAGATING ALTERNANTHERAS. These plants are required in such large numbers where carpet bedding is extensively carried out, that they take up considerable time and space in the spring to get them large enough to be scrrice- able. I have learned, however, from experience that there is not any great gain by beginning to propagate too early ; where there is a sntficient number of stock plants, the middle of March is soon enough to begin that part of the work. Through want of sufficient time and suitable space most of us have to resort to the use of hotbeds and frames in which to raise our stock of plants, and as regards the labour and size of the plants obtained by this system, it is undoubtedly the best that could be devised. One has only to make up a hotbed and dibble in the cuttings and most of the labour is done. I am, however, satisfied that plants raised in this way are not the best ; in fact, in point of colour they are vastly inferior to those raised in a house. IE I could devote time and space I would raise all my plants in a propagating pit heated by hot water, and each plant should be potted singly in 2.^-inch pots, and grown in a close warm house until the end of the third week in May, when I would harden them off in cold frames. By that course of culture I should obtain short-jointed, sturdy plants with sufficient colour in the leaves to make a strong contrast at once ; moreover, the plants would turn out of the pots without experiencing any serious check and would at once take kindly to the soil ; whereas plants lifted from a bed of soil require more careful planting and more attention to get them esta- blished, and they are fully a month longer in ac- quiring their proper colour. I am aware of the fact that plants raised on hotbeds are larger than such as are raised otherwise and cover more space when planted out, a consideration, I acknowledge, of some moment ; but if we want to obtain the earliest results, no one of experience can say that pot-grown plants are not the best. As, however, but few can spare the time and space to grow plants in pots, I would advise all who may be obliged to adopt the planting-out system not to be in too great a hurry to get their plants rooted. If the bed is made, as I have said, about the third week in March and the soil put in a week later after the heat has risen in it, the cuttings will be in good time if dibbled in in the first week in April. In raising a stock of this plant plenty of heat and atmospheric moisture are needed. Alter- nantheras revel in a temperature of from 8.")^ to 95° if there is a corresponding amount of humidity surrounding them. J. C. C. FREESIAS AT BLACKHEATH, CLONTARF. The perfect culture of these charming plants is an object of such interest, and, I may add, of such difficulty of attainment in many cases, that I may be pardoned for saying a few words in addition to Mr. Poe's remarks (p. 38) on the re- markable spike submitted by him to The Gar- den from Blaokheath, Clontarf, near Dublin, the residence of Mr. Gibson Black. Mr. Poe told how the plants were potted early, started in the brisk bottom heat of a propagating house, and removed into a light and airy house kept at an intermediate temperature. AVben first I saw them there they had very strong foliage, and I told my sister (Mrs. Gibson Black) that she would have nothing but leaves, as such warm treatment was condemned Fed. 7 U 35] THE GARDEN 103 by the authorities. Fo y^ver, she was agreeably disappointed by their tbrowiog up such noble spikes of bloom as Sir. Poii describes. But what I wish especially to mention now are two details of culture which, I fancy, had a good deal to do with the success. First, they were well supplied with liquid manure last year as well as this ; and second, only six roots were placed in a 6-inch pot. Let growers, then, note that spikes of Free- sia refracta alba 2 feet in height and laden with dozens of perfect blooms were produced by warm treatment, manure water, and pot room. Frederick Ttmons. HOTA CUUINGIANA. This is somewhat distinct in habit from the majo- rity of cultivated Hojas, being stilT and erect rather than climbing, as most of the Hoyas are. It forms a bush — indeed something similar to what i^ seen in the allied Cyrtoceras reflexnm. The flowers, too, are not unlike those of the Cyrtoceras, but the colours are different, as in the Hoja they are yellowish green, with a brown coronet. It is a native of the Philippines, and was introduced by Messrs. Veitch about thirty years ago. The an- nexed woodcut shows the flowers and leaves of this and small hairy narrow leaves and pretty umbels of whitish flowers. All the Hoyas require a stove temperature, a well drained peaty soil, and plenty of water when growing, with a short period of rest in wintsr. B. FLOWERS FOR EASTER. White flowers being mostly required at Easter, it may be useful to name a few plants that are available at that season. Dentzia gracilis is one of the best. If plants of it are first raised from cuttings, it will take three or four years to get them large enough to be efiective. The half- ripened shoots will strike freely in sandy soil, and root quickly with the aid of bottom-heat, but during summer they will form roots in about six weeks in a cold frame if carefully looked after. As soon as rooted let them be potted singly in 3-inch pots, in which they should remain with the protection of a cold pit or frame until the following spring. While resting in winter, a piece of ground on a warm sunny border should be prepared. There should be a depth of 12 inches of good soil, and below that it should be well broken up. About the middle of April the plants may be put out. Turn them out of their pots and shake ofl: plant. Its distinctness io habit is perhaps the only rscommendation it has when compared with other Hoyas, of which there are many beautifully flowered kinds, though from some cause or other they are not much cultivated. The best known are H. carnosa, which, despite its commonness, is still one of the finest stove climbers we possess. It grows in almost any position where warmth, moisture, and a little light are afllorded it, cling- ing by means of its stem-roots to a damp wall as Ivy does, and never failing to produce com- pact, even-formed umbels of flesh-coloured, waxy, glistening flowers. H. bella is perhaps the nest best kind, a really lovely little plant when seen in health and bearing in goodly numbers its drooping umbels of sweet-scented flowers almost pure white, with a deep purple corona, resembling, as has been somewhere stated, an amethyst set in frosted silver. It may be cultivated either in a basket, allowing its lax stems to hang over the sides, so that when in flower its beauty is seen to advan- tage, or in pots and trained on a trellis. Peat and sand seem to be the most suitable mixture for this little plant. H. Paxtoni only differs from H. bella in having pointed instead of blunt-tipped leaves. II. imperialis is a strong growing species with large oblong leathery leaves and umbels of large purplish sweet-scented flowers with a yellow eye. H. stenophylli is of recent introduction, and is characterised by having thin drooping stems all the soil, so as to be able to disentangle the roots; then plant them out 15 inches apart each way. The first summer they may require water at the roots in dry weather to enable the latter to get a good hold of the soil, but after that they will, as regards moisture, take care of themselves. The only attention they will require after that is to cut the young shoots down every winter to within an inch of the last year's growth, and this operation must be repeated until the plants are thought to be large enough. There will be sure to be plenty of roots, but it is branches which are wanted. A well-furnished plant ought to consist of from sixteen to twenty-four young .shoots of one year's growth, and there is no difliculty in obtaining them under the planting-out system. These should range from 9 inches to 1.5 inches high ; then, when the plant is taken up and potted in a G-inch pot, it will be capable of producing a fine show of flowers. A relay of plants will be necessary in order to work out this system, as the same plants will not bear forcing every year. It will be understood that these directions are intended for plants in pots, suitable for church decoration and similar purposes. For furnishing cut flowers larger plants are desirable, but how much forcing they will want to bring them into flower will depend on whether Easter is early or late. At any rate, a temperature very little above that of an ordinary greenhouse will at all times be suflicient to bring them forward for this purpose. The flowers of the lovely Eucharis amazonica are always valuable at Easter time, and, given plenty of room, a suitable temperature, and a sufficient number of plants, there is no more diSiculty in getting them in flower at Easter than any other time. Beginners are recommended to start with plants that have flowered during August or Sep- tember, as in that case there is time to grow them on briskly before dull days set in. Ten weeks in a temperature ranging from 70° at night to 8."j° during the day by fire-heat, and 10° higher by sun- heat from September 1 to nearly the end of November, will enable them to develop good flowering bulbs for the spring, when the tempera- ture both at night and day should be reduced l.'j° in a gradual manner, and in that temperature they should be rested. The soil about the roots should be kept rather dry than wet for a period of six or eight weeks, according to the time at which they are wanted into flower. It is quite safe to reckon that they will require a month in a higher tem- perature to bring thom into bloom, and if they should be a week too early it is easy to retard them by removing them to a cooler house. If re- potted once in two years that is often enough, and the most suitable soil is three parts fibrous loam and one of peat. Always bear in mind that the more heat they are subjected to the more water they will need. Where plants in pots are required, white- flowered Azaleas are indispensable ; of these the semi-double forms are most valuable, especially such varieties as Borsig and narcissiflora ; they bloom freely, and the flowers are of the purest white. Fielder's White and the old white (indica alba) are single-flowered varieties. Any of these grown in 6-inch pots are most useful, both for church decoration and for rooms. Spiraea japonioa deserves prominent notice ; it is easily grown, and very effective even in small pots. The best way in which to obtain plants suitable for 6-inch pots is to divide a few old stools early in spring. The pieces need not be large ; if there are three or four crowns to each, they will be large enough. These pieces should be planted out in a rich piece of ground before they begin to grow, and in diy weather must have an abundance of root moisture, for all the herbaceous Spiraeas are moisture-loving subjects ; indeed, without it, this one in particular would not make satisfactory growth. One sum- mer's growth will be suflicient to produce plants suitable for 6-inch pots. They may be taken up at any time between the middle of November and the end of the year, and after they are potted, place them in a cold frame until wanted. A month or six weeks in a temperature of 60° will be required to bring them into flower, according to the date on which they are wanted. Spirsea Thunbergi is a hard-wooded species, which re- sponds freely to artificial heat, and will be found valuable in a cut state. It produces numbers of umbels of white flowers on long arching branches, which may be effectively used for vases, in which, judiciously arranged, they look well. It is a plant of easy culture, but to grow it with as little trouble as possible two sets of plants are necessary, and then all the preparatory details may be carried on in the open ground, as one set of plants will be in a condition for forcing every other year. When Easter comes late, this Spiraea will come on in an ordinary greenhouse ; at other times a very little forcing will sufiice to bring it into flower. The Guelder Rose (Viburnum Opulus) is an admirable subject for our purpose, as its large balls of white flowers are very striking mixed with other sub- jects. As in other cases, two sets of plants are necessary, and it is indispensable that they be well established in pots. Indeed, the best results are obtained when the plants are regularly cultivated in pots, as no reliance can be placed upon plants recently lifted from the open ground and potttd to furnish a sufficient number of flowers to be of any value ; besides, well-established plants pro- duce much larger and better formed flowers than would otherwise be the case. This plant requires more heat and a longer time to bring it into flower than some others. It is quite safe to allow it seven or eight weeks in the forcitg house j if 104 THE GARDEN [Feb. 7, 1885. there are signs of its being too early, it will keep fresh and bright for a fortnight in a cool house. While making growth keep it in a cool, airy house and sapply it liberally with liquid manure, as the stronger the wood the larger and more numerous the flowers will be. Lilies of the Valley, when required in large quantities, should have a brick pit devoted to them, in which convenience is afforded for giving them a little extra warmth if required. In this case the routine must be of a permanent charac- ter. A bed of soil should be placed in the pit and care taken that after it is put in it does not sink down too far from the glass, or the leaves and flower-stems will be drawn up weak. The surface of the bed ought not to be more than 10 inches or 12 inches from the glass. The soil should consist of good loam chiefly, with a little rotten manure to give the roots a little stimulus. Good strong pieces the size of a man's hand, with several crowns to each, are the right sort of plants to select. These should be planted some time in February and well attended to afterwards in the way of watering and air-giving; indeed, every effort should be made to get them established quickly. Early in June the lights may be taken off altogether until winter. They may be expected to furnish a fair supply of flowers the first year, but more the second and third. With rich surface dressings and frequent supplies of liquid manure during summer, a bed once well made will last for several years. Owing to the movable character of Easter, it is not possible to give precise instructions as to whether or not they will require any forcing to bring them into flower at a gi%'en date. When Easter is late and the season favourable they will come on without any forcing ; the rest must be left to the judgment of the cultivator. Magnolia conspicua is perhaps the most useful of all hardy plants for this purpose, as when trained to a wall it invariably furnishes a supply of its bold and lovely white flowers at that time. Except in very early springs, bush trees of it do not open their flowers soon enough. The only drawback to its use is that its flowers expand before its leaves ; but it is an easy matter to substitute other leaves for those tliat belong to it, and, if leaves cannot be obtained from the evergreen variety, those of the Rhododendron will answer the purpose very well. Where bold masses of flowers are wanted, some of the hardy Rhododendrons may Ve taken up and placed in pots. A very little forcing will be sufficient to bring them into flower, and it is not at all difficult to meet with medium-sized plants haTing a sufficient number of flower buds that only require a little artificial warmth to in- duce them to expand. The best white-flowered varieties are Exquisite, Minnie, The Queen, and Nivaticum. These with their ample foliage closely set under the flower truss do good service Where large, bold flowers are required for vases, &o , Arum Lilies are indispensable. Two of the spathes and three or four medium-sized leaves inserted in pots of moist sand will be found to be useful where larger growing plants would be too large. The stem in this case and leaves may be from 9 inches to 12 inches above the pot, and if the sand is pretty moist they will keep fresh from twelve to twenty-four hours, unless exposed to very dry, heated air. These plant;s are best grown in trenches out of doors in summer, with some manure put in the bottom. A large plant or two divided into single pieces and planted in the trenches early in June and kept well watered will make fine plants by autumn, when they may be taken up and potted. In a general way these plants will come into flower early enough if grown in a cool greenhouse. Besides the above there are white Hyacinths and Tulips that may be freely used where plants in small pots are required. — Field. crossing the single scarlet-flowered Bouvardia lei- antha with the double white-flowered variety Alfred Neuner— the result of the cross having been (if one may form an opinion from a coloured lithograph of these novelties just received from Nancy) a trio of beautiful varieties with the fully double flowers of the last named parent conside- rably increased in size, and the fine colour of the other parent intensified in depth and brilliancy of hue. The three varieties are named Triomphe de Nancy, with apparently the largest flower bunches; Sang Lorrain, the deepest coloured ; and V. Le- moine, the most double flowered. They will be distributed by the raiser to his customers in the course of next March. — W. E. G. Eucharisgrand.iflora(amazonica). — What- ever may be the verdict of f cngologists as to the nature of the Eucharis disease, there can be no question as to what its cause is. It is only in establishments in which a severe system of culti- vation is adopted that this disease makes its appearance, the " severe " treatment consisting of excessive forcing and feeding with a view to better the crop of flowers. Where the plants are subjected to what may be termed ordinary treat- ment, Eucharis disease never or very rarely makes its appearance ; moreover, so far as a comparison of results goes to proves anything, the ordinary rnjimi'n is quite as satisfactory as regards the yield of flowers as one more severe, and that, too, without the risk of disease. As an instance of this we might point to the management of the Eucharis at Kew. Here the plants are potted every two or three years, watered regularly all the year round, and never removed from a stove tem- perature. AH of them flower twice or thrice a year, and flower well. A little liquid manure is given as soon as the flower-scapes appear. There is a plant of E. grandiflora in the "f range which is now bearing eleven flower-scapes with from six to eight flowers on each, and about seventy healthy leaves, and all this from bulbs planted in a 10-inch pot. We believe this is the third time this specimen has flowered in thirteen months. Planted out in the beds in the Palm house and left pretty much to themselves, the bulbs of this Eucharis do not suffer either from shade or the often excessive waterings which are required by the Palms, under whose shade the Eucharis grows. We are told that the Eucharis disease has never been seen amongst the Kew plants, and it would appear from this tha'. the cause of such disease is to be found in the "hard driving" practised by some growers. There can be no question that for some plants at least attempts to make them do more than Nature made them to do generally re- sults in their injury. — B. New double Bouvardias. — Three new and apparently very bright and beautiful double- flowered hybrids of these most free-blooming easily-cultivated, and early -flowering greenhouse plants have been obtained by the well-known French florist, M. Victor Lemoine, of Nancy, by \ both GARDEX TOPICS. British Apples. — I see the quidnuncs are determined to evolve a controversy on "geology" out of Mr. Barron's book, which reveals, as far as it goes, how little the " formations" have got to do with Apple culture. For example, here are some observations and " exhibitors' remarks " tabulated by Mr. P.arron ; " Fruit of fair quality ; some examples very fine; situation, a high level well exposed ; soil good, clayey to a great depth.'' — " Fruit of fair size " ; some examples " wonder- fully fine, grown in sheltered orchards ; soil, a sandy loam, on the upper grecnsand. ' — "Very large and beautifully coloured examples ; situation exposed ; soil partly loam, marl, and red pebbly pinnock." — Samples "of fine handsome appear- ance ; soil a brick loam ; subsoil blue clay." — ' Examples large, clean, and well grown ; soil, loam on gravel." — "A remarkably fine collection : soil, light loam on sandy subsoil." — " Examples very well grown"; some sorts " specially fine"; soil "strong with a clay subsoil.'' — " A very in- structive contribution, containing many fine old standard Apples of the country ; soil, a clay, both soil and subsoil in all cases. " — " An extremely inte- resting collection; soil, alluvium on blue lias marl beds "—and so on throughout the book, showing good and bad examples from all sorts of soils and from all " formations," whether " igneous " or " sedimentary,'' or, to be more specific and scientific, volcanic, trappean, granitic, aqueous, aerial, chemical, or organic. In short, P.ritish Apples have not left the geological fad- dists a leg to stand upon, but tell the Apple grower that if he will only insure good culture, geology is the very last subject he need trouble his head about. The idea of complaining of the report because it did not introduce such subjects as Miller's " Pterichthys Milleri, " the Java earth- quake, and other " pomological ' topics of the same sort indicates critical acumen of an exalted order. Cottage gardening in the north.— "J. G," Gosport, says (p. Co) that "clergymen from northern and manufacturing districts who come to the Isle of Wight bewail the backward condition of floriculture among their parishioners as compared with what they find associated with the humblest cottage in the south." I daresay clergymen whose charges lie among the crowded streets and alleys of " manufacturing " towns will discern some difference in the floral treasures ot the gardens of the two places ; but how anyone could think of comparing the garden of the "humble cottage" in the Isle of Wight with gar- dens in the north under such circumstances, and to the disadvantage of their cultivators, beats ones comprehension. It is not true, however — far from it — that the southern cottager beats the labourer and artisan of the north. In and around every large town and village in the midlands and north of England— even in the most thickly populated colliery districts— the cottage gardening — floral, vegetable, or fruit — is of the highest order to be met with anywhere, and the fact has been testified to at shows and elsewhere a hundred times. Double ■white Primulas.- It is a fact known to the growers of these pretty greenhouse plants that their propagation is the most ticklish part of their culture. No doubt there is a right and a wrong way of going to work, but under any circumstances great care is necessary. One gar- dener, in a "single-handed place,' is the most expert hand at the task we know of. First, he does not permit the plants to exhaust themselves too much in flowering ; next, he trims the bottom leaves off the shoots to be detached and allows the wounds to heal ; then he takes off the cuttings and dries the wounds ; and, lastly, pots them singly in small pots and plunges them in that dependable old ally of the thrifty gardener from time im- memorial— a manure frame. He had the best stock lately of some of the most tender varieties, when the expert propagator at a large nursery had to lament the loss of nearly the whole of his " set " which he had from the raiser. Another propaga- tor we know succeeds well also by trimming away the lower leaves and encouraging the offsets to root into Moss placed at their base, detaching them afterwards. The Eucharis disease. — Is this a fiction ? or is there really a disease of the destructive nature we have heard of lately 1 We have a houseful of fine plants that we have grown constantly in a warm stove for twenty years, and our predecessor grew the plants from which our stock is derived in the same manner before that time, and as yet the plants have escaped the disease, but several visitors have cautioned us to beware of it, and de- scribe it as malignant in its effects. We have seen plenty of unhealthy plants in the past exhi- biting symptoms such as we have read of lately, but the appearances were not new, and were attri- butable to bad culture. I fear " the disease" is not new. There is such a diversity of practice in theculture of the Enchaiis, that we need not be surprised at hearing ot disease. The worst speci- mens we have seen have been plants grown on the " cool " resting system. Plants grown in a mode- rate stove temperature in good loam, pots well drained, and not subjected to a higher bottom heat than the mean temperature ot the air of the house, never fail to grow well and flower, as regularly as the Daffodil, in autumn— a few stray flowers con- tinuing to appear here and there throughout the year. It is now about time to pot the bulbs, and the best Feb. 7. 1885.] THE GARDEN 105 should be selected and potted together, according to the size of the specimen wanted ; but annual potting is ntither necessary nor desirable, as esta- blished bulbs always bloom best. Weak or dis- eased bulbs will not, however, quite recover in one season. J. S. W. Kitchen Garden. MUSHROOM FAILURES. Mushroom culture, though generally interest- ing and pleasurable, is not unfrequently a source oC much anxiety to those engaged in it. Failures will occur, and that, too, at a time when perhaps Mushrooms are in great request ; but why they should occur appears inexplicable, seeing that there has been no apparent devial ion from the usual successful routine. Tlie manure is sometimes con- sidered at fault ; in others the spawn is condemned ; and doubtless rightly so at times in both cases. The quality of the manure obtained from stables where many Carrots are regularly given to the horses is generally admitted to be inferior or un- suited for making into Mushroom beds, neither do experienced growers care to use manure when the horses are in ill health. Personally, I have never had good cause to complain of ill effects the walls and floors becoming too dry, or at the most twice a week is quite often enough to damp them. A high temperature with or without much moisture is most injurious, and should therefore be carefully guarded against. In order to further lessen the need of syringing so frequently, and also to better preserve the heat of the beds, it is a good plan to cover them closely with shutters, or directly after they are spawned and soiled with dry loose hay. The latter we use, and nothing could answer better. Cold draughts should also be carefully guarded against, this, in fact, being more necessary than the exclusion of light. When the beds are becoming rather dry we at once heavily syringe them with warm water sufficiently to moisten tliem again, the bay being carefully returned and always kept dry. One person only should have anything to do with the beds after they are once formed, and he should also gather the Mushrooms, as he best knows where to find them every day without upsetting all the litter. Other causes of failure I shall touch upon are, I believe, much less frequent, but are yet of sufficient importance to merit discussion. The old custom of spreading the droppings thinly in an open shed, in order to thoroughly dry them prior to the formation of the bed, is still persisted in by some, the droppings becoming so dry and hard Section of oren air Mushroom bed. attending the latter occurrence, as it rarely hap- pens that all the horses are under medical treat- ment, and I believe that when the manure is pro- perly fermented and prepared, much or all that might provenosiousisevaporated. Where all or the majority of the horses are being fed on Carrots the droppings are not sufficiently cohesive and durable, and though this may be obviated somewhat by re- taining a considerable quantity of short, strawy litter with the manure, a profitable crop of Blush- rooms cannot reasonably be anticipated. There, are, however, other causes of failure, and as I have been responsible for a few, my experience should prove instructive. According to my experience, more beds are spoilt from over-anxiety to succeed than from any other cause. Those in charge of the Mushroom house — this seldom being the head gardener, and who is unaware of all that is done — are frequently in the habit of doing toe much, and especially with the syringe. One or more cans of water are daily distributed over the beds and about the house, and occasionally one of the beds that ought to be in full bearing gets an extra dose. When the manure retains its heat, little or no harm, perhaps, is done, but should it have be- come comparatively cold there is no evapora- tion going on, and the soil gradually becomes cold and much too moist, the result being the destruction of both the spawn and embryo Mush- rooms. The latter may, perhaps, attain the size of a marble, then become soft and brown, to the no small consternation of those in charge. In the ma- jority of cases I am confident there is no necessity for these daily syringings. A dry heat would certainly be Injurious, but if the fire-heat is kept, as it ought to be after the first bed is in bearing, at about 55°, or even less, there is little danger of as to remain intact even after the beds are broken up. Manure prepared in this manner contains sufficient moisture to generate heat, and it may be taken possession of by the spawn, but the crop of Mushrooms is certain to be poor, both as regards quantity and quality. The proper way to prepare the manure was recently well described in the pages of The Garden, but will, I think, bear repetition. It should be collected daily or as fre- quently as possible, and not allowed to remain in the heap of litter, where it is liable to be much injured, or perhaps spoilt, in a very short time from over-heating. It should be stored rather thinly in an open shed, and when sufficient is collected to form a bed it should all be thrown into a heap. Directly it is found to be very hot, and before the centre has heated dry, the heap should be turned inside out. This should be repeated three or four times, and in this manner the whole will be sweetened and yet be fairly moist. Thus pre- pared, the beds when well rammed down need not be more than 9 inches deep in front and 12 inches at the back ; but with inferior or dry and partially exhausted manure, which some growers have unavoidably to deal with, I would increase the depth of the beds by at least another 3 inches. The aim should be to secure a good, lasting, but not violent heat, and without which the crop will either be a failure or a very thin one. Where inferior or badly prepared mate- rials are used the heat of the bed is apt to decline to below (50° before the mycelium has taken pos- session of the beds, and whenever this happens with us we form a hotbed where practicable, with rough stable manure directly under it, and this is renewed when necessary. We also adopt this plan when we are anxious to hasten a crop, and it never fails, neither does it injure other beds in the same house. For the past month we have been gathering Mushrooms daily from a bed thus treated, and which without such attention would doubtless have been a failure. We spawn our beds directly the heat has declined to about 80° and usually mould over at once, this raising the heat considerably, though not to an injurious extent. The longer the beds retain their heat, provided they do not become dry, the better will be the crop and quality of the Mushrooms. When the beds are formed before the manure has been pro- perly prepared, or when it is prepared in the open and unavoidably becomes wet and cold, there is sure to be much steam generated directly fermen- tation commences, and in this case unless great care is taken the spawn may easily be spoilt. In my time I have formed, according to orders, several beds with moist manure, and the spawning being also carried out at the stated time and in the usual manner, failures were the rule. Now, if I found much steam abounded, the manure would either be again formed into a heap till some of it had evaporated, or holes would be dibbled over the bed, and this would allow much of it to escape, spawning being deferred for about a week. Spawning and soiling the beds are two de- tails, the carrying out of which materially affects the value of the crops. Many still form the holes for the pieces of spawn with dibbles, or at any rate if they are not used, the change has been ef- fected within the past six years. With tolerably dry manure no harm may accrue, but when much steam is given off these very holes, and which the sjjawn stops, but does not fill, are naturally out- lets for the steam, this proving most destructive to the spawn. We find it the safest plan to make shallow holes either with the hands or with a trowel, and use lumps of spawn about 2 inches square, disposing them about 5 inches apart each way. From such pieces of spawn we obtain fine clusters of Mushrooms, frequently ranging from a dozen large ones to double that number of smaller ones. Larger pieces of spawn produce too many Mushrooms, one piece 4 inches square and put in by way of experiment having just resulted in the production of a cluster of fifty but- tons. More also depends upon the nature of the soil used for surfacing the beds than many are aware of. At one time we were obliged to use poor clayey loam, but lately we have been fortunate in procuring much lighter and better soil, and we, in consequence, have been much more successful with our Mushrooms. What suits Cucumbers also suits Mushrooms, but good Melon soil is usually too poor and heavy. Where possible, it should be procured from high and naturally well-drained pasture land, and either taken from immediately below the thinly pared turf and used at once, or the turf itself be cut and stacked for several months in common with the potting soil. When used it should be broken up finely, be kept fairly dry, and placed in the Mushroom house if very cold in order to warm it somewhat. We prefer to use a good thickness of it, or not less than 2 inches when beaten down, and never water the surface, as it is beaten in order to make it lun together, as I consider this practice both unne- cessary and injurious. Neither do I approve of waiting a week or more after spawning before we soil the beds, but prefer to do it directly after spawning, and thus avoid any disturbance to the bed and the interruption of the spread of the spawn. It should be borne in mind that the spawn takes possession of the soil and a good thickness of it being less liable to become in- juriously dry, also insures the production of larger Mushrooms. W. I. M. OUTDOOR MUSHROOM BEDS. In gardens where there is not the convenience of a Mushroom house it sometimes becomes necessary to obtain a supply of this favourite esculent from beds of manure in the open air. As usually con- structed, these beds are ridge-shaped, and are covered with straw or loose litter, but our engrav- ing shows a simple plan of making up Mushroom beds in the open air by the aid of old doors or 106 THE GARDEN [Feb. 7. 1885. Bhutters. The sides and ends oE the bed are boarded np as here shown, and after the spawn is introduced the top is closed in with shutters or boards, and the whole is covered up with straw in the usual way. The beds may of course be of any convenient size, and by removing the boards at the top the progress of the crop can be readily exa- mined. Even an intelligent cottager might add to his income by growing Mushrooms in the way here indicated, and a plan so simple and econo- mical might prove serviceable also in gardens of greater pretensions. F. W. B. THE MOST PKOFITABLE TEAS. Allow us to put " W. I. M.' right in one or two matters respecting our Peas. Is he aware of the height that such Peas as Prizetaker, Hundredfold, Dickson's Favourite, and half-a-dozen others which we could name attain, and yet are grown very largely by market gardeners for market ? Does he know that the kinds just alluded to grow the same height and in some cases perhaps even higher than Telegraph and Telephone ? Is he aware that the height of a Pea grown in a highly cultivated garden bears no comparison with that of the same Pea grown as an ordinary field crop ? That is to say. Telegraph growing 4 feet or ~i feet high in a richly cultivated garden would in all probability not grow more than half that height as a field crop. If " W. I. M." will remind us during the coming summer we will take him down into Sussex, where he will see acres of Stratagem being grown for the Brighton market, and where people will not have any other variety if they can help it. We can also take him into Yorkshire, where he can see probably a hundred acres of Telegraph in one district. Facts such as these are of greater value than any amount of correspondence that can be brought into the columns of The Garden. We are sorry if we have misinterpreted "W. I. M.'s" intention, but it certainly did appear to us that his remarks — at least their effect — were in the direction we have indicated. In our previous communication we suggested that " W. I. M." might have been unfor- tunate in the supplies which he had obtained of the Peas in question, and as he now says that any seedsman in the country may supply them, it is just possible that he may have been served with the wrong varieties. We cannot admit that the fact of " W. I. M." having grown our new Peas from the date of the introduction of Telegraph is any evidence that he is in a position to condemn them. At any rate he must have been very care- less in his observations up to this date, or surely it could never have required him to have eight years' experience to arrive at the conclusion at which he has reached. If " W. I. M." will come to our trial grounds in the summer time, where one variety of Pea is treated equally with another, we shall be able to show him that our four new Peas can take care of themselves under ordinary cultivation and without the "extra trouble and trenching with turf and manure," or " preparing as for Celery," as he suggests, and we cannot help thinking that " W. I. M." is unfair in this portion of his remarks, because he has omitted to add that the extra cultivation such as he suggests is only resorted to by cultivators who want to produce extra fine specimens for purposes of ex- hibition, and that the same treatment is as neces- sary with any other variety of Pea that he has named as with ours. We have never intended it to be understood that we considered it necessary that all four varieties should be grown ; on the contrary, when we are solicited tor an opinion, we say, " Try the four, and make a selection of those which suit you best. " W. I. M." says " that at first Pride of the Market did very well, but after- wards came down to the level of the rest." We are curious toknow in what year and at what period this downfall took place, because if we are right in our ideas. Pride of the Market is the very latest introduction we have made, and has not jet been produced in .sufficient quantities to have had a fair trial in the hands of market growers generally. It is, however, each year making rapid headway, and until we see a communication from a responsible market salesman condemning this Pea, we shall maintain the high opinion we have always had of it. We had hoped that some market growers would have given your readers the benefit of their ex- perience. We feel sure thaf'W. I. M." will take our remarks in the spirit in which they are in- tended ; we have the utmost confidence in his good faith, recognising that he will be as anxious as ourselves to be put right if he finds that he is wrong.— James Cabteb & Co. " W. I. M." (p. G9) asks me to give him a clearer idea of the space my neighbour devoted to Peas and what he sold and the sum he cleared, but these questions I cannot answer, as no record was kept. Calverwell's large Peas, however, produced such heavy crops and the bid for them was so good, that he determined to make money of them in a green state. The Peas in question were all sold m pecks of 8 lbs. at Is. lOd. per peck to sell again. Day's Sunrise and others named by your correspon- dent only brought lid. per peck. " W. I. M." re- commends Dr. McLean, Marvel, and Gladiator. I have grown them all once, and as they required sticks I shall grow them no more. Dr. McLean is a good cropper and no doubt good for market work, but to me it is abad flavoured Pea. " W.IM.' asks if "A Pea Grower" seriously asserts that the big Peas can grow double the quantity produced by Champion of England and Iluntingdonian. If I said quantity, I will now correct myself and say weight ; either before shelling or after they are shelled, I have no hesitation in saying I can do so. I think " J. C. C." cannot be serious in his remarks (p. (ill) ; if he is, I would advise him to go northward to see Peas grown to perfection. I cannot say that I ever saw I'eas grown in his part of the country that pleased me, and they have been my study for years. Lord Bolton's gardener, Mr. Hall, is a reader of The Garden and, I hear, a great growerofCulverwell's big Peas. I hope, there- fore, that he will give us his experience in regard to them, and also how he grows them. — A Pea Grower. I cannot understand " J. C. C.'s " state- ment that Telephone and Stratagem are not sufiiciently high in quality. If by quality he means flavour, I can assert that Stratagem is the sweetest flavoured Pea I ever tasted, and so says my employer. A neighbour of mine — a market grower — has given up growing Dr. McLean, Cham- pion of England, and other varieties in favour of Telephone and Stratagem, and so convinced was my employer of the superiority of these two latter varieties, that he bought a supply of tliem for his own use, and ordered the other two to be used in the servants' hall. A neighbouring gardener grew Telephone last year for the first time, and his employer, who is a good judge of vegetables, says it is the best flavoured Pea he ever tasted, and he intends growing it largely this season in prefer- ence to such varieties as Veitch's Perfection, British Queen,. and others. He grows Ne Plus Ultra for a late supply. I find that Telephone and Stratagem are j aicy and sweet at an age when other reputed good Peas are quite uneatable. — D. 1). T., Gn-ai Yarmunth. NEW KINDS OF POTATOES. In reference to tlie remarks lately made in The Garden anent new kinds of Potatoes, allow me to say that, knowing something of the work under- taken by the seedling committee of the Interna- tional Potato Show, i can aver that not a kind passes muster, or obtains the highest number of marks, unless it be good at all points and is really a first-class variety. When from some sixty to eighty kinds, all in their raiser's estimation of high merit, after all perhaps not more than half a dozen are awarded certificates of merit, it must not be at all assumed that the few selected prove the me- diocre character of the many. It rather shows that now we have a much higher standard of merit than we had a few years ago ; indeed, many that received a lesser number of marks than the maxi- mum are kinds that not so long since would have been regarded as first-rate. One of the most re- markable facts connected with new kinds of Potatoes is the comparative absence of Americans. Surely if anything were needed to prove how much our home raisers have progressed, it is found in the undoubted fact that England now offers no profitable market for American Potatoes. Let us see what this Seedling Po- tato Committee does. It first directs that before any seedling kind can be entitled to receive a certificate of merit a certain num- ber of tubers must be sent to the Royal Hor- ticultural Gardens at Chiswick and there grown during the summer. Thus the committee at once secures a central place for trial. Potatoes have been grown in large quantities and in myriads of kinds at Chiswick for the past twelve jeais or longer, and there is hardly a kind in commerce that has not been through the Chiswick ordeal. Of course, it does not follow that kinds which have not there done well have been withheld from trade. That could not be helped, but at least it has been possible to give a sort of hall-mark to kiuds that prove to loe truly meiitorious. In pre- vious years the work of testing new kinds of Po- tatoes was performed at Chiswick by members of the trial committee only ; but since the council has given permission to the International Potato show committee to grow their seedling kinds there, the supervision has taken a much more practical form, especially in relation to those seedlings which come under the notice of the latter committee. The earlier stages of the growth of the Potato enable experts to make comparisons as to habit and distinctness, or otherwise the lifting is done twice or thrice as necessity and the habit of the sort may require ; but the marks are awarded, first, for crop as thrown out on to the ground ; second, for average sample, inclusive of form and evenness ; and thirdly, for tuber quality when cooked, such quality to include not only agreeable flavour, but also that dry mealy character without which no Potato can be popular. The Chiswick soil is not the best in the kingdom for the production of high table quality, and, therefore, when any kind cooked as soon as lifted, and often almost ere quite ripe, turns out really first-rate on the table, and has obtained the highest number of marks on the ground, it must be a first- class sort admittedly, let people say what they may. No other Po'atoes, and, farther, no other vegetables, are passed through so trying an ordeal as seedling Potatoes are at Chiswick. Those who have been privileged to share in the labours of testing admit that the work is exceed- ingly interesting ; still farther, they will assert that only those who have had some such trainirg are qualified to pass an authoritative opinion. The home grower or raiser doubtless thinks his produc- tions the best. At Chiswick, perhaps, it is found they are a long way behindhand. White kinds now predominate largely over coloured ones, as these latter have but a limited sale, let their quality be ever so good. In these early cooking trials coloured kinds suffer somewhat because they are seldom ripe enough to have their skins fully removed, and seme little discoloration follows; however, allowance must be made for that. Tliat so many of the new kinds have white skins would seem to show that raisers are ambi- tious to introduce really popular market sorts. On the question of raising disease-resisting kinds it is not now worth while to enter, but it may be stated that no kind which exhibits disease is further tested. On the other hand, the past few years have been so favourable for Potatoes that disease has been rare, and no considerable oppor- tunity has offered itself for observations on that head. Still, it is a matter of belief on the part of those who conduct these trials and adjudicate upon the merits of the seedlings that improved new kinds are now gradually wearing down that which was once thought to be a perpetual .disease. —A. D. I am far from wishing to check the onward movement in any branch of horticulture, and I am as ready as anyone to welcome any real improve- ment effected, especially in the vegetable line, but it does not follow that a few or many interested persons are to be allowed to dictate. Everything soon finds its level, and doubtless we may safely Feb. 7, 1885.] THE GAEDEN 107 leave the matter to the good judgment o£ practical cultivators to discard worthless novelties or doubtful improvements. I hold that more new varieties, or varieties with new names, are being added to the already much too long list of Po- tatoes than to any other sort of vegetable, and if we are to have about eight newly certificated sorts, besides many that do not secure these awards, an- nually added, the confusion will become worse confounded. Many of us might safely grow one- tliird of the catalogued varieties of various vege- tables without much confusion or injury to the regular supply of good vegetables for the table, but what if we attempt to grow one-third of the sorts of Potatoes now to be found in the lists? "A. D." seems very positive that great strides have been made during the past few y< ars in the improvement of Potatoes, but how is it we hear and read of really good cultivators who after having tried sixty or more varieties, in- cluding most of the leading novelties, reducing their lists of sorts worthy of culture to less than six ? That does not say much for the improve- ment effected. Again, of what value are the certi- ficates that are awarded to sorts tried for one year only ? One season they may be ail that is good — heavy cropping, disease-resisting, and good in quality — and yet during a less favourable season tSey may be found utterly wanting in at least the two most important essentials. It is here where the weakness of " A. D.'s " argument is most appa- rent, and he evidently feels that himself, or why does he add that " perhaps the committee are for- tunate in having those to grow Potatoes," meaning the new sorts, "who can do so?" Appai'ently these so-called improvements require special cul- ture to bring out the qualities for which they are to be prized, and that is the true reason why so many of ns fail to appreciate them. — W. I. M. Fruit Garden. CHEERIES. In Kent and the lower parts of Hertfordshire Cheriits are largely grown as standards in or- chards, but in gardens they are generally trained to walls, not so much, perhaps, for the sal^e of shelter as to have them in a position where the fruit can be protected from birds. My intention now, however, is to have something to say about varieties before the season for planting gets further advanced. Talking the earliest first, the one I would recommend is Governor Wood, which is a most prolific kind, and bears medium-sized fruit of a pale yellowish white, suffused with colour on the side next to the sun, the juice, of which this Cherry is full, being very sweet and delicious. The next to ripen after this is the Frogmore Bigar- reau, which is a little larger and brighter than the foregoing, and, like the old Bigarreau, of exquisite flavour. Black Eagle and Knight's Early Black come in quickly after, the first named, being a small kind with very black shining fruit, that is sweet and agreeable, and Knight's is the same in colour, but much larger, and not equal in flavour, as it is more fleshy and less sweet in the juice. To come in after these none are equal to the Elton, which is the most showy and best of all Cherries, as the fruit is large and high coloured and very rich in the flesh. As a black companion to this, ripening at the same time, the Tartarian is the best, the fruit being large and conical and deep blue-black in colour. Although there are many others of the dessert kinds, those mentioned above are the most distinct and desirable, and for cooking, till the Morellos come in, none are equal to the May Duke, which is a prodigious bearer, and the fruit will hang a long time. The Morello is quite indispensable, and is the most serviceable of all Cherries, as it may be used in such a variety of ways, and its season is a prolonged one, as by keeping the trees dry the fruit will remain sound and good till very late in the autumn, and the longer, in reason, it remains, the better it is. To have it to the period referred to, it is necessary to train the trees to a wall or fence, that with a north, north-west, or north-east aspect being the most suitable, and if the young shoots are allowed a little freedom to grow out as breast- wood, much time will be saved in tying them in, and they will bear heavily and keep cleaner and more free from insects through the washing they get. Morello Cherries also do remarkably well grown as dwarf standards or loose espaliers, with the main branches just held to strained wires, which is a good plan of growing them, as they may be protected easily when in flower or fruit- - in the first case, by sticking a few evergreen branches along their sides, and in the latter by dropping nets over the tops. All Morello Cherries require in the way of pruning, when grown loosely, is just an annual thinning out to prevent them becoming too dense, as, unlike the dessert sorts, they must not be spurred, or have the shoots stopped, but left to grow full length. The most favourable situation for the dessert sorts is south-east or south-west, but it is always advisable to have some in different aspects, as when frost comes with wind from one quarter and kills the blossom, it often escapes in the other, and not only that, but a longer succession of fruit is maintained. To keep the spurs close to the wall, which is the only way of taking full advantage of the shelter, the shoots the trees make during the summer should be pinched back about the middle of July, when they will form fruit buds at the base. Although Cherries do fairly well in almost any soil, that of a light sandy nature suits them best, and, therefore, in planting the young trees, they should be started by having a batrow-load or so of sharp turfy loam to each, in which they will root and soon make some fine shoots. These ought to be laid in full length, and not stopped, or shortened at any time till they have filled the allotted sface and met the others trained at their sides. For destroying green or Mack fly on the trees, to which insects they are very subject when the shoots are young and tender, there is nothing so safe as tobacco-water, in which the points may be dipped. S. D. JUDGING GRAPES. "J. C. C." (p. 41) regrets the want of a code of rules furnished by some competent tribunal to guide or assist those who take in hand or who have thrust upon them the judging of Grapes. He also says that " it should always be recollected that Grapes are grown to be eaten, and not to be looked at." With the latter assertion I can hardly quite agree. I think, indeed, that it may not be too much to say that Grapes are generally grown to be looked at as well as to be eaten. A good deal depends upon the outward aspect of many things, and this holds good in the matter of Grapes. A handsome dish of Black Alicante or other showy variety of Grape may be highly ap- preciated upon the dinner or the exhibition table, although their quality or flavour may not be first- rate. As regai'ds a code of rules by which to adjudicate, however desirable that may be in some respects, its application would, I fear, in many cases be found to be difficult, as the judging of the merits of horticultural productions, includ- ing Grapes, will most likely continue to be more or less a matter of taste or opinion. Where the merits of competing productions appear to ap- proach equality, most censors have recourse to the application of what are known as " points," and if the result of this application shows something like equality, the productions are consequently bracketed, or made equal. The following may be regarded as points or properties in such matters : 1, flavour; 2, colour; 3, size of berry; 4, size or weight of bunch; and 5, form of bunch. Where com- peting productions are all of one sort there is gene- rallylessdifficultyincomingtoacorrector just deci- sion than in cases in which the competing exhibits are of various kinds, such as in the case to which " J. C. C' alludes, where such varieties as Alicante, Mrs. Pinoe's Black Muscat, and Black Hamburgh are made to contend for supremacy ; or in the case of white Grapes, where such varieties as Muscat of Alexandria and Buckland Sweetwater are pitted against each other. Let us take the case of the Black Alicante and Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat, and say that each exhibit in accordance with its kind had deserved and obtained each of the five points enumerated, viz., flavour, colour, size of berry, size of bunch, and symmetry or form of bunch ; such a case is not unlikely to occur, and when it does so, to which production ought the judges to award the prize ? Placing the two productions upon their individual merits, irrespective of kinds, however well flavoured the Alicantes might be, they would doubtless^in tliis respect be surpassed by the Mrs. Pince variety ; and with respect to colour, it is possible that they might be upon equality, and if so, it will be admitted that there is more credit due to the colouring of Mrs. Pince than to the colouring of the Alicante variety ; while as regards the three remaining points, viz., size of berry, size of bunch, and the form or shape of bunch, it is not unlikely that the Alicante variety would have the advantage. With regard to white Grapes, it may certainly be said that, other things being equal, no white variety of Grape can successfully compete with the Muscat of Alexandria. So I think it would be very desirable if horticultural societies while framing their schedule of prizes could see their way to the introduction of addi- tional classes as regards Grapes, so that Muscats might only compete with Muscats, Black Ham^ burgh with Black Hamburgh, &c. ; while there could be little objection to such black varieties as the Alicante, Lady Downes, Gros Colman, &c., competing with each other ; and possibly all white sorts, with the exception of Muscats, might do the same. P. G. Sury St. Edmunds. THE BEST APPLES. Taking the concensus of opinion throughout Great Britain, it would appear that King of the Pippins is the best dessert kind, but why it should have dethroned the Eibston I am at a loss to understand, as that has always been considered the standard of perfection, its only fault being that it is liable to spot in the skin and the tree to canker, although it does well and is quite free from those defects in some soils. In cases where the Ribston is found not to succeed, Cox's Orange should be tried, as this variety runs the other very close and is a remarkably free grower and bearer, making a quantity of young wood annually that becomes studded with buds. Another dessert Apple that stands high in popular favour is the Kerry Pippin, which is the very best in its season of ripening, and should always form one even of the most limited number. Blenheim Orange is good at all points, as the fruit is large, rich in colour, handsomely formed, and the tree grows vigorously, making a large spreading head, and when a little age is attained bears fine crops of fruit. If an earlier ripening Apple than Kerry Pippin is needed, which comes in during Septem- ber, either Devonshire Quarrenden or Irish Peach should be chosen, as both are good, but not equal to the one mentioned above. Scarlet Nonpareil is a handsome, high-coloured, fine-flavoured fruit and the tree a good grower, and the same remarks apply to Court Pendu Plat, which invariably takes a place in all or most of the winning collections, and both have the merit of being very excellent keepers. For late work, to ripen after March, none are equal to the Sturmer Pippin, which, though not particularly showy, is of fair size and first-rate in flavour. Those enumerated will be found quite suflftcient for even large places, as it is better to repeat them than to go in for numbers ; but if more are desired, I should say take Claygate Pearmain, Fearn'a Pippin, Herefordshire Pearmain, Worcester Pearmain, and Adam's Pearmain, which are all fine kinds and good. KiTCHEK SORTS. — The first fit for culinary use is Lord Suffield, which is of the Keswick type, but larger and better, as it is a splendid cooker and goes to pulp quickly. Following on the heels of this comes Warner's King, which is also a big weighty Apple, ovate in shape, and when ripe having a skin of a rich yellow colour. To succeed this none are equal to Blenheim Pippin, as, like the Ribston, not only is it first-class for dessert, but it is the best of the culinary kinds, and should 108 THE GARDEN g"[FEii. 7, 1885. be largely planted, as, added to its many qualities, it is a capital keeper and improves by being laid up till the winter. Dumelow's Seedling or Wel- lington is an Apple in liigh favour for market purposes, but the acidity is a little too brisk for some, and yet for all that it is a very desirable variety and most prolific in habit, bearing large pale fruit, a little coloured next the sun, and very solid in texture, the season of ripening being from November to March. More de Menage comes in about the same time, and is a remarkably hand- some large sort, with red skin and darker streaks, the flesh being firm and briskly acid, but not so sharp as the one mentioned above. Alfriston is also a late keeper and a good bearer, the fruit being large and of a light orange shade, with flesh pleasantly mixed with sugar and acid. Beauty of Kent is also a very desirable kind, and so is Bedfordshire Foundling, both being large and first-rate in quality. If more than the above named are required. Cox's Pomona, Waltham Abbey Seedling, New llawthornden. Golden Noble, and Tower of Glamis may be added, but, as re- marked before, it is better to have more of one kind than to plant too many sorts, as they are only a trouble in storing. For growing in exposed places there is nothing like low bushes, which are more out of the wind, and if planted moderately thick they help to shelter each other. In gardens of circumscribed space it is a good plan to grow the trees as espa- liers or cordons trained to strained wires, as then, by having them at the backs of borders or near the margins of walks, they take up but little room and look very neat, besides which they are easy to manage, as they can be got at readily for the summer stopping of the shoots and the gather- ing of the fruit, which, from being so fully ex- posed, colours well and is of good flavour. For trees of the description referred to the Paradise stock is the best, as it has a dwarfing tendency, thus checking the growth and production of wood, which other stocks of a more free nature force. For orchards the Crab is generally preferred, and where the soil is at all stiff and suitable it answers better than seedling Apples, which vary considerably according to the fruit the pips are saved from, but in a general way they make ex- cellent stocks. Bushes, like espaliers, .require summer pinching or stopping, but all that is needed for standards is timely thinning of the branches by taking out all that cross each other, or crowd in such a manner as to make the top thick and shut out the sun. What injures Apple trees more than anything else is the American blight, which is the most fre- quent, if not the entire, cause of canker, and should be eradicated at all costs, the easiest way of getting rid of it being to brush paraffin and water into the affected parts; the penetrating nature of this oil is so great, that it strikes right through the insects and seems to dissolve them. The next injurious parasite to the bug mentioned is Moss, which may be got rid of in a very easy way, as all that is necessary to kill it is to syringe the trees with hot limewash, which quickly destroys all life in the Moss, and after that is dead the two fall off the bark and leave it quite clean. The way to manage is to procure fresh lumps of lime and slake them in a large vessel, adding water sufficient to reduce it to the consis- tence of thin paint, when it should be strained through a fine sieve before using to take out the lumps. Trees of bad kinds or that do not suit the district, or are nnsatisfactory, should be cut back and grafted with known good sorts, the proper time for doing which is in March, and the way to work tliem is to put the scion under the bark, after having made a slit and raised it from the wood by inserting a piece of smooth stick under it shaped like the graft, when this may be pushed into its place without any bruising. The next thing is to tie it securely by running a few strands of matting round, when the whole of the part should be covered with clay and cow manure mixed, and this ought to be bound over with Moss to keep it from cracking and letting air into the graft. With regard to planting, that ia an opera. tion that cannot well be carried out too early, and the sooner young trees are moved, after the fall of the leaf, the better it is for tliem, as when the ground is warm they make root at once and get nice hold before winter sets in. The proverb says " that any tiling that is worth doing at all is wortli doing well," and this applies with strong force to the planting of all trees, as so much depends on the first start they get ; that being so, the holes to receive them should be made large and deep and if possible new soil added, the best for the purpose being fresh maiden loam, a barrowload or so of which will do much for each plant. Many depend on manure, but unless the land is very poor it is not a wise plan to apply it, and it is far safer to use it on the top as a mulching, where it not only does good by enricliing the earth below, but keeps out frost, and by husbanding warmth and moisture encourages root action. The practice of heading young trees back cannot be too strongly con- demned, but though it has been written against time after time it still prevails ; 1 have just seen a lot wretchedly mutilated and have been told of others treated the same. It is said to be done to make them break back, but everyone who has seen a tree ought to know that the buds do not re- quire such persuasive force, as they start ready enough if the planting is right, and the more leaf and top they make the quicker they become es- tablished and bear fruit. S. D. depredators, but frees the bark of the bushes from all Moss, and makes them clean and healthy for the rest of the year. — S. D. Garden Flora. Noire de Montreull Peach.— What " By- fleet '■ has written upon Peach culture at Mon- treuil is by no means the least interesting of a very valuable series of notes. I should like to ask him if Noire de Montreuil is really synonymous with the variety that is commonly grown for Bellegarde. The gardener at Meikleour, in Perth- shire (Mr. Mathieson), has a large tree Sd feet broad under the former name. He states emphati- cally that its fruit can be distinguished at a glance from that of Bellegarde. The tree in qusstion came direct from Montreuil. Mr. Rivers in his fruit list says that he has the true Bellegarde with an almost black cheek, otherwise Noire de Mon- treuil. In the list of Peaches grown at Montreuil " Byfleet " includes Blondeau. The others he mentions are familiar names. I should be glad if he would be kind enough to give some informa- tion about this variety, and also of Marquise de Brissac if it has come under his cognisance. — C. A. M. C. Currants and Gooseberries.— How sel- dom do we find these grown on stems high enough to keep their fruit clean, and especially is this so with Gooseberries, which are naturally drooping. To prevent this the plants should be furnished with longer legs while young, i.e., when the cut- tings are made. They should be as straight and long as possible, and if they cannot be got to the height required, the best shoot they make in the spring should be staked and led up straight till it has reached the desired length ; it may then be stopped to cause it to branch out and form the head on which to bear the next season's fruit. The most suitable height Jfor the plants to stand without support is about 2 feet, but even at that height they may require some assistance till the stems get strong, as while in leaf the wind has great power on bushes. A good plan of growing Gooseberries, in order to keep them well up from the ground, is to tie the branches to strained wires, and train them espalier fashion, a way in which the fruit is well exposed to the sun and very easy to pick, as it may be got at from both sides of the rows without having to thrust the hand among thick shoots lull of sharp spines. Currants of the lied and White kinds are more amenable to standard training than Gooseberries. Nothing is, however, gained by having them too high, as they are then more dithcult to protect, and they must have stakes to keep them erect. Many experience great difficulty, even during the winter, in keeping birds off the buds ; sparrows often pick them out, and in that way do great damage. The way in which we protect ours is to syringe limewash over them. This not only pre- serves the buds from the attacks of feathered PLATE 478. HIBISCUS GRANDIFLORUS.'* Of the beauty of this species but little need be said, as it is well represented in the accompanying plate. It is a, native of the saline marshes of Georgia and Florida, where its stems rise some 3 feet in height. The upper leaves,'whioh are tri- angular or cordate, are three-lobed and soft and downy on both sides ; the lower ones are broadly ovate and cordate. The pods are very hirsute, but the seeds are smooth. Mr. Stevens, with whom this plant flowered well last year, also cultivates a white variety of it. The other perennial species areas follow: — H. MOSCHEUTOS. — This, like H. grandifloms, ia very ornamental, but though hardy rarely flowers without the aid of artificial heat. Its flowers, which are large, are white with a purple centre, or pale pinkish purple. The stigmas are large and globose. From H. palustris it is distinguished by having generally the pedicels united at the base with the petioles ; indeed, the two kinds are sufficiently distinct for our purpose, though Prof. A. Gray has reduced them to one species. Mr. W. B. Hemsley follows this reduction in The Gar- den, Vol. XVI., p. i86, but Mr. B. Daydon Jackson considers them botanically distinct. The leaves of this plant are decidedly lanceolate, the upper surface nearly glabrous, and the lower one covered with fine hairs. A pale pnrple^form, figured as H. palustris in the Botanical JWagazinc, t. SS2, has leaves described as oval acuminate. The capsule is glabrous. The specimen just alluded to ap- l^ears to have flowered in the stove, as it is said Mr. Colville, with whom it flowered, informs us that, finding it did not thrive in the greenhouse, he put it in the stove. It grows from o feet to 5 feet high, and is a native of North America, from New York to Carolina, being found plenti- fully around the salt lake of Onondago. H. PALUSTRIS. — This is similar to the last, but the flower-stalks are free from the petioles, and the leaves, which are more broadly ovate, have a rougher pubescence, and are more nearly the same on both surfaces. They incline to be three-lobed, but the lower leaves of both H. moscheutos and H. roseus have also the same tendency. The peduncles are articulated above the middle. The flowers, which are very showy, are described as rose-coloured, white, and yellowish. Its native habitat ranges from Canada to Carolina. H. ROSEUS. — This appears to be quite distinct from the two preceding kinds, bnt of the two it comes nearest to H. palustris, of which it may be re- garded as a variety. The leaves are like those of H. palustiis, bnt rather more cordate, and, as in that kind, the peduncles are free from the petioles and articulated above the middle. As figured in the Hot II II i.sf, the flowers are of a beautiful pale rose colour. It is a native of Gascony, and grows on the banks of the river Adour, but it is possibly an early introduction from North Ameiica, as Prof. Gray believes it to be. It is found also in Tusc;iny, and its having become established in Europe, whether introduced or not, is interesting. 11. INCANUS. — This has been introduced, but I have no note of any figure of it, and I have not seen the plant. The leaves, which are ovate, acuminate, and serrated, are covered with grey short hairs. The flowers are large and yellow in colour, and supported on stalks articulated about the middle. It is a native of Carolina. H. MiLiTAEis. — An ornamental species with white or flesh-coloured flowers 4 inches or j inches in diameter, having a red centre. The Drawn in Mr. Joseph Stevens' Siu'rey, in September. garden, at Byfleet, 3 ^^•"Sfe O CO I — I Feb. 7, 1885.] THE GARDEN 109 lower leaves are three-lobed, ovate, heart-shaped and toothed, the upper ones halberd-shaped with short lateral lobes, the middle lobe prolonged and taper-pointed and much the largest. The seeds are hairy, but otherwise the ■ plant is smooth throughout. It is tolerably hardy, but the flowers do not come to perfection without artificial heat. A figure of it is given in the Botanical Magazine, t. 2385, where it is said that it should be kept in a pot in the greenhouse during winter and re- The species of Hibiscus just named belong to the section Abelmoschus, and include all the perennial kinds described in De C'andoUe's " Pro- dromus," with the exception of one which he calls H. aquations, which is probably not distinct ; in- deed, I have little doubt that it is H. roseus, though in the description it is not said to have cor- date leaves ; the pedicels are articulated near the base instead of above the middle and the flowers are white, but De Candolle does not say that H. moved to the stove in spring. It is a native of river banks from Pennsylvania to Illinois, and flowers in August and September. H. SPECiosus. — This very handsome deep crim- son-flowered species grows many feet in height and bears flowers 4 inches or 5 inches in diameter. Its leaves, which are glabrous and palmately divided, have lanceolate serrated lobes. It is said to flower best in the stove — usually in August. It is one of the finest of the herbaceous species and hardy enough to withstand our winters. There is a figure of it in the Botanical Magazine, t. 360. It is a native of the South-eastern States of North America. Syn., H. coocinens. roseus is found in Italy, as is the case, and he gives Tuscany as the habitat for this. Savi, in his " Botanicon Etruscum," makes H. aquations a synonym of H. palustris. Culture.- -All the above have been cultivated at one time or other, but only two species could perhaps now be found in gardens. Two kinds used to be grown at Kew, where they formed strong clumps, but never flowered. With scarcely an exception, they are hardy in the open ground ; H. graudiflorus is described as half-hardy, and three or four are perfectly so. Their flowering out-of- doors, however, seems scarcely known, and the figures of H. moscheutos, H. speciosus, and H. I militaris appear in each case to have been drawn from specimens grown in heat. As ordinary border plants they appear to be of no use what- ever, but as they are so fine and showy, expedients are worth resorting to for flowering them. Moisture must be ensured, and probably, unless grown in pots in the greenhouse or stove, as was done by the older cultivators, the best position is in the open ground against a south wall, where lights can be set up to forward their growth and protect them from cold and rainy nights. Those having a good border in a light greenhouse or conserva- tory should not fail to plant out every kind ob- tainable. They would most likely flower when established. R. Iewin Lynch. NOTES. Flowers of ■winter. — We can never hope to rival the sunny south of Europe, and yet there are but few days in the year after all on which one may not pick a few flowers and green leaves for indoor ornament from our northern gardens. We may not have Tea Eoses, Heliotrope, Anemones, sulphur-coloured and white Marguerites, Nar- cissus, and the other sweet or lovely flowers which come from Nice or Cannes, but we may have pure white Christmas Roses and Violets, and during fine open weather in mild districts even Anemones will bloom. Japan Allspice is tolerably certain, and near the sea Veronicas go on blooming long after the Chrysanthemum has paid its golden dues right nobly. There is scarcely a fairer flower on earth in its way than the Algerian Iris stylosa when plucked in the bud stage and allowed to open indoors, and after all there is a charm about outdoor blossoms which forced exotics do not possess. Christmas Roses.— Of all "outdoor flowers these are now the fairest, and, being well esta- blished, yield plenty of flowers and buds for indoor use. Helleborus altifolius is getting over, but H. niger angustifolius is at its best ; so also is H. niger scoticus, which in some ways is interme- diate between the two last named. Arranged in big bowls along with leaves of the Portugal Laurel these flowers are very effective, and although I cannot lay my hands on any evidence in books of their being sweet as well as fair, yet they exhale a delicate odour when brought into a warm room. Their fragrance is by no means pronounced, but it is fresh and not unlike that of Cherry blossoms. Vlnca acutiloba.— Just before Christmas I saw a plant of this flowering most beautifully in a moist position in the open air. The flowers are as large — larger, perhaps, than a shilling and freely produced in the axils of erect, leafy stems 1 foot to 2 feet in length. In colour they are white, or white with a delicate lilac sufEasion, quite different from those of any other Vinca I know. I never saw or heard of this plant before. What is its history ? All I can vouch for is that the plant I saw under the above name is very floriferous and beautiful, and as a winter- blooming plant it certainly deserves attention. Winter-flowering shrubs.— Two of the best and sweetest of all the shrubs now in bloom are Lonicera fragrantissima, from China, and Chi- monanthus fragrans, from Japan. Both are de- liciously fragrant, and are all the more welcome because they brave the wintry climate, and blos- som at a time when outdoor flowers are few and far between. For want of a better name we call the first the Winter Honeysuckle, and the Chimo- nanthus has long been known as the Japan All- spice. Veronicas of the Andersoni section are flowering freely, and there are a few coral buds on Cydonia japonica ; the Rush-like shoots of the winter Jasmine are yet aglow with golden buds and flowers, and the promise of rosy Almond blos- som is richer than ever. Hothouse walls are never so attractive as when clothed with beautiful vegetation, and one of the best of all plants in its way for this pur- pose is Pothos celatocaulis. It is a singular- looking member of the Aroid family, which was introduced from North-east Borneo by Mr. Bur- ilO THE GARDEN [Fkb. 7, 1885- bidge, and has been provisionally given the name now appended to it by Mr. N. E. lirown, from the carious manner in which each leaf overlaps and conceals the stem of the next above it, as it climbs np a board or the wall of a stove like a large- leaved and very close-growing Ivy. It cannot be finally named till it blooms, which it has not yet done in Europe. At the end of one of the houses devoted to Nepenthes in the Chelsea Nursery this plant has been for some time in perfection, and is generally admired. The large velvety green leaves are pressed close to the masonry, and remind one of those of some Marcgraavias. It is of rapid growth, and succeeds well if grown on bare walls along with the creeping Fig, Ficuj repeus, or more correctly F. stipulata. Cherry Pie is an unsentimental name for the Heliotrope, which singularly enough is just now one of tlie most fashionable of flowers. But then it has always been a favourite for the sake of its bewitching fragrance, which isdeliciously piquant, and unlike aught but its own sweet self in the whole world of perfumes. Some of the modern varietieF, both purple and white, are very lovely, and a great improvement on the pale old type as figured in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, t. 141, nearly a century ago. Peruvian Turnsole is the old English name for the plant which old Miller, of Chelsea, grew and flowered from seeds sent to him, as he himself tells us " from the curious garden of the Duke d'Ayen at St. Germains." The younger Jussieu sent the seeds from Peru to the Eoyal Garden at Paris, where it first flowered. Orchids in flower. — Among other Cypripe- diums now in bloom C. purpuratum is, to my mind, one of the most attractive, the contrast between the wine-coloured petals and white upper sepal (with few stripes) being so well marked and dis- tinct. It has foliage like that of some varieties of C. barbatum, and is a native of Hong Kong. C. Do- minianum is nearly always in flower, as also is C. Sedeni. Ccelogyne cristata is lovely snowy white in colour, with a lemon-yellow crest ; and the rosy Calanthes and L;clia anceps are also in flower, along with Lycaste Skinneri. Zygopetalum in- termedium is blooming fairly well, and although not so large and showy, nor so fragrant as is Z. Mackayi, it is nevertheless well worth growing The beat Pea. — I suppose it is rank heresy to say it, but the old Ne Plus Ultra is yet to my mind the best of all Peas from the dining-table point of view. Veitch's Perfection is nearly per- fect, but to my mind in delicate succulence Ne Plus Ultra is, as its name implies, unsurpassable. Of course, 1 know it is a tall grower, 10 feet high or so on good soil, but then there is plenty of room upwards, and all the enviable graces cannot well be combined in any one individual variety. Who raised Ne I'lus Ultra? When was it first sent out ? I suppose it never had a first-class certificate awarded to it, although hundreds, if not thousands, of people have inwardly and, perhaps, half uncon- sciously blessed the man who left such a noble heritage to our kitchen gardens. Amongst a hundred new sorts it lifts its bead to-day like a king as the best of all Peas on the dining table. Spring flowers. — Elwes' Snowdrop has been in bloom a week or more, and with it a dwarf purple Crocus having fiery stigmas, and to-day the gold buds of Eranthis have freed themselves from the earth,' and gleam unsullied in the mild sunshine of our January days. It may interest some to know what Sala thinks of spring blos- soms. "The love of flowers seems a naturally implanted passion, without any alloy or debasing object in its motive ; we cherish them in youth, we admire them in declining years ; but perhaps it is the early flowers of spring that always bring with them the greatest degree of pleasure, and our affections seem to expand at the sight of the first blossom nnder the sunny wall or sheltered bank, however humble its race may be. With summer flowers we seem to live, as with ourneigh- bours, in harmony and good order ; but spring flowers are cherished as private friendships." Early Dafl'odils. — A few weeks ago we heard of the blooming for the first time in England of two of JI. Damman's new Italian Da£Eodil.=, viz , Kegina Margarita and Umberto I. Now from the sunny Isle of Wight comes the news (see p. 4.3), "some of the new Italian Narcissi are in fall bloom now and have turned winter into spring.' It is very pleasant to think of Daffodils flowering thus early, and it may occur to some of our friends in the bulb trade that Italy would be a better climate for the growth of early-flowering bulbs than Holland. Even the common kinds of Daffo- dils would flower earlier if grown in Italy ; at any rate, the experiment is well worth a trial. Italy years ago sent us Tuberose and Paper-white Nar- cissus roots, and there seems no good reason why her fine early climate should not be utilised for the growth of other early-flowering bulbs. Daffodils in bloom.— Since the above note was written I have received from a friend forced flowers of Narcissus P.N. prsecos, and, what is even more remarkable, a well developed Rose-like flower of the doable N. grandiplenus. These, I am told, are from bulbs collected wild in Italy, but I am doubtful as to whether the latter variety is really wild there. Be this as it may. Daffodils in January are very welcome, and these flowers seem to prove that by having our Daffodil bulbs grown in different climates their season of bloom- ing might be considerably hastened on the one hand, and if needs be retarded on the other. Even our British climate would afford facilities in this direction, since in Cornwall and Scilly Daffodils naturally bloom in February, which in Northern England are not in flower until April or even May, The influence of climate affords room for experi- ment, and no doubt will meet with the attention which it really deserves. In Holland, as also in the Scilly Islands and in other places where a speciality is made of Narcissi, two things are especially provided, viz., good drainage and good shelter from the wind. Even in Holland, where the soil is light and sandy, raised beds are the rule for all bulbs, and if this is necessary in a good climate and on light and warm soils, how much more must it be so on wet, stiff cla3-s or in cold northern localities ? I am especially doubtful of the efficacy of drying off or ripening the bulbs above ground. My own opinion is in favour of made-up or raised beds and shelter. Sand or very sandy soils almost invari- ably suit bulbous plants of all kinds, and in Hol- land these are enriched with cow manure and in Scilly with sea-wrack. Of course some of the common yellow Daffodils will grow in any soil, but the white kinds and some of the new Narcissi will not do so. Veronica. LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. Mr. W. Cullingfoed has "hit the right nail on the head " with regard to these by offering JIO in prizes for January blooming tinds, or, as we sup- pose, for the best groups or collection of flowers to be shown in bloom in January next (18SC). This offer will be one way of bringing late varie- ties to the front, or it may act in two ways, viz., by encouraging the raising of really late blooming kinds, while on the other hand growers of existing varieties may be stimulated to devise some sys- tem of culture conducive to late blossoming. In either or in both cases the results cannot fail to be beneficial. These prizes are to be awarded by the National Chrysanthemum Society, and we are glad to see the same body are next season (1885) to offer prizes for English-raised seedlings, and also for single-flowering or Daisy Chrysanthe- mums. Th.re are some other agreeable signs of energy and vigour about the National Chrysanthe- mum Society, but is the Royal Aquarium the best of places in which to enthrone the winter queen ? Could not some arrangement be made with the Eoyal Horticultural Society so that the exhibitions might be held at South Kensington ? Again, could not the National Chrysanthemum Society induce some at least of the petty societies near London to give up their far too numerous little exhibitions and contri- bute to its own shows and meetings instead 1 Daring the past year two very notable exhibitions were held at South Kensington, viz , the Apple Congress and the Narcissus or Daffodil Conference, exhibitions in themselves interesting and pro- ductive of lasting good in other ways by diffus- ing information as to nomenclature and culture. Popular as the Chrysanthemum now is, there are a good many difliculties in the path of those who are only commencing its culture. The nomencla- ture and synonomy is confusing, and there are many interesting points in its culture that require clearing up ; in a word, under good management, a grand exhibition of plants and cut flowers next November and a conference of Chrysanthemum growers, both French and English, mghtbe made one of the successes of the horticultural year. Brise eu Matin. Flower Garden. DAFFODILS IN IRELAND. So little has been said about Daffodils in Ireland, particularly the southern portion of it, that I ven- ture to furnish some small details as to the adap- tability of our climate for tbeir growth. All the early plantings are now well above grcrmd. The first to show bloom is the Italian pseudo-Na'Vciesus fl -pi. the golden buds of each bulb appearing in triplets from the soil simultaneously with leaf formation. I have 3000 of it just at present almost fit to cut in the first week of February. They will be beautiful. It will turn out, I suspect, a dwarf form not unlike grandiplenus, or it may be the double form of our Tenby Daffodil ; the bulbs were not unlike it ; the flower-head being so short and thick and its earliness n?ake me associate them. I know the Tenby has been introduced to Wales from Southern Europe, Spain, and Italy. The nest to show for bloom is odorus interjectus — Italian bulbs. The foliage of this variety is now IL' inches long, and the blooms fully shot through, ready for bursting. The next earliest is a variety of nanus — I believe confined to Ireland. The bud and leaf spring from the ground together, as is the case with minimus. The next is a variety which I call Kip Van Winkle. This is in full bloom under glass (100 bulbs in one box). This variety, I am persuaded, is confined to Ireland, and I hope to trace its single form this season. It is of true nanus type. For description I would re- fer your readers to Mr. Barr's new work on Daffo- dils. Pallidus pi.Tjcox bicolor and pallidus prje- cox are also well forward for bloom. The bulbs are Italian grown ; they come mixed. The Tenby Daffodil is well above ground, but there is no sign of bud; also poeti- cus angustifolius, Irish bulbs, taken from a field where it has been growing wild for years. A dwarf form of cernuus, 500 bulbs of which were planted after a long journey, all shot ont rootlets in September, and are now G inches high and seme blooms are appearing. The Dutch nanus and minor, also English nanus, planted at the same time as the Irish form, are not above ground yet. Six forms of the incomparabilis class from Italy will also occupy a prominent place. Three large beds of eystettensis (capax) are well above ground. I have given them a good dressing of Clay's Fertiliser, and expect a fine dis- play of this very rare Daffodil. It is now bursting for bloom in the open. All the rest of my bulbs are well through the earth. I dread frosts and hard weather, particularly in the case of Italian ripened bulbs that are so forward, a cir- cumstance no doubt attributable to the Italian cloudless sky. I often wish that such fine kinds as Horsefieldi and Empress, grandis, &c., could be procured at a lesser rate, in order that we might offer them in quantity to the Italians, that folk in England, more particularly in London, could have such fine flowers on their tables at Christmas from forced Italian ripened bulbs. The most we can now do with bicolors is to get them the first week in March or end of February ; however, as it is, I would strongly advise market growers about large towns to look up Italian wild Daffodils for forcing purposes ; no doubt they will come, need- ing to be " rogued." Such men as Mr. Walker, Feb. 7, 1885. THE GARDEN 111 of Whitton, could export from, I am told, a very large collection. We now get Roman Hyacinths, Alliums, Roman Narcissi, Paper- white, &c., and why not bulbs with heads of gold ? If such men as Mr. Barr and Mr. Ware with their vast channels of supply were to get people to start grounds io the south of France for the early matu- ration of Narc'ssus, in particular the Leedsi sorts, Sir Watkin, Barri, and others, some progress might be made. A long price is paid for a Eucha- ris bloom, and what can surpass in their way a couple of blooms of Narcissus bicolor HorseJieldi pulled through a f pray of farleyense Fern ? Such is quite possible at Christmas from bulbs imported from under a cloudless sky. I am somewhat en- thuidstic relative to the exportation of our choicer sorts. The Italians are very careless at present in the matter of keeping stocks pure. There were some varieties offered trom Italy this year that were said to throw Fmperor and Empress into the shade. I wish tbey had done so, but the Irish form of princeps is vastly supeiior to what I saw as King Humbert of Italy. Your readers may say Holland could grow Daffodils in quan- tity, but the south of England and, better, the south of Ireland can grow Daffodils better than Holland. They get some sort of red rust on the bulbs in Holland from which we in Ireland are perfectly free. I expect to have the " Big Welsh- man " full measure and overflowing in size. Cork. W. B. H. NEW FRENCH CHRYSANTHEMUMS. "The cry is, still they come," and although a matter of wonder even to those who know best, yet it U a fact that new colours and additional variety of form succeed each other every sea- son. So prolific, indeed, are the Japanese Chry- santhemums in variety, that one may wonder the less at their having increased in popularity year after year, until it now seems likely that they will oust the stiff and formal incurved and pompone varieties from the field, so far at least as decora- tive purposes are concerned. Whence come, then, these novel and beautiful varieties 1 Let us be frank, and say at once from France ! M. Delaux et fil«, of St. Martin du Touch, pr^s Toulouse, have for years been raising new kinds of Chrysanthe- mum, and at the present, without a doubt, they are far ahead of other originators, so far as the weird Japanese varieties are concerned. It must not be supposed that raising new Chrysanthemums is by any means a novel industry at Toulouse, for as long ago as 182G we learn from the Heme de V Horticulture Beige, that Captjiu Bernet, an amateur of that place, was very succEsstul in originating new sports by intergrafting the then known varieties into each other. As long ago as 1830 the late Donald Beaton recommended intergrafting as a means of in ducing " sports," and it is not impossible that some whisper of Captain Bernel's experiments had reached his ears. Be that as it may, many ama- teurs and florists have continued the work which Capt.'in Bernet began, and foremost among these are M. Delaux et fils, who send out .'rom thirty to forty new varieties every year. All lovers of the Chrysanthemum would learn a good deal by a perusal of the annual lists issued by this firm, especially their general catalogue of Chry- santhemums, published in 1882, in which, as a rule, the raisera' names are correctly given. Just at the present moment we have three great centres, in each of which the raising of new seedling Chrysanthemums is carried on. The credit of first place must be given to France and the Channel Islands, the second to England, and the third to America. Dr. Walcot and Blr. John Thorpe seem to have originated the raising of American seed- lings, some of which appear in English catalogues this season for the first time. As a set-off against our American cousins, however, we must point out that Mr. Teesdale, of Chichester, was, I believe, the originator of the new single-flowered race. One re- Eultof this extended modern activity in the rearing of seedlings is showing itself in the blending to- gether of old races or distinct sections, such as Cliinese, Japanese, and pompones, and the repe- tition or clashing of names is also apparent more and more every day. For example, we have now two or three distinct varieties named Ceres, at least two Duchess of Albany, two Arlequins, two ApoUos, two Aurora Boreales, and one might go on quoting cases similar ad injinitiivi. If we add this clashing of names to the synonym difli- culty, matters are rendered still worse, and it is in difEcuUies of this kind that the addition of bona fide raisers' names are serviceable, and this is the main reason why they should always be used, as indeed is now the rule when Auriculas or Car- nations are exhibited. A friend who has seen most of the new French seedlings kindly sends me the following account of them, which may be interesting to other amateurs, as it has been to myself. " In my opinion the varieties of Chrysanthemum sent out during these last two years show a marked im- provement on the varieties of the preceding years, and seem to give us ground for hope that Chry- santhemums have still a bright future before them. In France pompones are being abandoned by de- grees, and perhaps also large-flowered old kinds, while everyone prizes the newer and more singular forms of the Japanese flowers ; wherefore the number of these last-named varieties is always increasing and taking the room of the others. Varieties of 1883 and 188i. The best pompone flowered kinds are in order of decreasing merit : Anais Delaux, fringed, rosy lilac and whit?, with golden tips ; Laciniatum su- perbum (Delaux), fringed and laciniate, delicate violaceous rosy hue, with golden tips ; Mademoi- selle Darnarrtl (Delaux), purple rosy, golden tipped; M. Luguet (Delaux), early, small purple-violet- coloured flower; Elegant (Delaux), copper-red; Perfection (Delaux), brownish red, yellow tipped ; Mademoiselle Mathilde Raynaud (Delaux), rosy carmine, with silvery tips, yellow centre. Large flowered : Freycinet (De Reydellet), tu- bulated florets of a fine rosy white hue, with yel- low shades ; I'ietro Diaz (Lacroix), velvety brown, with golden reflexes ; V. Lemoine (De Reydellet), late flowering amaranth - coloured kind ; Presi- dent Lavallee (Pertuzfts), intricate purplish red; Cimbale d'Argent (Pertuzfes), white tinted with pale yellow: Val d'Andorre ( Pertuzds), orange- red ; Gaillardia (De Reydellet), late, incurved, deep maroon, golden tipped ; Belle Valentinoise (De Reydellet), anemone- flowered, canary - yellow. Early .Japanese: Brunette (Delaux), rust-red yellow- tipped ; Madame Deveille (Delaux), white with a creamy shade in the centre, and pink stripes; Mastic (Delaux), large ochre-yellow flowers ; Boule d'Argent (Delaux), purplish amaranth, with a sil- very ball in the middle ; M. Deveille (Delaux), blacky brown with golden centre ; M. Henry-Jaco- tot (Delaux), velvety crimson with yellow tips; L'Ordu Rhin (Delaux), spiral florets, bright golden yellow with brown shades ; Isidore Feral (Delaux) pink, golden centre ; M. Pynaert Van Geert (De- laux), brown, yellow-tipped. Japanese: Madame Boucharlet (De Reydellet), globular flowers, yel- low and mahogany ; Flamme de Punch (Delaux), brown, wirh golden shade and golden stripes ; Margot (Delaux), pink, buS centre; M. Astorg (Delaux), beautiful white, with pink shade; Bois Rose (Lacroix), large white flower with pink shade ; M. Moussillac (Dfilanx), large flower, deep crim- son ; Helvetie (Delaux), amaranth with a silvery centre; M. Carin (Delaux), violaceous rosy. Varieties of 188i and 1885. Pompone? : Bouquet Fleuri (Boucharlet), small, elobular, poppy-coloured flowers ; La DesirtSe (Delaux), early, imbricate, white shaded with pink ; Rubra perfecta (Boucharlet), crimson- purple, late flowering kind. Large-flowered: M Roux (Boucharlet), buff-yellow; Madame Feral (Delaux), imbricate, silvery pink ; Carmen (De- laux), dark red, yellow centre and lips; Incarnata (De Reydellet). blush and white. Japanese: M. John Laing (Delaux), contorted, crimson, grained with yellow ; lirise du Matin (Delaux), rosy, white centre with buff shades ; Aurora Boreale (Delaux), spiral florets, orange-salmon, golden ball in the centre; M. Comte (Delaux), amaranth and viola- ceous red ; Colibre (Delanx), dark crimson, golden centre ; Fleurdes Bois (Delaux), blood-red, golden centre ; Embl^me (Delaux), contorted, dark crim- son, yellow tipped ; Beaute des Jardins (D6Iaux), contorted amaranth with silvery reflexes; Souvenir du Caire (Delaux), spiral florets, amaranth, rosy white centre ; L'Alsace (De Reydellet), deep vio- let, silvery tipped. Early Japanese : Galathee (De Reydellet) irregular, rosy white; Frizon (Delaux), yellow, irregular, and curled florets ; Souvenir da Japon (Delaux), pink shaded buff; Fernand Feral (Delaux), spiral florets, pink, shaded buff. Late-flowering Japanese : Belle Alliance (Delaux), brick coloured, golden centre ; L'Or de France (D61anx), contorted, yellow with brown flames ; Mdlle. Antoinette Brunei (Delaux), tubular, car- mine-tipped white florets ; La Geante de Valence (De Reydellet), tubular florets, pink and lilac. The following varieties may be considered as late- flowering ones, for they did not bloom this year in my nursery : M. Leon Brunei (Delaux), Blanche Neige (Delaux), Hebe (De Reydellet). Diane (De Reydellet). All the varieties named above are peculiarly fine and superior to others sent out at the same time. The late-flowering kinds are.not esteemed by French raisers, who grow their plants out-of-doors and shelter them in cold greenhouses only when frost is likely to prove injurious to the flowers. Perhaps many growers (De Reydellet among them) who reside in the southern depart- ments of France send out every year some late- flowering plants without remarking it. for under their fair climate they are all early and very fine. The following new Japanese Chrysanthemums were raised by Delaux et fils, St Martin du Touch, near Toulouse, and are not as yet distributed : L'Incroyable, fiery cerise, with a gold centre, outer florets quilled, those in the centre spoon-shaped ; Le Surprenant, crimson or velvety brown, centre yellow, a very distinct variety with wavy actinoid florets ; M. Ivoy, creamy white, with a rosy centre ; M. Margottin, reddish crimson, changing to rosy orange, each floret bordered with crimson ; M. Dixon, clear rosy violet and white ; Mdrne. Lairg, fiery rose, the florets tipped with silvery white, and flamed and bordered with rose-violet, centre golden ; La France, carmine, changing to crimson, centre silvery white ; L Introuvable, amaranth- purple of velvety texture, centre white ; Mdme. Cannell, silvery white, speckled and flamed with rose; Ne Plus Ultra, soft rose, florets shaded with gold and white at the base; M. Davis, blood crimson, with gold-pointed florets ; M. Harmony Payne, large crimson, flower shaded. The first two varieties in this list are very remarkable in form and colour ; indeed, it is not too much to say that they will create quite a sensation when they become well known and are distributed. Among other well-known French raisers of Chrysanthe- mums may be named M. Lacroix, of Toulouse, M. V. Lemoine, of Nancy, MM. Bernard and Marrouch, of the same place, M. Boucharlet sine?, of Lyons, M. Schwartz, of the latter place, and M. de Reydellet, of Valence. It is very pleasant to see that Messrs Bull, Barr, and other London seedsmen are now offering seeds of Japanese and other Chrysanthemums. It is also offered by MM. Benary et Cie, of Erfurt, so that there is no reason why seedlings should not be raised in England as well as on the Continent. Now is the time to sow in gentle heat for flowering next November. Bribe du Matin. Defifodil notes.— The first Daffodil to flower here this year was the Italian p=eudo-Narcissu3 fl.-pl, which bloomed January 28 in The Dell. Oddly enough, it came single, just like our English Lent Lily. It is one of a score, all of which are in bud, and some appear likely to be single and some double, so that we are watching their blooming with no little interest, as it may help to throw light on the double Daffodil question. Can this be an example of a double becoming single from changes of condition less favourable / We intend carefully to mark the individuals of this group to see if any of these singles will come double again after generous treatment in their new home. Evidently the bulbs are replete with 112 THE GARDEN [Feb. 7, 1885. vigour, as they are the first to bloom, and they may have expended some of this extra force in early blooming, and thus reverted to singles. Two days later the Italian N. pr^^ox bloomed, and at the same time N. pallidus prascox, whilst in a few days we shall have a tall growing Tazetta in (lower— N. italicus prasoox. The English bulbs of N. pallidus prajoox are quite out of the contest, and it will be weeks ere they are in bloom. Is it not probable that the Italian bulbs flower earlier because thej' are better ripened, and that this constitutes the reason for their earliness ? In all probability these earliest varieties of 1885 will be as late as the rest next year. — VVm. Brockuank, Brockhurst, Didshunj. GENTIANS. That was an interesting and useful article on the Gentian in last week's Garden, and throws light on points that are none the worse for elucidation, i)iter alia on a plant which I received as G. affinis, and which I have since grown with satisfaction to myself as G. macrophylla, but which, it seems, is G. tibetica (thibetica ?) after all. This plant, as I believe I have said before, is quite worth grow- ing for its beautiful foliage, irrespective of the flowers, which, indeed, are as good as the other white summer-flowering Gentians with which I am acquainted, although this, perhaps, is not saying much. " D. K." having explained one difficulty, has, however, to ray mind at least, created another. He states (p. 88) that a variety of G. Saponaria, named linearis, is in cultivation " under the name of Frcclichi, and differs but little from the type." Now, G. Saponaria is a North American species, and is, I believe, much lilse G. Andrewsi, of which a figure is given, but the G. Frcclichi with which I am acquainted, and which, by the way, I have two or three times attempted to grow with complete want of success, is a rare European Gentian from the Eastern Alps, in the way of G. acaulis, though smaller in all its parts and of a lighter blue. (It is figured by Seboth and Bennett's " Alpine Plants," vol. iii., plate 89.) What are we to think about this ? It may be as well to emphasise, for the benefit of the unwary amateur, that though " D. K." on Gentians may be as easy reading as Mr. Wolley Dod on Helianthus, yet that, practically, the cul- tivation of the majority of the species of the for- mer is about the most difficult of all problems in hardy flower gardening. All, no doubt, of the species named by " D. K." are or have been grown in some few— some very few — gardens in the United Kingdom ; but I should be inclined to doubt, in the case of some of those mentioned, whether they can even yet be pronounced to be "at home.' Peat and (in the south of England at any rate) a certain amount of shade are, for many of the species, sirif qiiibuit no», but given these' two de- siderata, it by no means follows that you have surmounted the preliminary difliculty of getting the plant established. August (if wet) appears to be the best time to make the attempt, but anyhow the percentage of failures and disappointments is pretty certain to be large. I have never seen G. Saponaria offered by any nurseryman. Can any of your readers tell me where it can be procured ? J. C. L. HELLEBORUS NIGER. ■V^ABiETiES OR HYERiDS. —On this question I do not take upon myself to say that your corre- spondents are wrong who contend that t he niger section is restricted to one species with many varieties, but no hybrid. I think, however, that they entirely fail to prove their contention. As to the many varieties, we do not differ. I believe that niger typical has produced niger minor, niger major, niger angustifolius, and endless inter naediate forms, varying with sepals pare white, pink shaded and green shaded, with leaves broad and narroxv, with leaf segments plain and notched, and with stalks blotched and green. I believe this, because I have observed all these deviations in seedlings which I raised from typical niger without cross-fertilisation ; but in habit and character H. niger maximus stands quite apart ; and I have never seen nor heard of any seedling known to be raised from self-fertilised typical niger which has shown the slightest tendency to approach the maximus habit, nor to present the pink-tipped pistil wliich characterises it. No one now doubts about maximus being a truly' wild plant. Unless, then, it can be proved that a like form can be raised from seed of a self-fertilised typical niger, there appears to be a strong pre- sumption in favour of its claim to be a species quite as distinct from niger (type) as orientalis from olympicus, or cupreus from purpurascens. The difference between a hybrid and a variety I take to be this : that a variety is an uncrossed deviation from its type ; a hybrid is the result of foreign pollen, and from the description of Mr. Pou's plant with its pink-tipped pistil and green stalks I should call it a hybrid. Others have, I believe, obtained seed from H. maximus. I have failed to do so myself, but the organs are perfect and the pollen is there ; conse- quently, by applying the pollen of maximus to the pistil of angustifolius I should expect to ob- tain exactly such a plant as Mr. Poti's appears to be ; and for this reason, that, according to my experience, it is always the pollen of the male plant which determines the special characteristics of the hybrid. The pollen of a white flower upon a green-flowered plant produces a white flower, or rather I should say the white predominates ; the pollen of a persistent-leaved plant upon a non- persistent has witli me produced a persistent- leaved hybrid; and so in Mr. Poe's plant I suppose maximus pollen may have been the cause of the pink pistil, and in the absence of any evidence to the contrary I should call this a hybrid, or if a variety, not a variety of niger typical, but of maxi- mus. If I understand rightly, all that is known of Mr. Poe's plant is that it came from Ireland about 2."> years ago. Another apparently similar plant has been noticed in The Garden as being in Ireland, and in that case also, in absence of its history, I expressed my belief that it was a hybrid with maximus for one parent. Apart from this question, I would repeat a query of Mr. Tymons'. Has anyone ever succeeded in obtaining, or tried to obtain, a hybrid between niger and any other form of Hellebore ? I have never seen such, but I am^just now cross-fertilising N. maximus with a large hybrid 4 inches across with the deep purple colour, but not the form of colchicus, with what result or whether with any time will show. T. H. Archer-Hind. South Devon. Jaborosa Integrif olia. — This, although one of our most attractive late summer and autumn-flowering perennial.-i, has been for some time almost lost sight of in gardens. It is very impatient of shade or over-moitt places, and this may in part account for its apparent scarcity. On dry sunny borders it may be kept in good con- dition for an indefinite time. It grows about a foot high, its oval, blunt-pointed leaves rising from the crown, and little shorter than its long wa.vy white, tubular, fragrant flowers, resembling the Tobacco plant, to which it is closely related. They are produced from early in July until September, the individual flowers lasting in good condition for a considerable time. It may be readily increased by division of the roots. — K. Phlox'subulata.— The awl- leaved Phlox and its many brilliant varieties, although by no means uncommon in gardens, are not so generally used as edging plants as they should be. In tolerably warm and dry places on level borders they exhibit a display of beauty hardly surpassed by any other plant of equally humble habit; the contrast be- tween the exquisitely coloured flowers and the spine-like leaves is really striking. On rockwork it is quite at home, and it seems to do equally well in shade or sunshine, soon covering the stones, especially if of a soft, porous character, and easily penetrated by the roots. It has a trailing or creeping habit. It seldom grows more than 3 inches or ,S inches high ; the flowers, which are usually purplish in colour with an intense dark eye, vary to white, rose, &c., in some varieties. It is easily increased by means of cuttings, which readily strike root when made of the growing points and placed in a cold frame, or by division, which it stands well when done early in spring. -Q. Fruiting Duck-weed (Nertera depressa).— Although generally grown in greenhouses and frames, this is perfectly hardy when placed in a suitable position ; in pots one is not always sure that its fruits will set, but outside they never fail to do so in profusion ; they are small, round, and about the size of a Pea, orange-red in colour, but attaining a deep shining red when nearing matu- rity. They are produced on short stalks and can just be seen above the light green oval-shaped foliage, which is not more than an inch high. Perpetual shade, or only a little of the morning sun, with plenty of water, are its principal re- quirements. It seems to do best in peat to which has been added a little loam. It creeps along the ground at a good pace, and may be easily in- creased by nipping ofE the points, which will be found to be rooted at every joint. In spring, when in flower, it should receive copious water- ings, which should be continued until after the fruit has set. It is a native of New Zealand. — K. Double yellow 'Wallflowers.— One sel- dommeets now-a-dayswith thefineolddouble'Wall- flower that used to be so well grown in old times in cottage gardens ; in fact, in many parts of the king- dom it has disappeared altogether, and we now find the single and semi-double German Wallflower filling its place. On the south coast, however, I freijuently come across some grand old specimens of the true golden yellow Wallflower with blos- soms as double as those of an Oleander, and a fine show they make in snug little seaside gar- dens, the thick hedges of which are proof against the ruthless gales with which they are assailed. The soil here is light and stony, so that growth is not very luxuriant, but the wood gets hard and well matured, and the frosts of winter, being modi- fied by tlie sea breeze, plants of this Wallflower keep vigorous for years. I would by no means, however, recommend retaining such very old plants, except as curiosities, for young ones are altogether better. The little side shoots of this Wallflower, dibbled into sandy soil with a hand- glass placed over them, strike readily, and as soon as rooted plenty of air may be admitted. They are best kept under the friendly shelter of glass until all danger from sharp frost is over ; then they may be planted out in beds a foot apart, where they will soon form nice bushes, and must then be carefully transplanted where they are to remain ; for, although they move well enough in a young state, they are by no means good subjects tn disturb when old.- J. G., Hants. MyoBotis dlBBltiflora alba.— This is an invaluable plant for supplying cut flowers early in the season. It blooms naturally very e.arly, but is liable to suffer if fully exposed to the full force of the cutting winds that prevail in spring. If, however, it is afforded the slightest protection by means of temporary covering, its lovely blooms of the purest white prove excellent for mixing with blooms of a more massive character in decorations of all kinds, notably in wreaths and crosses, for which white flowers are in constant request. I find that this Slyosotis, like the blue-flowered form, makes a capita) pot plant : anyone, therefore, having a good stock of it will find that by lifting good sized clumps and placing them in ,5-incli or (i-inch pots, and setting them in a cool vinery or glass- house of any kind, that they will quickly develop quite a cloud of blo.";soms. The plan which we adopt in getting up a stock of this plant is division of the roots after the plants have done flowering ; every piece if dibbled into a shaded border will make a good plant. Seedlings also make ex- cellent plants for potting, but, like the older blue variety, it is dillicult to collect any quantity of seed. I5irds are so fond of it, that unless carefully netted over they make a clean sweep of it as fast as it ripens. li the seed is only required for home Feb. 7, 1885.] THE GARDEN 113 nse, the best plan is to cover the plants with fish nets and allow the seeds to shed on the soil ; bj- keeping the latter moist by means of freqaent waterings, a colony of young plmts will spring up around the parent, and as soon as large enough to handle they may be pricked off into beds. The old clamps may be pulled to pieces and re- planted.— J. Gboom, Qosporf. MOSSY LAWNS. There have been several replies ty this query (5,304). but I do not think that any of them has quite hit the mark. Poverty of soil may have something tj do with the prodaction of Uo;s, but it can scarcely be the sole cause of its appearance, or how is it that the fine it turf we can get comes from high-lying commons, where the soil IS too poor to grow anything but Grass, Bracken, and Heather ? I have had some experience in the laying down and management of lawns, and my opinion is that tex- ture of the soil, situation, or both combined, are the true causes of mossy lawns. A very fine sandy loam that goes "pasty" when wet (and this tendency is often greatly as- sisted by the use of the mowing machine and roller), if imperfectly drained or not at all, and in a more or less shaded position, is almost certain to become mossy sooner or later. The worst instance that ever came under my notice was a large lawn, on just such a soil as that which I have mentioned, in a low situation only a few feet above and very near a large river on the north side of a very large house, and thickly surrounded by large trees. No treatment of the surface had any appreciable effect on this lawn. At last the whole was carefully pared off, well dugover and levelled, and then about 2 inches or 3 inches of ashes were spread evenly over it, also a sprinkling of fresh soil, and the original turf was rolaid. The Moss very shortly disappeared, and afterwards gave no trouble. I have since done the same thing, or nearly so, in many cases of mossy and " pasty " lawns where the Grass would not grow strongly, and invariably with success. I feel cer- tain that an open, porous, or granu- lar texture of mould beneath the turf, through which superfluous moisture readily percolates, is one of the great points in producing a clean, strong turf, and anything that has been burnt has always this character, and in addition a sweet- ening influence. Fresh house ashes, with any foreign matter carefully sifted out, is undoubtedly the best material to apply, but, failing this, factory or furnace ashes may be used with good results. In an open situation, where the sun acts freely upon the surface, the texture is not of so much consequence, as the evaporation caused by its rays dries and sweetens the soil and renders it much more open and favourable to the Grass. One of the best bits of turf with which I have ever had to deal, at least in a town garden (for of course Grass, like everything else, grows best in country air and does not require so much looking after), was produced from seed sown on a piece of ground where afire had taken plao?, and which when levelled and dug over contaiced a large proportion of particles of burnt mateiial of various kinds. Naturally, the ground was as poor, sour, and worthless as anyone could desire, but it pro- duced a really fine bit of turf without a weed or particle of Moss throughout, though it was situ- ated almost in the heart of London and surrounded on three sides by high buildings. Water would run through it anywhere as fast as one could pour it on. This went far to prove that my views re- specting lawn making were correct, and I have ever since acted upon them with success. B. C. R. SALVIA CANDELABRUM. OUH gardens are now rich in Salvias both in num- ber of kinds and variety of forms and colours. Many of the most beautiful kinds are of garden origin, having been obtained either by selection or by crcsiing one species with another. Some of tbeSalvi'S seem to lend themselves to crostiag Salvia Candelabrum. much more freely than others, whilst many of them vary much under cultivation when raised from seeds. In S. Candelabrum we have one of the handsomest and most distinct of introduced species, which, when grown into a large bushy specimen either in a pot or planted out during summer, produces on the ends of the strongest branches erect panicles of white and purple flowers. The stems of this plant are square and hoary, as are also the Sage-like leaves ; the panicle is much stouter and more numerously flowered than is shown in the accompanying woodcut. Its regular branching form suggested the specific name. The leaves have a powerful aromatic odour, as have likewise most of the S.ilvias. It was in- troduced by Mr. Thompson, of Ipswich, nearly thirty years ago, and is a native of the "south of Spain. In this country it is hardy enough to bear an ordinary winter, but owing to the fugacious character of the flowers it presents an unsatisfac- tory appearance if exposed to wind or rain. By growing it in pots out of doors during summer and preventing it from flowering by pinching out the flower-buds as they appear it may be em- ployed for autumn and winter decoration indoors, as is now usually practised with the majority of the Salvias. In Spain the weather is much more favourable for this plant than with us, warmth and moisture prevailicg daring the early part of the year, succeeded by hot, dry weather. It is, there- fore, enabled to make sturdy growth and to pro- duce an abundance of flowers for a lengthened period,conditions which we should try to imitate in this country. B. SPIRyEA ARDNCUS. This Spiraea is not so frequently met with in private gardens as its extreme beauty entitles it to be. It should, however, be grown wherever room can be found for it. As a back row plant in a herbaceous border during the latter part of May and all through June it is strikingly tffective; it throws up its massive plume-like spikes of creamy- white bloom well above its finely laciniated foliage very often to the height of 5 feet or G feet. It is also an excellent plant for open spaces in shrubbery borders, the background of green showing off the flowers to great advantage. If grown in company with some of the scarlet -flowered Rhododen- drons that bloom at the same time, the effect is excellent. It may also be isolated on lawns or planted in the rock garden. When not in flower its foliage is quite as orna- mental as that of the majority of shrubs, and when in flower it is not surpassed in intrinsic beauty by any plant with which I am ac- quainted. The effect of a large plant of it carrying from 30 to 40 fine spikes of bloom when viewed in the distance can be better imagined than described. The cultivation of this Spiraja is of the easiest possible description. It will grow in almost any sort of soil, but it attains the greatest perfection on good strong ground with a clayey subsoil. Before the roots are planted the ground should be well prepared for them. It should be thoroughly trenched 2 feet deep and enriched with good rotten manure. It should be dug over two or three times after the manure is put on, so as to mix it well with the soil. I dislike the practice of placing manure in layers, as is often done ; when so applied, it has a tendency to cause the plants to grow rank and long-jointed. The best time to plant is in November, for then the plants have shed their foliage and have also formed their crowns for the following year's flowering. They may, however, be planted at any time during winter or early in spring, provided the ground is in good order to receive them. Once planted, they will require but little attention beyond cutting away the old flower-stalks and giving them a mulching of rotten manure once a year for four or five years. At the end of that time they should be taken up and divided and re- planted, as just recommended. H. Parker. Comte Brazza'a •white Violet. — I have lately had an opportunity of seeing this lovely Violet in excellent condition — certainly by far the finest I have ever seen, the blossoms being 114 THE GARDEN [Pbh. 7, 188.5. exceptionally large and white as snow, and borne on very long, stout footstalks, denoting a sturdy habit. I have no doubt that when better known this Violet will be a great favourite with bou- qnetists, its large size and powerful fragrance ren- dering it exceedingly well suited for the purpose. I have seen maoy Violets that were termed white, but none so white as this one. As regards freedom of blooming, Mr. Allan, of Gunton Park, who has been deservedly awarded a first-class certificate for this sterling acquisition, informs me tliat usually it commences to flower in August and keeps right on through the winter up to the time for dividing the plants in the spring. Therefore anyone who can grow the old Neapolitan or Marie Louise will have no difficulty with this, the latest and most exquisite of the whole race of Violets. — James Geoom, Gos2>ort. WORK DONE IN WEEK ENDING FED. .•?, 18S5. January 28. The change to showery weather is most accept- able, for the soil a few inches from the surface is still as dry as it usually is at the end of summer. Fruit trees and shrubs that were lately trans- planted were all given a good covering of litter as mulching to protect the roots from frost, and it will be equally profitable as a protection from drought, and, provided there are not heavy rains shortly, other litter will be added with this intent. Planting Horseradish ; prepared ground for plant- ing out early Cauliflowers. We plant in deep drills and 2 feet from plant to plant. The drills partially protect the plants from wind, and another advantage is that no earthing up is re- quired, but simply the filling in of the drills as soon as the plants need additional soil to keep them upright. Planted Lettuces on a south border, and made a sowing on ditto. Earthed up Peas and sprinkled soot and lime over the rows to make them unpalatable to sparrows. Renewed the bed in fruiting Pine pit, leaves principally, a small proportion of litter being added to ensure the more speedy heating. All fruiters and those just show- ing for fruit have been half plunged in the bed, the entire burying of the pots being deferred till it is seen what temperature the bed regis- ters, 8.5° being our maximum for fruiters ; above this, inj ury is done to the roots, pari ioularly if they are— as they should be at this stage— clus- tering round the sides of the pots. The plants have been top-dressed with a little fresh loam and bone-dust, and will now be kept constantly moistened through with water of the same tem- perature as the bed ; the top-heat will now range between G3° and ~a°, according to the state of the weather. A couple of hours' sunshine to-day caused us to rejoice, as it just appeared in the nick of time to benefit the early Peaches, which are in full flower; a slight jar of the trellis caused the pollen to disperse like so much dust, and it is no exaggeration to say that this short time of sunshine to fruit trees at this stage of growth did more good than a whole week of artificial firing. Thinned the blossoms of Ktraw- berries, and touched over those remaining with a camel's-hair pencil. I do not think that this pro- cedure is really necessary, but somehow one feels that they would like to be on the safe side— hence it is difficult to give up the practice. January 29. More rain, though not sufficient to stop outside work, which has been much the same as yes) erday as regards kitchen garden doings. Rolled up turf from the base of young Conifers that are to be top-dressed with fresh soil, but which for the pre- sent will remain in this state for the soil to get well soaked through. Chusan Palms (Chaninerops Fortunei) have also had the turf rolled away from their base and the soil lightly forked over to let in the rain, after which they will be given a rich top- dressing of loam and cow manure, which mixture they fully appreciate. Potted off autumn-struck Carnations, and which for the present will be kept in a cold pit and be planted out in April ; also potted sundry kinds of bedding Pelargoniums and put in cuttings of sorts that are scarce. Cleaned out third compartment in Melon house, washed lights outside and in, and made up bed for Melons, and also bed for propagating; purposes. Pat in forcing pit pots of Lily of Valley, Hyacinths, Narcissi, and Roses. ^Vatered Camellia border, and also well washed the plants over-head by sj-ringiog with garden hose. The best flowers were cat previously, the bulk are just unfolding ; hence the washing before they get into full bloom. January .SO. Rain falling nearly all day, there has been little outside work accomplished. Pointing Pea sticks, washing pots, cleaning out sheds, making and writ- ing labels, sorting out seed Potatoes and rubbing oS surplus sprouts of early kinds, and watering inside Vine borders of late houses with rain water from the tanks in the houses are a few of the principal jobs that have occupied out-ide hands. Re- arranged plant stove ; Poinsettias, winter-flower- ing P.egonias, and Calanthes being nearly over, they have been shifted into a warm pit, the appearance of which is but of secondary conside- ration, and it will be just as well for the plants till they have quite done flowering and have to be cut down or rested, as the case may be. Palms, Dracajnas, and Ferns are now our best foliage plants, and the flowering plants with which they are intermixed consist of llegonia manicata, Thyrsacanthus rutilans, Ccelogyne cris- tata, Eucharis araazonics, and Euphorbia jac- quinia^flora. Potted a few Ferns and Crotons. January 31. Still it r ins ; there has been 1 j inches since the 27th ult., and as we are still some 7 inches short of the average on the twelve months and the springs are very low, we can but hope for a continuance, for inconvenient and hindering as it is, the benefit received will far exceed all this. Our work has been of the same description as yesterday. The houses have all had a thorough clean out, and the rain-water tanks in late vineries have again been emptied on to the borders. Put in cuttings of Coleus Verschaffelti and of Iresine Lindeni and acuminata. Planted the smaller Dahlia roots in propagating bed for the production of cuttings. The largest roots have been potted and placed in heat with the same intent. Tied up and disbudded early Vines. Our rule of disbudding does not differ from that which is generally practised, viz., to take off the worst placed and the weakest shoots ; perhaps we take off more shoots —that is, have tliem farther apart — than do most people, as we dislike to see the foliage crowded. February 2. Fine the greater part of the day. Nailing Peach trees and Morello Cherries. Laying Box edgings and trenching ground for forming clumps of Portugal Laurels and Yews. The soil being poor and light, abundance of good manure is being added to it. Began to shift first succession Pines into fruiting pots, and top-dressed those already in fruiting pots (10-inch size) with fresh turfy loam ard bone dust. The pit is being prepared for rt- plunging by adding about half new material- Oak leaves and a small proportion of stable litter — to the old bed. If all new were used, there would be the risk of injury through e.xcessive bottom-heat, 90° being the extreme height to be safe. Watered second Peach house (inside border) with water at a temperature of 70°. The trees are now regularly syringed at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m , and the day temperature ranges from i>'>° to (!.5°, according to the state of the weather ; the night temperature varies from G° to 8° lower. February 3. Slight showers, very mild ; nailing Peaches and Cherries, laying Box edgings, returfing bare spots under shade of trees, and trenching for planting Portugal Laurels and other evergreen shrubs. Pat in other batches of cuttings of bedding plants, cleared out all Pelargoniums, &c., from Straw- berry house, and filled it entirely with Strawberry plants. Repotting Pines ; the old balls are well moistened through before they are taken out of the old pots, and the roots loosened a little from the sides of the balls by the use of a pointed stick. Planted out Melons in one division, and in another division sowed the seeds directly on the bed, a couple of seeds in each station, which is hollowed out so that the seedlings may be earthed up as high as the seed leaf. Bell-glasses are placed over the seeds till the plants are in rough leaf. Hants. Hardy Fruits. The Peach. — Notwithstanding the fact that we have had an unusually fine autumn and mild winter, it is probably owing to the extreme dry- ness of the ground, notably the subsoil, that the buds of all kinds of fruit trees are more backward than they have been for some years. This condi- tion, so far favourable to fruit prospects, must not, however, be allowed to influence the per- formance of the most trifling details, which make up an important whole in the successful manage- ment of this delicious fruit. Therefore, if not already done, let every tree be carefully untied or unnailed ; burn the nails and cast them into lin- seed oil while hot ; carefully wash the trees with soap and water, and tie the shoots together in small bundles to prevent injury from wind, and secure them to stakes a few inches from the walls. As all good Peach growers now cut out the past- beaiing and superfluous shoots as soon as the fruit is gathered, the few final cuts and shortening of gross shoots to maintain the proper balance of the trees may be deferred until the time arrives for nailing in the spring Meantime, take advantage of unfavourable days forgetting shred, nails, and protecting material ready for use at the shortest notice when the proper time arrives. If the walls are old and full of nail holes, a wash of some kind should be applied to destroy the larva of insects, or to seal it up before the buds begin to swell, when the use of strong insecticides, even on walls, is attended with danger. In old gardens, or where- ever utility takes precedence of appearance, the best wash that can be used is compcsed of quick- lime, sulphur, and soapsuds, toned down with soot or veietian red; but where the cclourirg of good brick walls is objectionable, soapsuds and sulphur will answer the purpose for which a winter wash is here recommended. Plums, Pears, and Ciiereies.— If the pruning and nailing of these is still in arrear, no time must be lost in bringing the work to a close, as many pressing matters will soon require attention. Plums and Pears that were carefully pinched in July should be cut back to two eyes where they have not formed spurs near home, and foreright spurs on old trees should be thinned and shortened to give light and strength to others which are better placed close to tlie wall. In favourable seasons like the past many kinds of Pears, notably those worked on Quince stocks, make a growth of 4 inches or more in length and set a flower-bud at the point. These, where practicable, should be tied in to the main branches to give the blossoms a chance of setting, as they invariably swell off fine fruit. Should they fail, they can be shortened at the first summer dressing. Formerly it was the practice to spur back all the wood growths on the main shoots of sweet or dessert Cheriies, but many of the strong-growing kinds, including Governor Wood and some of the Bigarreaus, when planted in cold, damp situations unfavourable to the complete maturation of the growths, resent this treatment and very often lose their best spurs altogether or commence gumming, which is equally unfortunate. On warm, friable soils this dying back is unknown, but where it is a matter of touch and go all the main shoots should be trained at wide intervals to admit of laying in at full length as luany of the young growths as can be so treated without producing a crowded mass of foliage in the summer. All the Dukes bear ppnr- ring, but these even grow and produce heavier crops of fruit when sparingly pruned and abundant space is allowed for extension. Bush fruits. — The pruning of these in many gardens is left till the last. It may be that some look upon Gooseberries and Currants as of secondary importance, while others defer thinning out Goose- berries on account of the depredations of birds, but Feb. 7, 1885.] THE GARDEN 115 the light gained by tlirowing this or any other kind of work into arrear hardly pays for the caudle; therefore, bearing in mind that no crop would be more severely missed than that obtained from our humble bush trees, X would suggest pruning without delay. Birds, now very numerous, are extremely fastidious. In some mild, unlikely seasons they are troublesome, while in others they do not seem to discover that Gooseberry buds exist ; but to put an end to all doubt and danger, an ocoasionil application of dry soot and quick- lime when the newly-pruned trees are damp will make the buds distasteful, while the manurial properties of these deterrents will benefit the roots of the trees and most likely do good service in destroying the larv;c of enemies which may be lurking beneath the surface of the soil. If the planting of bush trees is still in arrear, no time should be lost in getting it finished, and some- tliing here again may be said for and against our feathered friends. In many places from time immemorial it has been the custom to plant lines of bush trees along the margins of walks for the avowed purpose of economising space and facili- tating gathering. The fir.-t idea is a mistake ; the second is unnecessary, as facilities are sometioaes tjo numerous. In small gardens a marginal row of trees is aU very well, but in large places, where the demand is heavy, there is nothing like planting a well-prepared quarter, if possible, in a high and dry part of the garden safe from spring frosts and favourable for netting either early in the spring or when the fruit is ripe. The square meshed netting is a boon to the fruit grower, as he can tell exactly what a yard of this kind will cover, but the cheapest and best protector for large squares of Gooseberries or Raspberries i galvanised wire netting, so lixed that a portion of it can be removed after the crop is gathered to allow our feathered friends to enter and pay for what they have taken by waging war against our in.seot enemies. I say this advisedly, as I once saw a very large north border permanently en- closed by a great fruit grower who had reckoned without his host, as the caterpillars had destroyed every leaf, and the birds could not get in to feed when there was no fruit for them to eat. Cuttings of approved kinds may still be put in with a fair prospect of success, but they are better put in in the autumn, as they do not bleed after the removal of the buds, and autumn cuttings always make the best trees. ItAsrBEEEiES. — Whfre^ the old fruit-bearing canes are cut out annually as soon as the fruit is gathered and the young rods are well secured to the stakes or wires, it is well to defer all further thinning out or shortening back until later op, otherwise the Rispberry, being soft and pithy, may suffer from exposure to rain or severe frosts. The rods may, however, be selected and tied in, but not cut back until the buds begin to push in the spring. The Raspberry del'ghts in light, rich food, and plenty of it, in the form of amulchof good rotten manure, but, like the Strawberry, it resents all disturbance of its surface roots, and on this ac- count the ground should never be touched with the fork or spade. Tn E A PRICOT — Although the Apricot is an early- flowering tree, it does not follow that it is the first to claim the pruner's attention ; neither is it desirable that it should be pruned until after t'le turn of the year ; but when February comes round, danger of protracted frost has, as a rule, gone by, the buds begin to swell, and the best time to prune has ariived. Like all Eastern trees, it is easily excited into early growth, and on this account it is almost invariably planted against the best south wall in the warmest part of the fruit garden. This may be right in thecoldest parts of the kingdom, but south of the midlands, a good crop of fruit being the primary object, it is questionable if walls facing the west would not better answer the purpose. In a well- managed, but badly situated, garden in this county the trees are planted against a west wall, and I have frequently seen them carrying good crops of fruit in seasons when trees on south walls in better situations were a failure. The catise is not bound up in mystery, as it is well known that a burst of bright sunshine on south wals puts the finishing touch on thousands of frosted flowers, which, though equally hard hit, would escape under the morning shade of walls facing the west. The pruning of Apricots is a very simple opera- tion, particularly when summer pioching is properly carried out, as all that then remains to be done in February is the shortening back of foreright growths to two or three eyes. In course of time the spurs get wide of the wall, and a few of these should be cut back annually to induce the forma- tion of new buds close at home, and to strengthen weaker spurs lying near the wall. Old walls, often badly infested with grub, should be well cleansed every winter. A wash similar to that recommended for Peaclr walls will answer the purpose, and save a great deal of time in hand-pickingin the summer. Eastnor CastU, Ledbury. W. Coleman. Trees and Shrubs. THE MURTIILT CONIFERS. MURTIILY Station on the Highland line imme- diately precedes Dunkeld, and thus it is but a short distance below the redoubtable woods of Duke John of Athole. Cut although the Murthly woods can fairly be compared, by reason of a similar environment, with those at Dunkeld, the climatic regulations and position of lllair are con- siderably changed by being 20 miles nearer the heart of the Grampians. The whole district from Murlhly to Blair is very rich in attractions to tree lovers ; indeed, in this respect it is second to none in Perthshire, and therefore, perhaps. Great Britain. Murthly belongs to Sir Douglas Stewart, the lineal representative of the Stewarts of Gran- tuUy, which latter property has been in the hands of the family over 450 years. The planting of the newer kinds of Conifers was commenced by the present laird's brother. Sir William Stewart, a great part of whose early life had been spent in the wildest regions of the United States. On his return to Scotland he brought with him a large quantity of Douglas Fir cones and plants. H s predecessor had been engaged in the building of a new castle, of which he only lived to see the outside portion completed. But Sir William, who had stood alone on the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, was content with the old house, and devoted his time and money to the formation and planting of his pleasure grounds and estate. The same work was eagerly taken up by Sir Douglas when he succeeded to the property, and to this day the new castle remains very much as it was left— an empty framework. However, the magnifi- cent triple avenue planted as an approach to it has matured into iirpotiag treehood. The question of a substitute for the Larcli has been more or less ventilated for these last two de- cades. The Perthshire arborists have come nearest solving the problem by the thriving plantations on a large scale of Abies Douglasi and Menziesi. In no place in the kingdom, perhaps, can Douglas Firs be met witlr in such quantity as at Murthly, and, putting aside the giant at Dropmore, finer specimens do not exist anywhere from Penzance to Wick. A great part of the planting is on ground that slopes gradually down to the Tay. In the neighbourhood of the castle the ground is suited for terrace formation. Accordingly, a series of terraces has been formed near the house, and green drives have been carried on the same system nearly parallel to each other for some dis- tance into the woods. The planting all over the estate has been extensive. Immediately on emerging from the station a perfectly straight road is cut westward across the Muir of Thorn, through a thriving and recently formed wood of Conifers, including many Douglas Firs and Pines. This road goes on for 4 miles with dense wood on both sides. On the other side of the estate the planting has been equally extensive, so that there are now over 4000 acres covered by forest growth. The most interesting piece of planting is the re- forming of Great Birnam Wood, which untillately has never recovered from its march to High Dun- sinane Hill. The geological formation on which the trees are growing is either the old red sandstone or the lower Silurian. For the most part the soil is a sandy loam, but in many instances marshy and peaty. Numerous rills trickle down the slopes, and the soil is annually enriched by the fall of the leaves from the deciduous trees, any number of which may be found here. The range of altitude above the sea varies from about ICO feet to 1000 feet. On the whole, the position of the plantations round the house and stretching along- side of the Tay is very sheltered. The bulk of the ornamental planting was done about 184.5. The Lime avenue leading to the old castle was planted in 1711. The Conifers, with which many will be most interested, are upon the slope that leads down to the Tay. Terrace walks, in the form of mossy green drives, are cut, as aforesaid, parallel with the river. Taking tlie topmost of these, and starting from the kitchen garden, which is at one end, we enter a Douglas Fir avenue of over half a mile in length. The trees are taller on one side than on the other ; on the left hand they average 40 feet. Behind the Douglas Firs is a wood, and between them, also under the trees in the rear. Rhododendrons are growing. The difierences observable amongst specimens of this famous Fir are very great, there being no fewer than four distinct types, leaving out of consideration minor divergencies. This is most marked in a part of the avenue where the trees on one side are close upon GO feet high. Curiously enough, two types appear on one tree ; the foliage for about two- thirds of its height is totally different from that at the top, which is conspicuously smaller. Short breaks and hollows occur ever and aaon ; in these other trees are planted. A WeUingtonia 60 feet high has a goodly bole, but the branches are far apart, which gives it- a sparse and unhappy ap- pearance. Close adjoining are some good Picta nobilis without a trace of any glaucous colouring. About a dozen Picea Nordmanniaca take the place of the Douglas Firs on the lower side of the avenue. Here, again, it was possible to notice two types, differing not so much in colour as in the length and projection of the needles. The prettiest part of this walk is where a series of three ponds lie beneath one's feet in a verdurous hollow. They are called American, from the fact that Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Laburnums, and Kalmias cluster thickly around them and up the slope. The Birches, prettiest of all trees in winter, are likewise mirrored in the pellucid water. A very pendulous Sequoia sempervirens, most pro- bably from growing in the shade, greatly enhances the effect, as do also some very thick and quite glaucous Douglas Firs. The most noticeable trees further on are two good examples of Picea lasiocarpa, each 35 feet in height, and a Sequoia sempervirens which has lost its leader, and conse- quently spread out like a park Oak. Descending through the wood to the next green drive, and walking back again towards the castle, one comes to a part of the estate notable for mag- nificent trees of Abies Menziesi. A line of very tall ones, averaging fully 70 feet by accurate mea- surement, is especially noteworthy, and as the height of this tree very rarely exceeds 100 feet, no better proof of its utility for extensive planting could be desired. Those, too, who have every right to speak positively vouch for the good quality and endurance of its timber. The great charm it affords as an ornamental tree is well known. The reverse of the foliage is a slaty blue. As the branches grow from the stem at an angle of 45°, this beautiful colour is always visible, and in a tall tree can be seen from a considerable dis- tance off. Opposite these fine specimens is a larger pond. This, when I saw it in January, was like a fairy scene in a Christmas pantomime by reason of tiae icicles clinging to the rocky margin, which, being always moist in the winter time, was frozen and shone like glass. A little further on a stream of water pours down some steps into a stone basin. Round the basin is a semicircle of 116 THE GARDEN [Feb. 7, 1885. Cupressus Lawsoniana, with a nntkaensis in the centre. Every spray of the latter looked like a Fern frond, and was different from the other both in colour and fall of the branches. On the same side higher up are two remarkably fine specimens of Nordmanniana and Picea amabilis. After these ii a line of tall 1'. nobili?, nearly all non-glaucous, and quite put into insignificance by the magnifi- cent colouring of the Menziesi. I am unable to assign a reason why nobilis here is so different in hue from others elsewhere. Opposite these, somewhat retired from the drive, is a tall Douglas Fir lying full length on the ground from the effect of a severe gale. Part of the roots still remain in the earth. This has given such strength to the trunk, that four of the branches are growing up from it like separately planted trees. The one nearest the roots is 23 feet high. We are now at j the foot of a slight undulation where the path makes a gentle curve. At the bend, planted so as to contrast with the Conifer.", is a short avenue of purple Beeches. At the top is a stretch of park land crossed by the approach to the castle from the eastward. It is an avenue of Pinus Cembra and Wellingtonia alternately with Oaks in the background. This road joins the grand avenue, and the walk which we have been following does the same, but a little before doing so passes under a clamp of Pinus monticola, three of which are be- tween CO ft. and 70 ft. high. This Pine does ex- tremely well at Murth- ly. It takes up little space, as the spread of the branches is slight. Opposite is a thick covert of Menziesi. The chief avenue consists of Limes with Yews underneath them and between the road and the trees are broad Grass lawns. This ave- nue contains four lines of trees, thus forming three avenues — a wide one in the middle and a smaller one on each side. The blending of the foliage of the Yew and Lime is very strik- ing, and in autumn and spring well worth going a considerable distance to see At the end, facing the new castle, is a high pre- cipitous rock of red sandstone, surmounted by a triumphal arch. The planting round the house is very tasteful, trees of the same kind being grouped together. To the right of the entrance is a trian- gular piece of ground planted with thriving Araucarias and Juniperus recurva. Lower down is a fine group of Deodars and Pinsapos — the Deodars the healthier of the two. A broad walk goes from here to the river. By its side is a fine Albertiana 50 feet high, and a tall Douglas Fir with an S-foot bole at a height of ■) feet. These two trees are only part of a great number, for the planting here, as elsewhere, has been done by a lavish hand. A large Silver Fir stands forth as the champion of the old-time trees, and bravely too. Abies grandis is very healthy, and is repre- sented by two specimens, the annual growth of which has been very great. Picfore reaching the river we pass through an avenue of Araucarias and a grove of Cupressus Lawsoniana. .\long the river bank, both towards Dunkeld and Perth, is a broad green drive, by the side of which liirches and various trees have been planted On the opposite side of the Tay are high wooded hills. The home pleasure grounds lie between the house and the Tay, and contain unquestionably the finest Douglas Fir avenue in England or Scot- land. The height of the trees averages 70 feet, and every specimen is apparently in good health, A very prominent one belongs to the variety called taxifolia. Beyond this avenue, on the side remote from the house, is a fine Deodar .">."i feet high with a still taller Pinus monticola beside it. At this part I found that it took sixty-four paces to walk round one of the Douglas Firs, and one branch at the bottom was as much as 11 yards from the trunk. On the other side is a row consisting of five thriving trees of Abies Hookeriana about 20 feet high. This is one of the most beautifully coloured trees kno%vn. It is much more glaucous than Pattoniana. At Murthly it is a quick grower, and the branches cluster thickly round the stem. Popular favour has not been bestowed upon this tree ; why, it would be hard to say, for nothing in the same genus is prettier. Nearer the house is a very tall tree of Chamseoyparis and two or three good examples of Picea magniflca. Along.side of the latter are growing some P. nobilis ; a good oppor- tunity is thus given of comparing the two ; although of the same type, the habitof growth is manifestly different. Avetues are constantly recurring, and in every instance the trees are growing pro- Holly leaved Cherrj' (Cerasus ilicilolia). sperously. Four merit a detailed description, which for sake of conciseness I will number. 1 consists of wide-spreading Deodars about 35 feet high. \t their base is a fringe of Rhododendrons, and at regular intervals apart occur vases for flowering plants. At the foot is the river, the further shore of which is in the form of a forest-clad hillside. When Rhododendrons are in flowerand the Deodars bright with fresh foliage, and when the wood be- yond the river has assumed its greenery, the wealth of colour here poured out by beneficent Nature is beautiful beyond compare. 2. Between the chapel and the old castle is an avenue of Araucarias. There are longer avenues of the same tree, and others in which the average height is taller, but there are none in which the trees are in more per- fect health. The severe gales and winters expe- rienced here seem to have left it untouched, and scarcely a branch is removed from year's end to year's end. The perfect health of the trees can no doubt be accounted for from the fact of the ground having been levelled for terrace formation. This has caused the removal thither of large quan- tities of soil in which the trees were planted ; the latter again being in a higher latitude than Castle Kennedy or Elvaston, where Conifers have suf- fered much, have not grown so fast as in these Araucaria-famed places, and the growth formed has been thoroughly matured. By the side of the chapel are two grand old Silver Firs. .S is an avenue of Yews over .300 years old. It leads down to a small mortuary chapel. The trees are planted so close together, and the foliage is so dense at the top, that this a'-enue looks as gloomy as an aisle in a diml}- lighted crypt. There are other fine Yews round the house, the circum- ference of the branches of one being 225 feet. Trees like this, when seen in conjunction with new kinds, take away the sense of primness, one of the chief defects of foreign trees; beside.=, an air of antiquity is always desirable about the grounds of a mansion. The average height of this avenue at the tallest part is 40 feet. 4. Lead- ing upwards from a flight of stone steps is a line of tall Cupressus Lawsoniana averaging 35 feet or more. This leads up to another Deodar avenue, planted in the same way as the first ; but between the vases are stakes, upon which various kinds of Clematises are trained. Besides these avenues, the grounds have many other features of interest, such as hedges, which are remarkable, as are also the fljwer and Piose gardens, which are hedged in from the view of the house ; bat as the pri- mary object of this paper is an account of the Conifers, I must pass these over. Not only in the parts to which I have al- luded, but all over the estate the planting is equally interesting, and all the more recent introductions in the way of trees have been tried. Others besides those mentioned are thriving, but a conspi- cuous failure is Pinus ponderosa. Below the gardener's house, in a glen formed by a small burn, are several fine trees. A pen- dulous variety of Douglas Fir, 35 feet high, is remarkable for the small spread of the branches laterally. Looking at the tree from a distance, it ap- pears as if a hoop could be dropped overit from top to bottom. Either the shade of the wood has caused this, or it is the natural habit, since there is abundance of room for the spread of the branches. Growing with their roots in the water are three fine exam- ples of Sequoia sempervirens, each over 60i feet ; from this instance of its success, it might be tried with considerable advantage in sheltered glens further north. Picea nobilis has already proved of great value in such positions, but not so close to the water. The Himalayan Spruce seems healthy enough, but none are sutficiently tall really to judge of its merits, as they are all in sheltered positions. In this glen there is likewise a vigorous Fitzroya patagonica. Cedrus atlantica will doubtless prove to be one of the best of Conifers, and a very promising avenue of it has been formed at Murthly. The Weymouth Pines, as elsewhere in Scotland, are many of them large, massive trees. The effect of a Douglas Fir plantation on the landscape is very marked, the dark green of the foliage and the tapering leaders having a very bold appearance. In situations sheltered by the hills from wind this Fir will form a very valuable tree, and so, perhaps, will Menziesi, from its stur- dier growth in more exposed districts. If JIurthly still continues to escape with impunity from the severe gales and winters, it will soon be without many livals as a home for coniferous trees. As it Feb. 7, 1885.] THE GARDEN 117 is, owing to the enoimous numbers that have been planted, few places are more interesting or instruc- tive. M, C. THE HOLLY-LEAVED CHERRY. (CEBASUS ILICIFOLIA.*) The acccmpanying illnstration reprefents a flowering spray of this very distinct and desirable evergreen shrub. It appears to be a compara- tively recent introduction to British gardens, as Loudon makes no mention of it either in his " Arboretum " or the abbreviated edition of that work, viz., " Bncyclopiedia of Trees and Shrubs." The thick, rigid, dark green, glossy foliage bears a considerable resemblance to that of the Holly, hence the specific name. The small white flowers are borne ia erect racemes sometimes a couple of inches in length. So far as my knowledge ex- tends, no fruit has as yet been produced by it in this country ; in the " Botany of California " cited below it is described as large (half an inch thick or more), somewhat obcompressed, apicnlate, usu- ally red, sometimes dark purple or black, with a thin pulp which is acid and astringent, but of plea.sant flavour. C. ilicifolia is a native of the dry hills of the coast ranges from San Francisco to San Diego and of Western Arizona. It flowers from March to May and matures its fruit in No- vember and December. In all probability it is only in the south and south western parts of 13ritain lliat this highly ornamental shrub will succeed. A few years ago I faw a bush of it flowering freely in the garden of the late Mr. G. C. Joad, at Wimbledon , and it has also flowered at Kew, where it thrives thoroughly well in the temperate house, and also against a wall in the open air. Neither the bush in Mr. Joad's garden nor the one which bloomed in the open at Kew had, however, stood the test of a severe winter. Id a wild state it forms a compact shrub 8 feet or 12 feet in height. George Nicholson. Royal Gardens, Ketr. NURSERYMEN'S PRICES. " J. S. W.'s" note on the disparity of the prices of nursery produce requires some explanation, as I think it can be shown to be more apparent than real. No one who has any practical knowledge of trees would judge of their value by a mere comparison of heights, than which nothing could be more misleading. If inches meant shillings, then the nurseryman's cue would be to plant his seedlings very thickly and give them a double dose of manure, treatment by which he would pro- duce as many inches in two years as he ought to do in three Whether the plants would succeed equally well when removed to the bleak mountain side is another matter. With regard to the Aus trian Pine, I am selling four-year-old plants, i.e. two years seedling and two years transplanted, and from 9 inches to 12 inches high, at 2.53. per 1000, a price at which they pay well enough if one could only sell plenty of them ; but having an order lately for a hundred about 2J feet, of which size I was sold out, I had to purchase them from a neighbour who charged me 30s. for the hundred This I considered a moderate price, as they had had plenty of room, had been three times transplanted and had abundance of fibrous roots. I could have purchased plants of the same height for 20s. per 1000, but these were standing in the original nursery lines and would only be purchased by those who look in catalogues to see where they can get the greatest number of inches for the smallest number of shillings. The Corsican Pine is one of the most trouble- some of all to transplant successfully. I know where I could at present buy 50,000 2| feet high at almost any price I liked to offer ; the grower would certainly be highly pleased to dispose of them at 20i. per 1000, but any forester who knew his business would prefer to pay 70i. per 1000 for efen a smaller size that had been two or three * Cerasus ilicifolia, Nuttall. "Sylva,"Ii., t. 47. Prunua Ilicifolia, Walpera ; Wataon, Gray, and Brewer, "Botany of California," 1., 168. times transplanted, although his employer would very likely be told, by the recognised cheap plant hunter who is to be found in every neighbourhood, that it was a gross imposition. I believe that the uppermost thought in nurserymen's minds at pre- sent is not how much they can make out of their customers, but how cheaply they can offer their plants, in order to tempt impecunious proprietors to become purchasers. As an example of the great variation in the price of forest trees, and which might be muliiplied«^/ injinitxm, I remem- ber fnllv twenty years ago having to burn over 100,000 "fine from .T feet to 4 feet Larch, while a neighbour was advertising the same size at 5s. per 1000 ; the following season similar plants were selling freely at 353. per 1000. In further illustration of the delusiveness of mere height as a criterion of va'ue, I know where from 3 feet to 1 feet Scotch Firs could be bought at lOs. per 1000 — probably 7s. 6s. would not be refused ; whereas if these were two years younger and 2 feet shorter, they would easily bring a guinea a thousand. The principle of paramount importance to be kept in view by planters is to see the plants, but more especially the roots, before purchasing. I believe as a rule the disparity in the prices of seeds is also more apparent than real, and that any honest seedsman will only charge a fair profit on the purchase price. If "J. S. W." happens to be acquainted with any seed-saving gardeners, he will know that seedsmen have generally to pay fancy prices for their produce— cr/ , I have known 20s. per ounce paid for Lobelia speciosa when it could be got from the London trade for 5s. I have no doubt these prices fairly represented their respec- tive values, but it would be absurd to expect the retailer to sell them at the same price. It would appear anomalous to the uninitiated were they told that a grower of Turnip seed will not grudge to give 50s. or 603. for a bushel of seed the produce of which he has contracted to sell at 18s. per bushel, but the grower knows what he is about. Nurseryman. Ornamental Brambles. — Eubus chamie- morus and R. arcticus are both well known as flowering plants, and desirable for rockwork. R. saxatilis, though not claiming a place as a flower- ing plant, deserves one as a fine-foliaged trailer. All through the dull season its leaves, which are deep red, are extremely ornamental, and for draping old roots surpass even the Virginian Creeper, if not in intensity of colouring, at least in duration. In dull shady places, in which this plant is generally seen, it rarely develops its bright colours, which only reach their best when fully exposed to the sun and kept well supplied with water during hot summers. It revels in a peaty soil, and although useful for draping rooteries or large boulders, it is most at home where it can find soil for the roots emitted at every joint to strike into. Its stems are small and wiry, and covered with close-set short prickles Cuttings of it taken ofi in spring are easily struck under hand-lights, or they may be t^ken oS in autumn and struck in the open ground. — K. SHORT NOTES.— TREES AND SHRUBS. Taxodiura slnense, — I know of no Conifer witli brighter foliage than ttiis. For sheltered gardens by tlie south coast or in warm Devonshire coombes it ^vould be peculiarly effective. The foliage for a great part of the year bears the same bright green as young Larch shoots do in early spring.— C. A. Chlmonanthus frultlnsr.— I have seen a few seed pods once upon a plant of this which we have here on a wall facing the cast, hut I believe it very raiely prodnces seed. -Not ijnite bo rare, perhaps, but ni' re interesting on account of their peculiar shape, are the seeds of Magnolia conspicua, which are not ripe for six months after the flowers have faded. — J. C C. 5313.— Pruning Hawthorne — As the roots of the tree about which eiquiryhas been made have been well manured, nothing more can be done for them. I should recommend that the branches be shortened back 3 feet or 4 feet according to their length, but it is not advisable to cut back to very old or hard wood, as if they broke into growth again at all it would l)e weak.- J. C. C. SHRUB PLANTING UNDER TREES. It is often difiicult to know what to plant that will flourish under the branches of overhanging trees. The first thing before planting should be to cut off as many branches as possible not to make the trees unsightly ; many are afraid to cut trees much, but in nine cases out of ten they are improved by being judiciously pruned. Common Laurel is the best of all shrubs to plant among large forest trees of any kind, and when the Laurels are annually pruned to about 2 feet or 3 feet high they soon form a dense mass of greenery. English Yews likewise grow well under trees where they can have a little more head room than the Laurels, and they do not bear quite such close pruning in this position, but where plants IC feet and 12 feet high are required they are among the most useful to plant. Portugal Laurels grow well in such positions if allowed freedom, and it is surprising how deep green they get when so grown in some soils ; of chalk they are very fond. Where sloping banks are formed under overhanging boughs of large deciduous trees the following plants do well and are very effective when planted in masses — viz., Berberis Aquifolium planted thickly and as- sociated with two or three golden or silver Hollies. In autumn and winter the Berberis assumes a bronzy hue which contrasts well with tlie silver or golden Hollies. This Berberis will bear annual close pruning, and grows luxuriantly in such posi- tions. Next to the Berberis and Hollies may be placed a patch of common Dogwocd, which grows well under trees, and its red stems in winter show themselves off to advantage. Another plantation may consist of common Savin, medium-sized plants of which are very effective, and contrast well with the Dogwood. It grows close and requires little trouble to keep it in good condition. Aucuba japonica in a mass intermixed with a few plants of Berberis Aquifolium makes another charming combination. The Aucubas grow well in such positions, and are not over particular as to soil ; if strong, so much the better ; clay with sonSe manure added to it is what they revel in. Leycesteria formosa in a mass grows amazingly fast under trees, and when in bloom its long, drooping catkins are very effective. Hypericum patulum is a dwarfer growing plant, and where not too much under overhanging branches it grows and blooms freely. Where variety in the way of blooming plants is desired the flowering Currant (Ribes sanguinenm) can be employed with advan- tage ; owing to its blooming before the trees over- head get into leaf, it is not much interfered with. Forsythia viridissima, too, grows and blooms freely under trees, its yellow flowers being pro- duced in quantity in early spring ; it is amenable to pruning. Berberis Darwini makes a compact- growing bush, and when in bloom its blight orange-coloured flowers, set off to advantage by its dark green leaves, are very effective. E. MOLYNEUX. Old-fashioned trees —In the grounds at Meikleour, within sight of the windows, stand two fine Scotch and Silver Firs. The first is of very peculiar growth. Within 6 feet of the base are some twenty strong laterals making upward. Thus the form is wide-spreading and bushy in charac- ter. The Silver Fir is a giant over 100 feet high, with the branches rising regularly tier upon tier from base to summit. At 4 feet up it girths 13 feet 6 inches, and it takes sixty-six good paces to walk round the spread of the branches. Besides these two magnificent trees there are numerous tall Spruces about the grounds, which it must be con- fessed lose little by the absence of WcUing- tonias and other trees, which, as Mr. Baines truly remarks, are often planted on the chance of their succeeding, when hardier trees would do just as well. Sir WUliam Stirling Maxwell, at Keir, when any of his Deodars fell out of the ranks, used to replace them with Scotch Firs. He had learned something by experience; "'twere well that others would." — M. C. The old Poison Vine (Periploca gra;oa), though long an inmate of our gardens and pretty 118 THE GARDEN [Feb. 1885. extensively used as a conservatory climber, we rarely meet with in the open air, though it ap- pears to be hardy enough to stand our severest winters unscathed. It is deciduous, however, and when used for trellis work, for which it is well suited, it should always be associated with a not over-robust evergreen. Its flowers, though not attractive, are unique in appearance, the petals being a dark, dingy purple with green tips, and produced plentifully in June and July. Their construction is singular; long incurved appen- dages in the shape of a crown seem to be placed as sentinels to protect the style and anthers from unwelcome visitors. A good rich, well-drained soil suits it best. It may be increased by cuttings put in in spring. — K. very difficult indeed to admit the possibility of Peas growing after an existence of 2000 years. Assuming that such is a fact, it is evident that the preservation of the vitality of the seed must be due to some elements in the preserving process to which the mummy wrappings were subjected. But it would be interesting to learn why Peas should so often be found — or said to be found — in mum- mies. Were Peas held to be sacred plants by the ancient Egyptians / It is odd, too, that all pre- vious mummy Peas should have been found iden- tical with the old branched Pea. — A. D. LAYING TURF. Where new turf has to be laid there is no time of the year so good for doing it as the autumn. The extra rush of growth which the various Grasses make when the soil and air are moistened by the rains that generally fall at that season is such as to admit of the roots making good the loss which they have suffered in removal and getting well hold of the soil before winter sets in. When such work has to be done late in winter the drying March winds make gaping joints, despite a free use of the beater, necessi- tating the trouble of watering, which in dry springs, where much work of this kind has to be carried out late, causes a good deal of labour, with an unsatisfactory state of the turf through the ensuing summer. Cutting and laying turf are usually looked upon as such simple operations, that any labourer can do them, but the condition in which this kind of work when completed may often be seen proves the contrary. In the neigh- bourhood of towns, where the material has often to be bought, lurfing is usually the most unsatis- factory work connected with making new places or alterations in old ones. Much of the turf pro- curable is so foul with weeds and full of coarse Grasses, as to require an unlimited amount of weeding before it can be brought even into fair condition. To admit of turf being laid well and quickly, more care is needed in cutting the turves than is often bestowed upon that operation. Where an ordinary line is used, without constant watchfulness it gets pressed by the iron out of the straight line, causing the turves to be so much narrower or wider than they should be, and the result is that when they come to be laid there is no end of tilling in with bits required. If, instead of the line, a long, straight-edged board were used, the turves could be cut exactly equal in width and in half the time compared with where a garden line is employed, and, as will be easily understood, the longer the board the quicker the work may be got on with. The board used should have a hole an inch or two from each end that will admit of an iron pin being put through it, such as that used for a garden line. These pins thrust into the ground keep the board in its place. Under such conditions, a handy man with a sharp revolving cutter running against the edge of the board on which his feet are placed will cut the turves as straight as an arrow, and twice as fast as when the ordinary garden line is used. I need scarcely add that turves should not be rolled up for any length of time, as the Grass gets blanched and the roots dryed up, nor need I allude to the necessity for having the ground to be laid not only quite free from inequalities of surface, except such as are intentional, but also the mate- rial with which hollows are filled up made solid enough to prevent its settling into holes after- wards. Half an inch of fine soil spread on the top of newly-laid turf is a great assistance to it especially it laid at a time when dry weather may be soon afterwards looked for. Where work of this kind has yet to be done, the sooner it is completed the better, for reasons already stated. T. B. Mummy Peas. — The note respecting mummy Peas from Viscountess Ghetwynd is of a nature to stagger those sceptics who have found it GARDENERS' BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. "J. S. W." is probably, like myself, a non- subscriber to the funds of this charity, and there- fore both his and my criticisms upon the enormous sum charged for management may be deemed out of place. Still, the matter is one which concerns all gardeners, because the institution claims to be a representative one. I may mention that I am a member of a society based absolutely on the principle of mutual help. It has an income of more than X'2i,000 yearly and has hundreds of members, and the amount of work involved is great, and yet the entire cost of management an- nually does not reach £90. As the real good done by the benevolent institution is supposed to be found in the pensions granted to aged or infirm persons, I find that the amount so paid last year was £1372, and the cost of disbursing that amount was in round figures £'500, or just about one-third of the amount granted in pensions. Practically, at £20 per annum pensions, the management ex- penses of the ordinary fund alone consumes the income of 25 pensioners. — A. D. "J. S. W.'' complains of the item for travelling expenses, and a curious commentary on this has just been afforded. Mr. Cutler went down to the Preston show of the Eoyal Horticul- tural Society, and there interested a Mr. Dodson, of Blackburn, who then became an annual sub- scriber, and, on the death of his widow, a legacy of £500, less duty, came to the society, which was paid into the institution last week. How manj- more cases of the [same kind there may be one knows not, but this alone is sufficient to justify the steps taken. " J. S. W." writes as if asking for money was a pleasant occupation ; if he would perhaps try it for a little while, and see what he could add to the institution amonfrst his neigh- bours, he would perhaps alter his opinion, and be less ungenerous to those who undertake it. — Delta. As a subscriber to this institution, and one who has also taken somewhat of a working in- terest in it for the last few years, allow me to make a few remarks on what " J. S. W.' says in The Garden last week (p. 77). In doing so I would first of all say that I am as alive as any man can be to the necessity of thorough enquiry into the question of expenditure rersiis receipts in any institution that appeals to the public for support. What I mainly take exception Eto in " J. S. W. " remarks is, first, he would lead his readers to be- lieve that what he credits the secretary with receiving during the past year is annually received by him. Now, this is not so. The douceur, for in- stance, of £88 odd mentioned by "J. S. W.," was specially granted for the secretary's well- directed efforts in securing the magnificent sum of £1702 for the Augmentation Fund. It is 5 per cent, on the amount gained, which most of your readers will agree with me in saying is far from an extravagant allowance. Then, again, as to the expenses of the annual dinner, £7-1 odd, would it not have been but fair for " J. S. W." to have put opposite tliat the amount collected at that dinner — viz., over £1000 1 I for one think it would. As to the secretary's travelling expenses, I believe it is generally allowed that the results gained, as to annual subscribers and life members, by his per- sonally canvassing the gardening community at the large shows throughout the country are such, as your editorial remarks infer, as to fully Justify them. However, I am free to admit that there may be room for differences of opinion on this subject. •'J. S. W,"will, T think, be one of the first to allow that there is such an individuality in some men for certain positions, that it is difficult to put a money value on them. In my opinion, Mr. Cutler is one of those men, and that the gardening community as a body will never be able to repay him for what he has done for them. For now over forty years he has been using his .persuasive powers to induce those who " have ' to give to those who " have not,'' and has laid by the good nest-egg of £20,(100 to give solidity to the society. Thrifty habits are undoubtedly a desideratum in all classes. Meanwhile there are lots of unfortunates in the gardeningcommunity who cannot well avoid their misfortunes and who want help. The Gar- deners' Royal Benevolent Institutionis doing what it can to help tbem, and if "J. S. W." does not see fit to give it his support, why surely he should leave it alone. I may add that I know Mr. Cutler personally but slightly, and that I do not know any other official connected with the charity. — H. J. Clayton, Cfriniston, Par//, Tadcaster. Orchids. RARE ORCHIDS. In reply to " M. P. F. s " query (p. 58) allow me to say that I can find no record of Vanilla Walkeri in the books now at my disposal. Lindley de- scribes twelve species of 'Vanilla, but this one does not appear to be amongst them. Vanda spathulata is a species found wild as an epiphyte in Jlysore and Malabar. It is a plant bearing long corymbose racemes or panicles of golden yellow flowers, standing up high above the short distichous leaves, both leaves and flower- stalks being marked with red or crimson spots. Vanda rARVirLORA of Lindley, in the Botani- cal ReijistfT, vol. XXX. (1844), misc. 57, is now better known under the name of Aerides tes- taceum or A. Wightianum. It is found wild in India and Ceylon. It resembles Vanda lamellata in habit, but the flowers are small, of a pale ochre colour, and the lip is dotted with purple. Cymbidium bicolor is an oldLindleyan species (l')0t. Reg. (1839), vol. xxv., misc. 69). It was im- ported from Ceylon by Messrs. Loddiges, then of the Hackney Nurseries. The flowers are similar to those of C. aloifolium, but are more richly marked with deep red or crimson, and is readily distinguished by having a sac at the base of the lip. It has also been called C. pubescens and is not unlike C. Finlaysoniannm. Lindley was of opinion that the shorter spike and the hairy lip ought to distinguish this last plant from C. bicolor, but it is questionable whether it is more than a geographical form of that species. It was im- ported by Mr. Cuming from Singapore for Messrs. Loddiges about 1837. LiPARis lon'Gipes. — This is an Orchid that has long been grown in collections. It is now throwing up its flowers with us. It is curious, in- asmuch as one of the two or three leaves is folded around the flower-spike, and so acts as a flower- sheath in its younger stages. It was found both by Seemann and Champion growing in clefts of moist rocks in Hong Kong, but is tolerably com- mon elsewhere in the Eastern Tropics. The flowers are very small, of an apple-green colour, and re- mind one of those of the Dendrochilums, being borne on gracefully arched spikes. Its odour, however, is very disagreeable, somewhat resem- bling that of the male inflorescence of the Spanish Chestnut, or of that of the Ailantus. LUISIA zeylanica. — This, according to Rei- chenbach, used to be known in English gardens under the name of Cymbidium triste, a name which does not suggest its possessing any great beauty. It is wild in Ceylon, where Macrae seems to have first found it, and has sombre green flowers with a dull purple lip. Oberonia longibracteata.— a curious little plant, also discovered in Ceylon by Macrae, some- thing like O. iridifolia in habit, but with more fleshy leaves. Flowers minute, in rat-tail spikes ; not at all a showy Orchid, although botanically I very interesting. Feb. 7, 1885.] THE GARDEN UASS/ ■ ^G;^, 119 JOSEPHA LANCEOLATA. — I could not find the generic name of tliis Orchid until I referred to vol. iii. of the " Genera Plantarum," where I find that Josepha (not Josephia, as on p. 58) is one of Wight's genera of orchidaceoos plants, of which two species only are known. They come from Ceylon and India. The species lack beauty, bearing small greenish flowers on slender branched spikes. It may be as well to note that the generic name Josepha has also been applied to the well- known genus Bongainvillea, and that Josephia is, or rather was, Salisbury's name for the genus now known as Dryandra. It is very pleasant to hear from " M. P. F." that he has the curious Cinga- lese Cottonia pednnoularis in cultivation, and I trust that he will be so good aa to notify its flowering in The Garden whenever it happens. No doubt there are hundreds of rare Orchids now in cultivation in this country, seeing that of late years so many facilities have arisen favourable to their introduction, and it would be very in- teresting if other amateurs would follow the example of your correspondent, and record their names in The Gakden whenever they have rea- son to suppose them rarities and have failed to find their names in popular books, trade lists, or catalogues. F. W. Buebidgb. Trhilty College Botanic Gardens, Dublin. Laelia anceps Sanderiana.— Of this new Orchid, which is said to be as lovely as Dawson's variety, large quantities of imported plants were sold last Tuesday at Protheroe and Morris's sale rooms, Cheapside. .Some 160 lots were sold, and these included some huge masses, which fetched from 4G, 42, 38, 3(5 guineas down to 10 guineas, Dendrobium nobile 'WalUclii.— Wal- lich'a variety of this well-known Dendrobe is not only quite distinct from the original, but superior in point of colour, the flowers being larger and dirker. The growth, too, is stouter and of a paler green. Dr. Soper has fine plants of both flowering side by side in one of his houses in the Clapham Road. Both are fairly smothered with bloom, and, as may be imagined, have a charming appearance. They have been subjected to treatment, the object of which was to thoroughly ripen the bulbs during late summer and autumn. Calanthes at Po'wrderhain Castle.— Mr. McCrowe (p. 24) asks for the names of Calanthes which were subjected to cool treatment here while resting. Mr. Powell has kindly furnished me with them. They are as follows : C. Veitchi, vestita luteo-oculata, nivalis, and Turneri. I do not think that cool treatment could have been the cause of Mr. McCrowe's failure, as no plants could possibly look better than those at Powder- ham. As to their standing in a conservatory when in flower, that is another matter. I never remember seeing them remain in good condition when in flower in a temperature much below 60°. —J. C. C. Odontoglossum Rossi majus.— Of this charming Orchid we have received flowers from various correspondents during the past week. Mr. Horsman sends from his nursery at Mark's Tey a beautiful gathering of several varieties, differing chiefly in the depth of tint, some being very dark and others very pale. The variety rubescens is the deepest of all and very loyely, the whole flower being flushed with a purplish rose tint. Judging by the fine spikes sent, Mr. Horsman grows this Orchid to perfection. Another gathering comes from Mr. Sanderson, Talbot House, Edinburgh, whose specimens are also extremely pretty, one form being almost white and another unusually dark. ■Vanda peduncularls.— I am glad that "F. W. B." has directed attention (p. 51) to this interesting Orchid. The illustration is a faithful representation of the plant in question. I know it well, having flowered it several times. We have two plants of it growing in teak baskets suspended from the roof in the Cattleya house, on which there are at present four flower-spikes— two 18 inches long and two smaller. It is very free- flowering, and will remain in flower three months. It grows freely, and requires no particular care as to management. Our two plants, together with a number of other Orchids, were sent from Dharwar, Bombay, seven years ago. No one whom we knew could tell us the name of this Vanda-like Orchid, but three years ago we sent flowers and leaves of it to Prof. Picichenbach, who named it Cottonia pedancularis. — James Koutlbdgb, Freelands, Perilt. Phalaenopsis leucorrhoda.— This, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful of all the Phal^nopsids, whether species or hybrids. It possesses the handsome foliage of P. Schilleriana while the flowers most resemble those of P. ama- bilis in form, particularly as regards the hair-like cirrhi on the lip. The type P. leucorrhoda pos- sesses a lovely delicate pink colour, but now there is a white form of it which, I think, is not so pleas- ing, inasmuch as it too closely resembles the commoner P. amabilis. A fine form of the typical leucorrhoda has just flowered in Mr. Sonny's nur- sery, Downs Park Road, Hackney, where it, as well as all the other Phalsenopsids, are most successfully grown. It is gratifying to see such healthy and vigorous plants without even a trace of spot on the leaves, which is so commonly seen on Phala;- nopsids. The collection, moreover, is particularly rich in varieties, all being especial favourites with Mr. Bonny, who pays close attention to their requirements. — "V. Phalsenopsida at Clapton.— Lovers of Orchids who would like to see a matchless display of the various kinds of Phalaanopsis should visit the Clapton Nurseries during the next week. They will see there thousands of plants in one house, all either in full bloom or bursting their buds ; in fact, there is quite a thicket of spikes rising on a groundwork of most exquisitely marbled foliage of such species as P. Schilleriana, which is grown and imported the most numerously. This species alone affords a great diversity in the tint of the flowers, and these, intermingled with the white P. amabilis, produce a charming effect. P. grandiflora is another species imported largely, and of the lovely new P. Sanderiana Messrs. Low have just flowered one of the finest forms that has been seen, the flowers being large, finely shaped, and of a deep rose-pink, but of quite a different shade of colour from that of P. Schilleriana. A superb P. leucorrhoda elegans has also just flowered. These exceptional varieties do not long remain at Clapton ; they are eagerly bought by connoisseurs, so that unless one is fortunate to visit the nursery just at the time they begin to expand their flowers, they do not have the oppor- tunity of seeing them. Dendrobium 'Waltoni. — This Dendrobe is now one of the most beautiful, and at the same time one of the most interesting. Orchids in flower in the vast collections in Messrs. Low's nursery at Clapton. It is reputedly a natural hybrid between D. Wardianum and D. crassinode; it possesses characters exactly intermediate between these two species, both as regards flowers and growth. The latter is long, as in Wardianum, but the bulbs have swollen nodes, though not so marked as in crassinode. They are midway between the parents in size, but most resemble those of crassinode in colour. The lip, however, bears two conspicuous black or almost black blotches, which are not seen in crassinode. It is a most floriferous plant, the bulbs, which are from 2 feet to 3 feet high, being thickly wreathed with flowers. It is, of course, rare, and probably always will be, as it is quite a chance if ever it is imported again. Among other Dendrobes which may be seen in flower at this nursery are D. heterocarpum, which quite scents the house with its delightful perfume, D. Ains- worthi, D. Wardianum by the thousand, D. for- mosum giganteum, D. philippinense, a variety of D. heterocarpum. Later on the housefuls of Dendrobes will afford a grand display, including such rarities as D. Brymerianum, of which there are large quantities ; D. Falconeri, grown admir- ably in small pans ; and D. Jamesianum and infun- dibulum. Of the two last named species there is the healthiest stock that one could possibly see, which, having regard to the fact that they are not the easiest to manage, is the more remarkable. The plants are grown in suspended pans close under the roof, where they gefe^lenty of light, and almost constant currents of air sure passing above them. The stout and vigorous growths which the plants have made since they were imported glearly show that they are under the proper treatment. Parks & Public Gardens. BOTANICAL GARDENS, MANCHESTER. The following is written with the intention of letting the public know something cf our present requirements and recent proceedings. About four years ago we found that the old range of glass- houses which had been standing for fifty years was worn out, and its removal became imperative ; consequently it was taken down and a new range was built, not so imposing as the old one, but far better adapted for cultural purposes. Two years later it was found that the exhibition house was not safe ; this also had to be demolished, and the present fine house was built. These improvements have been effected at a cost of £6000. This amount has been raised partly by the creation of life members, partly by the successful Whitsuntide exhibitions, and partly by donations from friends of the society. When the present magnificent exhibition house was finished many gentlemen who had plants which had grown too large for their houses, and who had also a desire to embel- lish the building, presented some fine specimens of various kinds. These, with some of the old plants saved from the old houses in the garden, numbering together 200 fine plants, are at the present time in the exhibition house, and form a magnificent spectacle. Now, inasmuch as the whole of these plants will have to be removed to make room for the great anntial display at AVhit- suntide, and inasmuch as we have no house to protect them, are they to perish ? This must be the case to a certain extent unless a suitable home be provided. Our only sources of income are derived from annual subscriptions, life member- ship, and receipts from exhibitions. I mention this because the other day when asking a gentle- man for support he asked me, " What amount do you receive from Government 1 " It is an unfor- tunate circumstance that the need for these ex- traordinary items of expenditure should have come upon us all at once, but it is, of course, a circum- stance over which no one has had any control. The exhibitions of horticultural produce, which for so many years have taken place here, have been among the most attractive events in Lan- cashire ; liberal rewards have produced keen competition, and gardeners know that to be the gainer of a prize at Manchester is to stand at the head of their class. Knowledge has been sought for, and improved methods of cultivation have been gradually discovered. Horticulture is the parent of agriculture. It determines on a small scale the value of the principles on which an extended cultivation of the soil depends. It is also associated with our food, our wealth and many of our social enjoyments. It is very gratifying to read in the public prints of large sums being given from time to time for pur- poses of art study and the preservation of art treasures. Surely it is of equal importance that a suitable home be provided for Nature's treasures. In the best periods of art the science and art of gardening was united to the sister arts of archi- tecture, sculpture, and painting. Then the same feeling pervaded and the same principles regu- lated them all, and if the misuse and misapplica- tion of these principles in later times have forced again upon us the simple study and imitation of Nature, individual arts have suf- fered by their disjunction, and it is satisfactory to know that they are now more combined. It is very generally admitted that the Manchester Botanical Society has been for many years doing important public work. At the annual meeting of the society two years ago the president of the in- stitution said : " In merely a utilitarian and mate- rial point of view he had no doubt it had a great deal more than repaid any expenditure which it had caused, but far above and beyond that he was quite certain that in a place like Manchester and 120 THE GARDEN [Fen. 7, 1885. a county such as Lancashire, it furnished a civilis- ing and hamanibing agency with which they could not afford to dispense." I may tt ate that the sum rerjuired is i:2000, and it is earnestly hoped that this sum will be raised by an exten- sion of membership and donations from ladies and gentlemen who have the means to assist so worthy an object. Bruce Findlav. Old Trafforrl. SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. Our American friends are great at societies, at fetes, orations, and so on. They have lately started a florists' society, to which we wish all success. If it be managed as well as the American Pomo- logical Society, all who work for it will have rea- §oa to be proud. Mr. Thorpe, the president, sends ns some particulars, which we herewith give. The first meeting will be held at Cincinnati next August, and the plan of inaugurating it with a large exhibition is a good one. We trust that the society will put its energies to better use than that to which some of the societies in the old country have done, the outline of a penny-piece being here held to be the best possible one for all flowers called florists' flowers. We are sure, however, our American friends, with their new artistic aspira- tions, their splendid flora, and their excellent jour- nals, will not be tied by such a narrow limitation. " The aim of the society is to lift up and carry forward all that tends to advance the growth of flowers, to collect and difl'use from the best sources information that shall be beneficial to all its members, to care for and instruct all in the best modes of carrying on a successful business, to help those overtaken by misfortune, and form a brotherhood worthy of the goddess Flora. The plan of action is to have a yearly meeting at one of the larger cities ; in connection with these there will be an exhibition. At such meetings the business of the society will be conducted, the transactions of the year previous will be presented, and the programme for the ensuing year laid down. The exhibitions will be entirely novel, and of such interest as will be worthy of the Society of American Florists. The desirability of forming either a hail fund or a hail insurance company is generally conceded, and it will receive careful thought and prompt action on the part of the society at its first annual meeting in Cincin- nati. Practical papers, short, concise, and fall of instraction,will be read at the meetings and printed with the reports each year. No new plant or flower, no device or invention of merit will go un- rewarded. Medals and certificates will be given for deserving exhibits. The society will take especial care to have everything reported in the best manner." leaves and staltle maDure. piuduciog a bottom-heat of S5^.' They have been there for lour weeks, and as yet exhibit no signs of growth. What can be the matter with them?— D. T. ARRANGING HERBACEOl'S BORDERS. Will any of the readers of The Garden kindly help me as regards the following? My borders are very thickly planted with all kinds of spring and other bulbs, besides a la' .so collection of herba- ceous plants that flower at all seasons. I find that there is a great inconvenience in this system ; though the bulbs look lovely and come up per- fectly through the plants, yet the impossibility of shifting the position of the herbaceous plants or making any rearrangement, and the difiiculty of finding a suitable spot very often for a new treasure is great, owing to the risk of disturbing the large mass of bulbs which cover the ground ; consequently the border is rapidly getting into a regular muddle— the herbaceous plants grow so fast and get far beyond the space originally allotted to them. I am therefore thinking of de- voting one border entirely to my bulbs, including all spring ones — Lilies, Hyacinthus candicans, Tigridias, and Cape bulbs. I should like to carpet the entire border with one of the Sedums, cutting out .'paces to be filled with choice carpet plants, whose flowering seasons should be during the summer and autumn, when the spring bulbs are over. The bulbs would be planted through these various carpets, according to their suitability in colour, growth, &c. I should also propose to have in the border choice small evergreen shrubs. Ericas and such things as Yuccas and small standard Myrtles, round and under which the bulbs could be grouped. I am anxious to know if this plan would be successful and what may be its disad- vantages. I thought of introducing annuals, such as Sunflowers, Stocks, Asters, &c., and perhaps a few bedding plants in groups for the autumn. Any help in this matter from those who possess practical knowledge will be gratefully received. Would anyone kindly give me the names of choice carpet plants which, while serving as a carpet for bulbs, would flower at a different time, and thus prevent the border from looking hopelessly unin- teresting when the bulbs should be past ? O. A. first made very soon wears off, as anyone who has had to do with them will have found, leaving the black mass underneath visible. The fact of having to put a coat of loose gravel on the top after the walks are made to hide the surface is indeed strong evidence against the use of such material. This I have seen done, and not more than half-a- dozen thunder showers fell before the loose sur- facing was washed into the drains, which were choked with it, necessitating their being taken up and theasphalte as well, which was done away with, the owner of the garden remarking that he was rather pleased in having an excuse for getting rid of his ugly walks. Anyone requiring a solid, impervious walk as dry and hard as the best asphalte, with none of its objectionable properties, and that will last for a lifetime, can have it by adopting the concrete walks which I recommended, but even with them there is an absence of the garden-like appearance which those possessing correct taste in such matters require. T. B. QUESTIONS. Chryssnthemums In America. — My gardener, Mr. John Farrell, has been successful this year in growing some of the finest standard Chrysanthemums ever shown in this country. He exhibited eight to the New York Horticultural Society, ranging in height from 7 feet to 8 feet fi inches. We had one, Elaine, which was 9 feet 6 inches, but that was unfortunately broken by a severe wind storm. The craze for the queen of autumn in this country has been nobly met by Mr. John Thorpe, of Queen's, Long Island, and to whom we are indebted for some magnificent new seedling?. The display of cut flowers at our late show was large, among them being some new varieties of Chinese, Japanese, single-flowered, and Anemone-flowered. The most perfect specimens were a Comte de Germiny (magenta and gold), Jeanne d'Arc (white), and Lady St. Clair (white). — Wm. Barb, Orange, Nen Jersey. 6314.— Blue glase.— I shall be glad if any of your readers can give me any information .as to the use of blue glass in \ineries.— Amateur. .oai5. — Rhododendron campylocarpum. — Can anyone tell me where I can procure a plant of this Hima- lay an Rhododendron?— Constant Keapek. .^316. — GJadloli.— Can any of your readers give me any information about Gladiolus angustinus and G. alatus? fan I obtain bulbs of them anywhere? — B. 5317.— Cape Heathe. — Would some successful grower of both summer and wioter-floweiing greenhouse Heaths kindly tell me the proper mode of cultivation — whether they require pruning back (if so, how far? and when is the proper time to do it ?), also the proper time for repottiDg ? -J. w. 5318 — Tacponlas and mealy bug.— I had a very fine Tacsonia in my conservatory, but was obliged, owing to its being infested with mealy bug, to cut it down, es- pecially as the insect had spread over aU the other plants. Can any of your readers inform me whether the Tacsonia is always attacked by this disagreeable insect ? and if so, how it can be kept under?— G. C. 5319. —Lily of the Valley.— Can any of your corre- epondents give me any information about failure of the Lily of the Valley? It h-as quite refused to start into growth with me. I got a few imported clumps, also im- ported crowns, in November. I had them carefully potted about the first week in December. I placed si.\ pots of them in a pit filled with leaves, in which the heat was 65'. There they remained for three weeks, when I removed them to the forcing pit, which was filled with ASPHALTE WALKS. Sheffield may be said to be the home of as- phalte garden walks, as in that neighbourhood they were much used before they were adopted to any extent worth naming elsewhere. It is there fore quite possible that " S. W." may have become so accustomed to the sight of them, that he fails to see their defects. The latter, however, so far outweigh any good there is in them, that it is sur- prising to find any gardener advocating their use, which, however, " S. W." only does in a qualified way, as he owns they are not fit for flower gar- dens or pleasure grounds — an admission which most people will look upon as a sufficient reason for their exclusion from kitchen gardens, which at the present day those who have an eye for anything beyond the use of the crops grown in them are trying to make fairly cheerful and in- viting in appearance, a condition not possible where this material is used, unless those who fre- quent them are colour-blind. Those who, notwithstanding the objections at- tached to asphalte walks, and still disposed to have them, would do well to avoid following " S. W.'s " advice in their construction. The cinders which he recommends, though much used when asphalte was first adopted, is the worst material that can be employed, as is well known by .anyone who has had an opportunity of comparing walks made with them with others where good clean gravel or small broken limestone formed the body of the composi- tion. " S. W " tries to make out that what I have said on the subject was based on insuflicient ac- quaintance with it, but in this he is wrong. In my time I have had to make both coal-tar walks and carriage drives and put up with the infliction of their ugly appearance. The veneering of spar or other bright-coloured material of which " S. W." speaks usually laid on the top when the walks are ZATE NOTES. Primulas (P. H. Lucas).— KW the sorts you jeud are beautiful, but we at once singled out the brilliant crimson as the finest, the colour being quite »s vivid as that of any sort we have seen exhibited in London. The pale pink sort, too, is beautiful ; the rest are only ordinary sorts. Violets.- We propose to illustrate in colour the finer forms of the various groups of sweet Violets now in culti- vai ion— single, double, white, and Neapolitan. We shall, therefore, be graft ful to any reader who will tell us where they are well grown and plentiful. The London fog is not kind to them. White Plume Celery.— I am pleased to see that "J. .S. W." (p. 7o) and "T. B." (p. 02) agree in their doubts as to the merits of this new Celery. I do not think that either of them can have seen it, and they hive evidently no experience of it; but what of that? As " ,T. S. W." wishes to know more about it, he cannot do better than obtain seeds of it and try it himse'f.— J. MUIR, Margam Park, South Wales. Crocus Imperatl.— ^^'hy is this little beauty so seldom seen outside a botanic garden ? Few people visit such places in winter ; hence it is very seldom seen at all It is now fairly cheap (4s. 6d. per dozen), and Is so lovely, tliat everyone who cares for early flowers should grow a clump of it. It was figured in Thr Garden ten years ago (Vol VII , p. 242), but the figure does not do it justice in its delicate tinting of pale bufi .and mauve —GREENWOOD. The rainfall.-" .T S. A " .asserts that the rainfall of 1884 was halt the average. I shou'd, as one interested in such matters, he glad to know where that was, although from his observations he seems ti imply that it was so generally in England ; if so, it is utterly wide of the mark. Here, in Kent, our averagie for the three years, 1881, 1882, and 1SS3, was 29-40, in 1884 22-54, and I believe something like these flgiu-es applies to the gi-eater part of England. — DELT.l. Landscatje gardeners (C. Sch ).— Mr. F. L.Olmsted, 2i:.9, West 46th .street, New York. Naming plants.— i'ortr kindi of plants or flowers iml;i can be named at one time, and this only when good specimentiare ient. Names of plant?.- fi^noci-jioJian.- Helbborus foeti- dus It. Young.— 1, Brassavola cordata ; 2, .^accolabium rubrum var. ; 3, Dendrobium luteolum ; 4, Dendrobium speciosum. A. O. B.— Chimonanthus fragrans grandi- ttorns.- — J. McMillan.' I'rceolina pendula E. J. B — 1. Cyperus .alternifolius ; 2, Croton angustifolius : 3, Aloe verrucosa ; 4, Kriostemon parvlfolium. P. J- C— Next week.— if. ir.-Odontoglossum Fossi majus. J. A.. New- sTiam.-Cattleya Warscewiczi delicata. THE GARDEN 121 /Vo. 691. SATURDAY, Feb. 14, 7885. Vol. XXVII. " This is an Art Which does mend Nature ; chanixe it rather : but The akt itself is nature."— SAatejware. WINTEU GARDENS. When Bacon wrote his memorable essay on gar- dens, and regretted that fine gardening was so much more rare than good archil ectnre, it was, without doubt, to open-air gardening that his allusions were made. A well planted garden is interesting and cheerful at all times and seasons, but winter is after all the true test and touch- stone of the gardener's art. More especially is this true in the case of town parks and open spaces wherein a desert of bare earth but too often succeeds the flowers of summer. In spring and autumn we have greenery and the brightest of flower-colour everywhere, but just "now is the winter of our discontent," when fresh leafage or jewel-like glints of colour here and there are as precious as is the sunshine itself of these wintry days. After all, there are many plants in our gar- dens which will pass through our worst winters unscathed, and even were we confined to our native shrubs alone, we have Hollies and Ivies of kinds many and varied, and a judicious use of these, unaided by exotics, would at least give an air of cheerfulness to the beds and borders which are, alas ! too of ten left desolate and tenant- less from November until February. As a fact, we have hardy plants by the hundred with which to bridge over that period of desolation which be- gins with the fading of the Chrysanthemum and only leaves us when the "golden Crocus crowns the green." Of all horticultural truisms, that particular one of Cowper's, "Who loves a garden loves a greenhouse too," is, perhaps, the most self- evident in our gardens to-day. You see hot- houses or greenhouses everywhere, and far be it from our intention to deprecate their right and proper employment, since only by their aid can we ever hope to enjoy to the full the grace of tender Ferns or the delightful delicacy of tropical Orchids in our northern climate. But the glass- house, with all its excellences and comfortable conveniences, brought in its train some evils, not the least of which was that it rendered possible the expulsion of those dear old flowers which our great grandmothers loved as children. That it also opened the way for that era of gaudy bed- ding plants, a mania, the excess of which all true gardeners deplore, is, of course, well known. Then, as we have before said, the eagerness to be em- ployed under a glass roof has actually demoralised our gardeners as a class, and so brought about an evil it will take years of good teaching to remedy. But the pleasures of a true and vigorous renaissance is ours, for not only have we brought back to the quaint and cosy country houses all the old favourites of Gerard and Parkinson — in a word, the flowers of Shakespeare's epoch — but so strong is this reviving love, that hundreds, if not thou- sands, of the beautiful wild flowers of Europe, Northern Asia, and of America never before culti- vated are now to be found in English gardens. What now seems to us most necessary is some well-directed effort towards enlivening our gar- dens during the dullest portion of the year, using for this purpose plants that are perfectly hardy and beautiful in leafage at least, even if not in blossom. It is so easy to "paint the Lily," or, in other words, to make the garden gay in sum- mer time — Nature does that, but to do so in winter is a far greater triumph. Outdoor gardening, in a word, is like fine sculp- ture. We appreciate it only after having passed through the " valley of humiliation " of art. So also must the artistic gardener struggle through the flashy triumphs of hothouses and stoke-holes, of bedding plants and glass roofs, ere the noble simplicity and ever-growing beauty of open- air gardening is revealed to him. Given a deep rich soil, well drained, of course, and its poten- tialities are as Infinite as clay in the modeller's hands. It is the canvas on which may be painted a living picture of ever-changing beautiful things. We must have evergreen shrubs for groups on the Grass and drapery for tree trunks or bare walls. In smoky districts or near towns Conifers of all kinds are perfectly useless, and one must mainly em- ploy glossy-leaved Hollies, Ivies, Aucubas, Euony- muses, and perhaps Rhododendrons in bold groups. The large-leaved golden Ivy is especially warm and bright in tone, and should be largely employed in suitable positions on walls or pillars, where its glowing colour may remind one of " sunshine in a shady place. Beside it for contrast the Coral Thorn or Pyracantha may be planted for the sake of its winter harvest of bright red fruit, as recommended by Parkinson 250 years ago. So also the oval- leaved Garrya may be employed, since even now its soft grey tassels dangle in the breeze, remind- ing one of the Willow catkins or Palms of early spring. The golden Japanese or winter Jasmine is also a most valuable shrub, and an Ivied wall bespangled with its golden stars is now a pretty sight. Then for variety we must have the Japan Allspice, the waxen buds and bells of which al- ready glisten on its ash-grey shoots and exhale a perfume beyond description. The Strawberry Ar- butus also has every shoot tipped with clusters of pale waxy bells and the round red fruits glisten warmly from among the last year's leaves. A few rich brown or vivid golden Wallflowers are peep- ing here and there, and the smaller blue Periwinkle is in flower, and by looking closely one may per- ceive the points of the Snowdrop and the broader tips of Dafiodil leaves peering in groups among its trailing stems. On sunny mornings you may catch the breath of Violets and the magic perfume of dying Strawberry leaves, and the scent of Rosemary and the aromatic odour of Box and of golden Thyme is abroad. During the short dark days indeed every floweret, every fragrant green leaf is ap- preciated at its true value, and at no other time of the year are the results of good gardening so acceptable as at the present season, and after all there is no reason why our parks and gardens should not be cheerful and interesting, even if not absolutely showy, during winter. We can have columns of the golden Ivy before mentioned ; the crimson shoots of the Dogwood may gleam here and there near to water margins in contrast with the slender wands of the golden Osier. We can have 'clumps or beds of the Christmas Roses, of which there are three or four noble varieties, each and all ;of them finer in leafage and in blos- soming than is the common wild type now most generally seen. Of Yuccas, which are really great evergreen Lilies of noble appearance at all sea- sons, we have a dozen species all good, and all of which may be well grown in London gardens if once well planted in beds of rich, good, well- drained soil. But to obtain beautiful effects all the year round in a garden demands much thought and some experience ; and after all, gardeners capable of the highest effort in this direction are so much like the poets, that they must be born rather than made. F. W. B. NOTES ON RECENT NUMBERS. Freesias. — We should all like to grow these well, but which are we to imitate ? Messrs. Smith say (p. 99), " Bottom-heat, we would remark, should be carefully avoided ; we have always found this to mean no flowers and ruin to the bulbs." The beautiful Freesias " 2 feet in height and laden with dozens of perfect blooms " (p. 102) grown at Blackheath, Clontarf, " were potted early and started in the brisk bottom-heat of a propa- gating house." Doubtless a larger amount of fresh air found its way to these latter, while Messrs. Smith may have tried theirs in an ordi- nary Melon frame. Which will be the better bulbs for blooming next year ? Open-air flowers.—" G. J." gives an in- teresting list (p. 100) of flowers in bloom in the open-air on February o, but he does not say whether he is a Scilly islander or a Skye crofter. To those who do not happen to know his habitat by his initials, his list loses much of its value. The omission of the locality, as well as the omis- sion of the date, often spoils what would otherwise be valuable communications. Church decoration (p. 103) —There have been some eulogistic remarks lately on improved taste in church decoration, and many seem to revel in a description of pots of Eucharis, Poinset- tias, Ferns, &c., massed on the altar steps. To me they always recall the idea of the ornamentation of a concert platform, or a stage for private theatricals, or a musician's dais in a ball room. At all events there is nothing to guarantee that these same plants will not afterwards do duty in such a capacity if they have not already done so. The old plan, ugly and overdone, as it often was, nevertheless consisted in a dedication of the beauties of Nature to the use of the church, and except in cases where the flowers were afterwards sent to a hospital (a practice with which no fault can be found) there is no prominent association with secular customs. I do not wish to set people altogether against the use of pot plants for church decoration, but I would suggest that the custom is very liable to abuse, and if the means are at hand the temptation to overdo it is very great. Slugs. — We often see queries as to the best means of getting rid of slugs. " S. G.'' (p. 102) gives an excellent recipe for catching them, viz., a pinch of new bran. To those who have not tried it, though it has often been recommended, let me advise slices of raw Potato where bran cannot well be employed, either on account of its being likely to be disturbed, or because the remains of the heaps would be untidy. Let me also recommend for killing when caught a jug or jam-pot full of hot water, into which the sticky creatures may easily be dropped ; it is a pleasanter method of disposing of them than chopping them up where there are large numbers, as sometimes happens out of doors among a bed of Iris, and it is less cruel than salt or lime, which tortures them ; whereas the hot water kills immediately and cleans one's fingers, if used, at the same time. Hybridisation — Any rules that we can lay down for certain as to hybridisation are sure to prove most valuable, and Mr. Archer-Hind's ex- perience (p. 112) may no doubt be considered one of the canons or primary rules on the subject. I amused myself two years ago by trying to cross all kinds of Orchids, and though I have nothing to show for my pains beyond a lot of seed-pods, not having succeeded in raising any plants, I noticed at the time that in cases where flowers with pollen masses of two distinct sizes were chosen the smaller pollen would fertilise the flower originally contain- ing the larger pollen ; whereas the larger pollen •X'). THE GARDEN [FBn. 14, 1885. would not have any effect on the flower of the smaller. This, of course, may only have been chance, bat it would be worth noticing in other genera of plants, to see if it can be fixed as a rule. Chimonanthua fruiting (p. 117). — I gathered a number of seed-pods a little while ago from a plant on a wall in Sussex. We shall, no doubt, hear of many unusual seedings this last autumn, owing to its great heat and dryness ; and what a wealth of bloom may we not expect this year from the thorough ripening of the wood in all flowering shrubs ! C. R. S. D. PLANTS IN FLOWER; Anthurlum ferrleriense. — Of this new hybrid variety a wonderful spathe was shown on Tuesday last at South Kensington by Sir Trevor Lawrence. It measured 84 inches in length by 6 inches in width, the colour lieing a crimsoncarniine. This is by far the largest spathe that has yet been exhibited of this plant. Violets. — I send you a few Violets for your opinion. In 188.3 we obtained the second prize for Violets at a show in Plymouth, the first prize having been given for some grown under glass. In 1881 at the same show we obtained the first prize. We plant our Violets wide apart, just as we do Strawberries, in soil manured from a heap of decayed vegetable matter, the refuse of plants, leaves, &c., of the year before. The rock below in this parish is shale.— E. Uobebts, Tamertoii 17- caraye, near Plymouth. *** Extremely fine single Violets, large and fragrant, and of a deep purple, in the way of Vic- toria Regina. — Ed. Rhododendron Nobleanum This was in flower with us outdoors at the end of January, which is early for our high locality; yet the first three weeks of the new year were charac- terised by a low and steady temperature and several sharpish morning frosts. I may mention that the prospects of getting a fine Rhododendron bloom this year are very cheering, for both old and young plants are well set with buds. This is our year to get a full display. As a matter of course, we always get a good show of blossom, but only a full display every other year ; the plants flower so freely one year, that they re- quire some rest the next to recruit their strength. ~J. C. C. Early Irises.— Mr. Ware sends us flowers of the following early flowering Irises from Totten- ham, whether from the open air or from frames he does not say : Three forms of I. reticulata ; the type cyanea, of a lovely sky blue colour, and pur- purea, of a deeper and richer hue than that of the type. I. Histrio is very fine, and as it is so sel- dom seen is of exceptional interest. It is a bul- bous Iris, having quadrangular leaves and flowers larger than those of I. reticulata, deep lilac spotted on the " falls " with deep purple. Besides these there are flowers of two other bulbous species, viz., I. tuberosa, the Snake Iris, and I. scorpioides pallida, the latter variety being of a very pale lavender tint, quite distinct from the original. Anemone fulgens.— A bunch of glowing scarlet Anemones in mid-February, such as Mr. Smith sends us from Guernsey, cannot be passed over without comment. The flowers of A. fulgens are truly beautiful— such as cannot be matched for either brilliancy or elegance throughout the whole range of tender exotics. We presume they have been opened under glass, and what flower is more worthy of shelter and protection ? These satiny black-bossed blooms seem to us ten times more vivid now than later on in the season. Per- haps Mr. Smith would tell our readers how he manages to get his early Anemones so fine. He is, however, favoured with a much better climate than we have. Rosea in February.— The other morning (1st inst.) I cut a bunch of Roses, six or seven in number, chiefly Teas, from the open ground, quite sufliciently good for a drawing-room table. They included Marie Van Hoiitte, Souvenir dun Ami, and Souvenir de Malmaison. The winter here has been almost entirely of a negative character- There has been practically no frost, no snow, no rain (till January, and not very much then), no light, no sunshine, no mildness. The only posi- tive conditions have been wind and rawness. Nevertheless, there has seldom been so little sign of growth at this season, except perhaps in bulbs, many of which, such as Narcissi, Irises, &c, are pushing strongly. Primroses and Violets are and have been pretty plentiful, and Jlignonette is not yet killed in the beds.— Greenwood, Movhston-n, iJuhlin. Guernsey Freeslas— Again our office is redolent with the fragrance of (Juernsey-grown Frcesias, which Mr. Charles Smith has been good enough to send us from his Caledonia nursery. Each time the spikes seem to eclipse those sent previously. On this occasion he sends some really wonderful specimens of what he calls F.Leichtlini major, the spikes of which measure L':J feet high. They are much branched, and on those spikes sent there are no fewer than 110 flowers and buds, the yield of three bulbs. This speaks for itself of the kind of growth our Guernsey friends manage to get from their Freesias. The details of their mode of culture were given in last week's Garden. This Leichtlini major variety is a strong growing plant, with broad foliage like that of an ordinary Gladiolus. The flowers are larger than usual, of a pale primrose tint, dashed interiorly with orange. On one spike there are thirteen flowers— the largest number we have ever seen on one spike. The perfume is scarcely so strong as that of F. refract a alba. CalUpsyche aurantiaca —This is one of several Amaryllids which appear to owe their in- troduction to a resemblance in their leaves and bulbs to the Eucharis, and which have therefore been picked up by collectors and sent home as possible " good things." They are found in the same localities as the Eucharis, viz., the Andes of Peru and Colombia, as is also the recent intro- duction Plagioliiion Horsmani, named in compli- ment to Mr. F. Horsman, who was the first to flower it, and to whom Kew is indebted for the Callipsyche now in flower in the liegonia house. It has brown truncated bulbs, a pair of Eucharis- like leaves, and an'erect flower-scape which bears an umbel of about half-a-dozen flowers. The.se con- sist of six segments, each about 3 inches long, with a tubular arrangement, and slightly compressed laterally. The stamens protrude an inch or so beyond the flower segments, which are of a dull yellow colour. C. aurantiaca is not a beautiful plant when placed beside its brethren, the Eu- charises, although interesting in the structure of its flowers. At least it is worth knowing, because of its resemblance when not in flower to much better garden plants. A figure of the Kew speci- men has been prepared for the Soianical Maga- :ine. — B. Single Camellias.— Some new seedhng single flowered Camellias sent to us by the raiser, Mr. Scrase Dickins, of Coolhurst, Horsham, dis- close quite a new and unlooked-for type of flower beauty. Single and half-double Camellias have been, and still are, common enough in gardens, but those now before us are quite a distinct race, different from the ordinary large and coarse single Camellias. Keeping a sharp look out for the best single sorts he could find, and by raising quanti- ties himself and selecting the finest, Mr. Scrase Dickins has succeeded in getting together a collec- tion of most beautiful varieties remarkable for the refined form of the flowers, and rich and varied in colour. Some half dozen sorts are sent, all of which have medium-sized flowers with petals of firm substance, and so broad as to quite overlap. The colours include a rich crimson, a carmine, a rose-pink, a salmon-pink, and, prettiest of all, a pure white. All these have a cylindrical mass of golden-tipped stamens in the centre, which lend such beauty to the flowers. We quite expect that these single Camellias will be the forerunners of a race of varieties which will be of great value in gardens, and that they will become popular among those who can appreciate real flower beauty goes without sijing. Mr. Scrase Dickins is sanguine of eclipsing even his present set of single sorts, as he is employing every means to do so. We hope shortly to give a coloured plate of these Camell as in The Garden. ORCHID NOTES. Varieties of Cattleya Trianse -We have received from 'Mr. Bradshaw, Baron Ferdi- nand Rothschild's gardener at Waddesdon Manor, flowers of three exceptionally fine varieties of C. Triana?, each of which it would be diiticult to eclipse, even among the pick of thousands of im- ported plants. One of these is appropriately named venosa, inasmuch as the labellum of the flowers is abundantly reticulated with veins and stripes, which extend far into the throat. The flower is large, and the delicately tinted sepals stand out boldly, so as to form a symmetrical flower. The second is a magnificent variety, at once re- minding one of the rare C. Russelliana, the label- lum being of unusual brilliancy, the colour, the richest amethyst imaginable, being set off by the broad mass of chrome-yellow in the throat. The sepals are pale rose, rounded in outline, and very broad ; this certainly deserves a distinctive name. The third is not inferior to the other two, but is different, as the labellum has a distinct defined margin of rose, the body colour being an intensely deep rich purple shaded with carmine. Barely have we received three such fine varieties by one post as these. Orchids at St. Albans.— Already the liouses at Messrs. Sander's Orchid nurseries are putting on a gay appearance, and shortly there will be such a display of Orchid bloom as could not be seen elsewhere, for thousands upon thou- sands of plants, particularly Cattleyas and Odon- toglossums, massed in the capacious houses will be in bloom. At the present time the Phalsenopsis house is the gayest, the plants being all in the height of their fiowering season. The new house specially built here for Phalajnopsids, and which was described a short time since in The Garden, seems to suit the requirements of these plants admirably, as the thick fleshy and spotless leaves and large flowers clearly indicate. Some of the spikes are carrying no fewer than fifty fiowers, and the whole aspect of the house is charming in the extreme. P. Stuartiana is represented by several forms, all more or less distinct from each other, but there are two which are a long way ahead of the rest ; these are nobilis andpunctatissima. The first is tolerably well known ; the flowers are larger than those of the type, and the spotting is richer and more pronounced. In punctatissima the whole flower is completely covered with minute dots in addition to the usual spots on the labellum and two lower sepals. It is therefore most distinct and extremely lovely. There is among the Schillerianas likewise a great variety, as may be imagined where such quanti- ties are grown. These vary more in the depth of colour than in the size of the flower, though there is one that is much superior to the others in this respect, as the blooms measure over 3 inches in diameter and have rounded sepals, which make a well filled out flower. The colour, too, is a deep rose, shaded off at the edges of the sepals to almost a white. Besides the commoner kinds of Cattleyas in bloom there is one that deserves more notice from cultivators than it usually gets. This is C. bogotensis. The flower resembles that of a Trian.-B, but the tube of the lip is short and thin; in this particular it differs from Trian.-p, to which it is undoubtedly nearly allied. The sepals of bogotensis are rounded and partake of the form of C. Percivaliana, while the lip is deeply veined with rich purple, the lower lobe being of a deep plum colour. Among novelties which one is always sure to meet with here I noticed a new Saccolabium in the way of S. Holfordianum, which has a broad, peculiarly formed lip. It will, I think, be welcome by orchidists. These are a few of the things I noticed in a hurried run round these remarkable nurseries during the past week. — Visitor. Feb. 14, 1885.] THE GAKDEN 123 Trees and shrubs. rush to sail down the canal to Oban and the western isles. The greater part of the visitors to Aberfeldy proceed to Kenmore, and from thence over Loch Tay to Killin. Comparatively few penetrate the wild grandeur of Glen Lyon, cele- brated in Fingalian lore. The road (General Wade's) from Aberfeldy to the glen passes through the village of Weem, in which is Castle Menzies, then up the strath of Appin and along the river side to Fortingal. Fortingal, besides having THE BLACK FOPLAK. As a quick-growing shade tree the Black Poplar is unequalled amongst the deciduous trees which are perfectly hardy in the climate of Britain. In tolerably rich moist soils it soon attains a large size, and its general aspect in the landscape is admirably shown in the accompanying illustration. It is found in a wild state nearly throughout the whole of Europe, and is also widely distributed in Northern Asia. The earlier Bri- tish floras claimed it as a native of Britain, but there seems to be no doubt that the tree is not really indi- genous. Some of the older writers, too, on the other side of the Atlantic classed it as an American tree, but it is now judged to be an alien, and was doubtless introduced from Europe, although nothing is known of its early history either here or in the States. Per- haps, scarcely any other tree which is cultivated to so great an extent as the Black Poplar has " sported " so little. Very slight variations occur, it is true. In the size of the leaves and the colour of the petioles, &c., but few of the forms are distinct enough to pro- pagate under different names. One of these, however, has been dis- tributed from Conti- nental nurseries under the name of Populus fistula. This is in all probability a corruption of Vistula, on the banks of which river P. nigra grows to a large size, not nnfrequently to a height of 90 feet. In the Im- perial Botanic Gardens at St. Petersburg there are two enormous trees, one nearly 6 feet in diameter, which are said to have been planted by Peter the Great; they are now in a state of decay. The wood of the Black Poplar is very light, and by no means very valuable. It is, however, much used for carving, charcoal, kc, and the bark for tanning. In Holland it is exten- sively grown along the canals, and regularly cut down about every quarter ' Roman remains and being the reputed birthplace of a century. The wood there is largely used for | of Pontius Pilate, is known throughout Scotland for its famous Yew tree. This tree, which stands in the kirk-yard, is very probably 3000 years old. In 1771 Pennant states that it measured 56 feet in circumference. The eaten-out trunk, which now remains, is Si feet. In one of the edicts of James I. it is enacted that on the Sunday, after service, the men should meet and practice archery. What a number of tough Yew bows must this venerable guardian of the dead have afforded ! And how different must the Scotch Sabbath of those days have been from what it is now I A little way beyond the junction of the Lyon with the Tay the road bifurcates, the less important Black Poplars at Baljlock, Hythe-on-the-Thames. Sketched liy Alfred rarsons. making wooden shoes and other articles. Royal Oardens, Kew. Geoeke Nicholson. CONIFERS AT CASTLE MENZIES. In a paper descriptive of " Taymouth in Winter " I advised those of yourreaders who wished forgrand scenery, and at the same time not to be dissociated from horticulture entirely, to take the train and let themselves be borne thither. The manifold beauties of the Athole and Breadalbane highlands, except in the neighbourhood of well-known centres like Pitlochry, are apt to be left unsought in the eading to Fortingal and Glen I^yon. The other trends northward by the side of the Keltney Burn. If a divergence is made from the latter just below Loch Kinardochy, the traveller can proceed to Kinloch Rannoch, the road going close by Schie- hallion. Even in tiie wild moor of Rannoch we are not cut off from horticulture, for is there not Dunalistair, fair Dunalistair, made beautiful both by artifice and Nature ? A coach plies between Kinloch Rannoch and Struan, traversing Glen Erichdie. At Struan is a railway station for those whose cry is north- ward ho ! and near it also are the beautiful grounds of Blair Castle for those who are not in a desper- ate hurry. Castle Menzies is situ- ated near the base of the Rock of Weem. This is a hill which presents an appearance of being cut in half, so precipitous and rocky is the side it presents to the castle ; albeit, trees, deciduous and evergreen, have managed to moor them- selves securely all the way up, and Rhododen- drons are thriving in the shallow rock-im- posed soil. Rising, as it does, to a height of 000 feet on the northern side, the situation of the castle grounds is effectually screened from all winds from this quarter ; unfortunately, however, it is fully liable to gales sweeping up or down the Tay valley, and numbers of the fine old Sycamores and other trees in the park have suffered severely. The soil is of an alluvial na- ture and of considerable depth. Sir Robert Men- zies is a very enthusiastic planter. His lands reach to the moor of Rannoch, where his judicicui planting has done much to vary and add a little shelter to this drear abode of sheep farmers. He is a far - and - wide traveller himself, and has had" intimate relations with such collectors as Jeffrey and Browne. In the kitchen garden, wliich is situated on the steep slope of the Rock of Weem, is a very interest- ing nursery of seedling trees. All the seed sown has been collected for Sir Robert in its native habi- tats. Grafted trees are notoriously not so suc- cessful as seedlings ; and if Deodars are to become fine tall trees in Scotland, it must be from seedlings exposed to every chill wind from their birth. There were quite .5000 young Albertianas. This has proved itself to be one of the hardiest and fastest growing of all the Firs. Enormous numbers have been planted all over the estate, including bleak Rannoch. It is pleasant to be able to forecaste in the mind's eye what a beauti- ful verdurous appearance a wood of this tree will present throughout the whole year. Its only real rival among the introductions of this half century for hardihood and quick growth com- bined is Abies grandis. Large quantitiesof seed- 124 THE GARDEN [Pp.b. 14, 1885. lings are being raised of Finns Coulteri and con- torta and of Salisburia adiantifolia. From Chinese seed tiiere are thousands of Cryptomeria elegans under the name of Soojo. A stock of Pinus tuberoulata and a pretty golden tinged one under the name of Matzu, both from China, are growing up with very few gaps. The Deodars, from Indian seed, are very strong and vigorous. The fresh and glowing neutral tints from a plot of foot-high Deodars are peculiarly beautiful. Ad- joining are rows of Thuja Lobbi from home-saved seed off a tree imported from British Columbia. A batch of young Pernettyas completed a remark- ably interesting nursery. The view from where they are growing is very extensive, taking in as it does the Tay from its etlluence from the loch. Drammond Hill and I'.en Lawers, and the other hills girting the loch are plain as plain can be ; forty miles off, but distinctly visible, is Ben More. On a winter's day, when the snowy caps are glis- tening radiantly in the sunlight, rivalling the gleam of the winding river, when the russet hue of tlie leafless trees is sharply contrasted with the whitened fields, well — one forgets the cold. The trees in the grounds have a great reputation in Perthshire, but they are somewhat disappoint- ing. It is very true, as Wendell Holmes says in his delightful causer ie about trees (those with a girth of 20 feet he styled his children), that "pro- vincialism knows no limits." A Wellingtonia that would strike a southerner as nothing out of the common is boldly claimed to be the tallest in England. Mr. Hunter in his " Woods and Forests of Perthshire" makes the same statement. His is the journalistic pen of a ready writer; such pens are apt to run away. Picea Nordmanniana is represented by two or three well-grown speci- mens. Comparing it with the specimens of nobilis here, one would affirm that it is altogether a stronger and stiffer grower, and better able to keep its head on daring stress of weather. The gale of January 27, 1884, did great damage at Weem,and took two or three of the largest branches off a fine Sycamore, with girths of L'S feet and 18 feet C inches at heights from the ground of 1 foot and 5 feet. Other colossal deciduous trees are a Spanish Chestnut, 21 feet 3 inches at a height of 3 feet, and a Tulip Tree 10 feet fi inches at the same altitude. Up the Rock of Weem, although contrary to expectation, will be found many mas- sive Weymouth and Scotch Pines and Spruces. The castle itself, a good part of which dates from 1.571, is picturesque both from construction and position. The best conifers are planted between the castle and the chief entrance. Many are too much sheltered by growing surrounded by wood, and have become drawn up and rather lanky in appear- ance. Nevertheless, the lessons that can be learned from them are valuable. None but the hardiest will succeed here, and as a great deal of the plant- ing took place soon after the introduction of 'the various trees, enough time has elapsed to make them good objects for criticism. Of coarse there may be reasons, other than surface ones, why such and such a tree is unhappy, and trees that fail here may be doing well in equally unfavourable districts ; but it seems to me that a cry of " cave " from an inspection of these trees ought to be valuable. Pinus Jeffreyana, ponderosa, Pinaster, exoelsa, and macrocarpa do not seem at home. ISut mon- ticola and Cembra are as vigorous as could be wished. One of the specimens of Cembra is grand in every sense. The monticolas are younger trees, but, as at Murthly, robust and quick of growth. Picea grandis, which is every whit as hardy as a Silver Fir, is perhaps the fastest growing tree on the estate. Although the leaders have been known to be .1 feet in height, they seem to bend with and not to resist the wind, and consequently few are whirled earthwards. The best Albertiana is 64 feet high. When I state that it is a seedling raised from home-grown seed, your readers will cease to question if Sir Robert is in error in plant- ing it so extensively as he is doing. Very few will be able to fix upon a better Abies Menziesi than this — 75 feet high, 11 feet 3 inches in girth at 3 feet up. Planted by the side of a pond just inside the lodge gates, its wide-spreading branches are gently laved by the water and the roots must be growing, many of them, in water. The very next tree is a tall Silver Fir, with a girth of 14 feet 9 inches at the same distance up as the Menziesi. To say that the Menziesi was the handsomer of the two would not be true, but that it is of quicker growth is un- doubted. Picea Lowi is very prosperous here, but the annual growth is not equal to that of grandis. Douglases are doing fairly well ; one is nearly 80 feet in height, but collectively they have not the robustness displayed at Murthly, Scone, and Stanley. Young plants of A. orientalis and Al- coquiaua are growing well beneath the shelter of trees, but they are too small as yet for any deduc- tions as to their hardihood to be drawn. Thuja Lobbi (Jlenziesi it is called here) is thriving, as it invariably does, and so would Sequoia sempervirens if it were not so cruelly lashed by the winds. Thujopsis dolobrata and Cupressus nutkaensis leave nothing to be desired in regard to hardihood, neither does C. Law- soniana ; but the rate of growth of all three is much less than that of T. Lobbi. C. macrocarpa is a failure. A Deodar avenue was planted twenty-nine years ago ; the trees are now 30 feet high. It is doubtful if they will ever be better ; many are leaderless. The spread of the branches laterally is wide ; this, with the many-tinted foliage, saves the avenue from insignificance. The Wellingtonias planted about the same time are taller, but they are thin looking when one thinks of the specimens one knows [in England. Here and there it may do well so far north, but we have trees just as pretty that can be relied upon, Cedrus atlantica for one. The glass houses are well worth a visit. The Vines and Peach trees are very old, but so well managed, that the results are eminently satis- factory. In one house was a large number of seedling Calycanthuses from the Yellowstone Park. A large conservatory is entirely devoted to Camellias. In one part they are arranged in pots on a staging ; in the other, the greater, they have been planted so as to form a dense oblong of foliage. This thick Camellia hedge is 21 feet long, !) feet broad, and 14 feet high. It has been planted thirty years. The buds were so close together, that when the flowering season comes the blooms will touch ia almost every part. They are allowed as little artificial heat as possible. A large collection of fruit trees has been planted. The French kinds of Pears grow freely enough and form wide wall trees. They bear bat sparsely, however, and seldom mature the fruit to any comparative degree of goodness. The old native Pears, on the contrary, do excellently well. Hessle, Moorf owl, and Swan's Egg'j ield abundantly and are of excellent quality. Hacon's Incompa- rable and Winter Nelis are likewise good, although not so prolific as the three first mentioned. Apri- cots, Cherries, and Plums do every whit as well as in many lowland places. The same may be said of bush fruits and Strawberries. The upper part of the kitchen garden is an Apple orchard. Ten years ago the trees were profitable ; now, and for the last five years, the yield has been but scanty. It was the same thing, I was told, at Blair Castle gardens. In many instances the trees have flowered well, but the previous autumns have been cold and sunless ; consequently the wood has not been matured. Spring frosts also in this district are very prevalent, and altogether fruit culture is an extremely difficult matter under such a trea- cherous sky. M. C. Cerasus lllclfolla (p. 116").— lam glad to read Mr. Nicholson's account of this shrub, for it has been a favourite with me for several years, and I have often wondered that it is not more grown in the southern counties. Mr. Nicholson says that as far as his knowledge extends no fruit has as yet been produced in this country. I have a dis- tinct recollection of once seeing a beautiful spray covered with scarlet fruit in The Garden otlice, but I forget where it came from. It is probably rather tender, for after having it for nine years I lost it in the winter of 1880. I have a young plant which last year gave promise of fruit, but the fruit all dropped off before it was ripe. I fancy it fruits at Paris. According to Pretzel and Lavallee it is figured in Hooker-Beechey Voy., t. 83.— H. N. Ellacombe, Baton Vicarage. Fruit Garden. APPLE CULTURE IN HEREFORDSHIRE. It is gratifying to find owners and occupiers of large orchards in this and adjoining counties at last taking a lively interest in the cultivation of the Apple; and it is well they are doing so, as it has been proved by the congress held at Chiswick and the excellent report drawn up by Mr. Barron that fruit of the finest quality can be grov a in this country. It is also now generally admitted that the flavour of our own Apples is superior to that of Canadian or American fruit, for which we have to pay many thousands of pounds annually. With this incentive to progress, I would strongly advise the proprietors of orchard lands to take the matter of renovation and improvement in hand in a scientific manner and with the full determina- tion that our transatlantic cousins shall not cut the ground from under our feet in our own markets. In this county (Hereford) there are hundreds, nay thousands, of acres of orcharding rendered almost valueless for potting purposes through the most abject neglect of the first principlesof cultivation. Watercourses are choked, the land is water-logged for want of draining, and the elements of air, warmth, and light are excluded from the centres of the trees by an accumulation of matted spray and Mistletoe. Indeed, to such an extent has this interesting parasite been allowed to flourish, that it is questionable if the Mistletoe growing in some orchards would not, in our large northern towns, realise more than the crop of Apples. But the time for this kind of cultivation has gone by, for however pleasing a bunch of Mistletoe may look suspended in the hall or depending from the branch of a tree, it is high time it was pretty well thinned out of our orchards, and there will then be plenty left, as it is found growing on no less than thirteen different kinds of trees in this district alone. Assuming, then, that the occapiers of these neg- lected orchards have been providentially bitten by the Apple mania, and have discovered that poor washy cider at threepence per gallon does not pay so well as good marketable fruit at four or five shillings a bushel, we may now hope that an effort will be made to improve these never-dry. Lichen- bound trees. The first operation will be the scour- ing out of all watercourses and a thorough system of drainage, as it is perfectly useless and hope- less to try to grow good crops of any kind where the ground is cold and full of stagnant water. It is not here necessary to go into the details of draining, as much depends upon the nature of the land ; the drains should, however, be sufficiently deep and near to each other to drain the water from beneath the lowest roots of the trees. Good drain pipes should be used, and in the event of the lower stratum being stiff and clayey I would sug- gest filling in with stone brash or some porous material pervious to the passage of air and water. If these materials cannot be obtained, a quantity of the thinnings from the trees may be pressed in to the depth of a foot or more ; the use of wood is not, however, recommended, as in the course of time it begins to decay and forms food for the roots, which eventually choke up the pipes. If the land is not required for grazing purposes or for tillage — as is often the case in this neighbourhood — the beneficial effects which follow draining will be greatly facilitated by leaving the cuttings open until the approach of spring, when the partially pulverised soil can be returned and the worst part of the clay can be left on the surface for future management. Thinning and Peunino. Having brought the draining operations to a close, the next important point will be the re- moval of old and worthless trees, the heading back of others for grafting with better kinds, and Peb. 14, 1885.] THE GARDEN 125 the thinning out of the heads of the remainder' Although there is no great art in thinning out the matted head of an old standard Apple tree, the work should be performed by a man who takes an interest in pruning and knows how to use his tools, consisting of a billhook, two saws, one of them with a long handle, and a strong knife for smoothing ofE the bark after the removal of large branches. If the trees are old and have been long neglected, the first thinning should not be too severe, otherwise the check might defeat the object held in view ; therefore, the first operation should be the opening out of the centre from the base upwards to let in light aud air, and to give the pruner freedom of action in the removal of spray and interlacing branches. When these have been cleared away, and each fine branch radiating from the bole of the tree has been set free to the action of the wind, an important factor in the development of clean, healthy, fruitful wood, the final thinning of the extremities may be allowed to stand over until another year. Immediately after each tree is pruned, scrape the main branches and stems with a piece of hoop iron to divest them of Moss and Lichen, dress the largest wounds with thick lead-coloured paint, and wash with a mixture of quicklime and soot reduced to the con- sistency of paint with hot water. Heading Back. Old, but otherwise healthy, trees of superior dessert kinds need not always be removed root and branch, as many of them, after the ground has been drained, can be resuscitated by heading back, scraping and washing, to free^them from Moss and the larvK of insects. When the young growths, which will be too numerous, are a year old they will require j udicious thinning to lay the founda- tion of a well-balanced head, and their subsequent management will be precisely the same as that which will apply to newly-planted orchards. But where the trees were originally planted too close together, the best result will follow the removal of old trees, particularly if they are inferior sorts and interfere with the full development of others which are already profitable. One of the greatest and most prevalent mistakes in orchard planting is overcrowding, often with inferior kinds lacking quality, size, and colour, three points highly essential to their value when placed in competition with fruit of foreign growth from a brighter clime than our own. ■ Wherever these conditions exist the removal of all second-rate sorts should be grasped with a firm hand, as it cannot be too well known that strong-growing kinds [like the Blen- heim Orange produce the finest fruit where they have plenty of room for development and exten- sion. Moreover, every tree should stand clear on its own ground with sufficient space for getting round it with a ladder to handpick the fruit. Grafting. In many cider orchards in this part of the country there are a great number of what are Iiere termed Kernel Apples, or French fruit, from which cider o£ inferior quality is made. Bat, judging from the excellent report of French Apples drawn np by Dr. Bull, of Hereford, and my neigh- bour Mr. Piper, of Ledbury, who attended the great fruit congress in Normandy last year, our so- called French kinds have no claim to that country at all, as they saw nothing there like them, neither were the samples they took known to the French growers. The trees are, however, clean, free growers and good croppers ; but the cider, al- though strong, is not pleasant to many people's taste, and it does not " stand the cup ;" in other words which may be better understood, it turns colour when drawn from the cask and exposed to the air. Now, as many thousands of these trees exist, they are admirably adapted for grafting with better kinds, a list of which will hereafter be given. The prevailing mode of grafting in the westlmidland orchards is known as the triangular notch system, and is in every way superior to cleft grafting, of which it is a modification. Early in February the heads of the trees are sawn off to within a few feet of the crown of the bole, and the operation of grafting is commenced early in March and continued up to the beginning of May. The wood selected for scions by native operators would rather astonish an expert from a metropo- litan nursery, as nothing under two and some- times three-year-old wood is used. The grafts are taken off some time before they are wanted for use, and are laid in to retard the swelling of the buds. When the proper time arrives, the expert shortens back the previously lopped trees, trims the bark to a smooth edge, makes rather deep saw cuts, one, two, or three in each stump, accord- ing to its size, pares the edges smooth and about half an inch wide at the crown. He then cuts the scion triangular shaped, drives it home with a small mallet, making all the edges of the bark unite, ignores the use of ties or ligatures of any kind, applies his clay, and rarely fails in making ninety per cent. grow. Selection of Sorts. In the selection of varieties for market purposes soil and situation should be taken into account, and choice kinds that grow well in the locality should not be overlooked. On the deep red marl and red sandstone by which we are surrounded well-managed trees of all kinds produce fine highly coloured fruit, and, as a natural consequence, the cider is rich, sweet, and deep in colour. The lime- stone is equally favourable to the growth of trees on the Crab stock, but being thinner and colder, the fruit does not colour so well, the cider is not so rich and highly coloured, and tender kinds, if they fruit freely, do not always ripen up and finish satisfactorily. If the owner of a warm, sheltered orchard were to consult a conscientious London salesman, he would most likely say, " Work up a good stock of early cooking and dessert kinds," assigning as his reason that the situation would enable him to get them early to market, when, considering that there would be no storing in the fruit room, he would realise good prices. Amongst early kinds may be mentioned all the Codlin class, including Lord Suffield, the never-failing Echlin- ville Seedling, Hawthornden, and Warner's King. These are white Apples, and still head the list of early kitchen Apples. In such an orchard, if confined to one early dessert Apple that would sell well in any market, I would plant Worcester Pearmain. It is not a rich Apple, but it is very prolific, brilliant in colour, and fruit of it in our northern markets realise sixpence a dozen wholesale. Where mid-season kinds are grown, they should be of the highest standard quality, as they win have to compete with imported Emit. King of the Pippins, Ribston and Cox's Orange Pippin, and that universal favourite, Blenheim Orange, cannot be too extensively grown, as they are known everywhere and command the highest prices. Amongst late kinds, the handsome Court Pendu Plat, known here as Garnons, or the Wise Apple, because it flowers very late and so escapes spring frosts, should be extensively cultivated. It does not make a large tree, like the Blenheim, and being in every respect late, it requires a warm, well-drained soil and plenty of sun and light to colour it properly. There are, it is hardly neces- sary to say, hundreds of varieties to choose from, all of them more or less good in their way, but all of them are not alike suitable for market purposes, as has been discovered by the growers around London, who go in for a few of the leading kinds that do well on their ground and are well known amongst the dealers. New and but little- known kinds will, of course, be grown, and if they possess the points I have named, viz., quality, fair size, and colour, no power can prevent them from finding their way into commerce. Clearing up the Oechard. Assuming that the month of March is closing upon us, that pruning, thinning, and grafting, or heading back for this operation have been brought to a close, it will be high time to see about disposing of the lop, top, and spray. This may be made np into faggots, or, better still, having been pro- duced by the land, the best course will be to re- duce it to ashes, and if, in accordance with my suggestion, the clay taken out of the drains and replaced by stone has not been removed, it may be charred at the same time. IE the fires are made under the trees, care must be observed in their management, as a bright blaze might do injury while, on the contrary, a number of well- tended smoke-producing fires at regular intervals would prove beneficial in destroying insect pests which develop into what is commonly called blight. The ashes will eventually be spread over the surface, and in the event of the ground being poor, the addition of fresh soil, road scrapings, or well-rotted manure, in fact anything that will benefit the Grass, will assist the trees also. Eastnor Casth; Lcdhwry. W. COLEMAN. SUMMER AND AUTUMN RASPBERRIES. In many gardens Raspberries are relegated to some out-of-the-way place, or, worse still, they are dug between, and have all their surface roots in- jured. In order to give a plantation a fair chance, select a piece of light sandy land and give it a heavy manuring, when it should be trenched as deep as the nature of the soil will permit, or from 2 feet to 2 feet 6 inches. In doing this it is not advisable to bring the bottom to the top, but simply to break it up, mixing the manure with it at the same time, as then the roots of the plants find it out when most needed, and feed on it when carry- ing their fruit. The trenching done, the next thing is to plant, and the proper distance to put the young canes in the rows is 4 feet apart and the same distance asunder, placing them quincunx fashion ; after that the canes should be cut down near the gronnd, as it is useless attempting to take a crop the first season. This being so, it would be waste to let the land between the plants be idle, and therefore Cauliflowers, Lettuces, Onions, or such like low-growing things may be sown or planted between, but not sufficiently near to shade or interfere with the Raspberries. As soon as these break in the spring and send up shoots, the three strongest should be selected and the others broken of? or rubbed out, and when autumn comes round it will be necessary to decide how these canes are to be supported. Some use wooden stakes, but these are objectionable, as they are continually rotting, and last, at the longest, only about two years, and if they have to be purchased they become expensive, which being the case, it is better to go to a little more outlay at first and buy iron rods, as though dearer to begin with, they become cheap in the end, for they are almost imperishable if the ends are dipped in tar to begin with and the other part is painted. The proper length to have them is about a feet 6 inches, which admits of 4 feet standing clear out of the ground, and the 18 inches in is sufficient to steady them, but they may be stifiened considerably by slightly twisting the canes reverse ways up them instead of just tying them to them. Strained galvanised wire also forms a good support for Raspberry canes, as the canes may be spread out singly and every shoot exposed, but when wire is used it is necessary to have stout iron posts at each end, or very hard wooden ones, if they are to be lasting. Where economy has to be studied and stakes and supports done without, it is a good plan to bring a portion of the canes over from one stool to meet the half bent over from the other ; this forms an arch, when by tying the points together they will in that way stand a good deal of wind and do very well. After bearing, the point is to clear away the old stems as quickly as possible, by doing which full light and air are at once let into the young suckers, an important matter, as by having full exposure they ripen better and yield much finer fruit than they otherwise would do. The staking and tying have been already referred to, but when the plants are two years old as many as five or six canes may be left, but on no account should the ground among them be dug or forked, as neither can be done without disturbing the roots. Instead of the digging, when the pruning, thinning, and tying are complete, some rotten manure should be wheeled on and spread over the land as a mulch- ing and so left to rot away, as the plants feel the benefit of it when decomposing by having its juices washed down, and the shade it affords keeps the soil moist by preventing evaporation, which goes on at a great rate when the surface is bare and ex- 126 THE GARDEN [Feb. 14,, 1885. posed to the sun. There are many sorts of Rasp- berries, but none equal, taking all points into consideration, to the old Fastolf and Yellow Ant- werp, which are summer bearers, and the October red and yellow for autumn, all fine-fruited kinds and of good flavour. Although autumn sorts bear on the old or sum- mer wood, the best way to treat them is to cut them down every winter and top-dress the ground in- stead of letting the plants exhaust themselves by carrying two crops. To have these autumn kinds good they must have a sheltered, sunny position, or the fruit will not ripen. S. D. EARTHING UP STRAWBERRIES. " J. S. W." naturally enough is sceptical as to the value of earthing up Strawberries because it is a practice but little in vogue in this country. I remember, however, that when paying Swanley a visit on one occasion Mr. Cannell conducted me over some large breadths of Strawberries growing out in the market farms there, and I noticed that the method of keeping the ground clean was to run a moulding plough up between the rows during summer, thus casting soil to a depth of some o inches or -1 inches over on ta the plants in the rows, not covering them of course, but practi- cally earthing them up. One of the objects sought for in this plan was to keep the roots well sur- faced with soil, and I observed when there in midwinter, and men were engaged hoeing about the plants, levelling the soil, and destroying the weeds prior to the passing through the lines of a horse hoe, that great care seemed to be shown in keep- ing the loose soil well laid about the plants as a dressing. Of course it would be absurd to adopt this style of earthing or any other merely to keep old plantations unduly long in the ground, as such breadths would not be profitable in this country even if they may be so in America. A. D. FOREIGN FRUITS. Until within comparatively recent times the better kinds of fruits that found their way to this country from abroad were confined to small, half- green shrivelled Tines from the West Indies and to indifferent examples of Grapes. The latter usually made their appearance, packed in barrels, in autumn, and they still come in quantities, but, like the I'ines just named, do not much interfere with the early or mid-season fruit of home pro- duction. The natural consequence of the compe- tition between home and foreign-grown fruits has had the effect of bringing down prices, even for the best quality, to a point that a few years back would have been set down as unremuuerative, at least to such of the home producers as have to reckon the cost of production. In reference to this there is one thing that cannot fail to be clear to anyone : if the prices that the best home-grown Grapes now fetch leave anything appreciable after their cost to the grower is deducted, the pro- fits a few years back must have been very satis- factory indeed. Pines, it is needless to say, are now grown in but few places compared with what they used to be, a circumstance owing to two causes: their use not being so fashionable as in times past, and to the greater cost of home-grown fruit compared with the foreign inducing many who use Pines to buy what they require rather than incur the cost of growing them. R Predictions are frequently heard that the low price at which good Grapes can now be bought for is likely to cause their cultivation to be given up in many private gardens, owners buying what they want, and thus effecting a saving. If the matter was likely to be determined on a simple question of cost, this prophecy might turn out to be correct, for the leading market growers, who now grow Grapes by the acre, can no doubt pro- duce them at a lower figure than can be done in private gardens; but it is not likely that a con- sideration of this kind will influence more than a few individuals. Gardening as it exists in this CDuntry has so much to commend it, that the question of pounds, shillings, and pence stands low in the calculation compared with that which goes to gratify the eye, and it may safely be said that, apart from their use, a crop of well-managed Grapes is to most people as pleasing a sight as anything they meet with in a garden, leaving out of the question the advantage of having them as good for eating as they are to look at, a condition oftener wanting than present with foreign Grapes early in the season. The same applies to even the best of the foreign Pines, confined as they are almost wholly to one sort — the smooth Cay- enne— which, although good looking in its best form, is not equally good in quality. With fruit, as with a good many other things, appearance goes a long way with many people, but not with all, and those who want a Pine for eating as good as it can be had will have to fall back on home-grown fruit, such as a Black Jamaica or a Queen. As to the foreign Strawberries that each season make their appearance, gathered ten days before they are ripe, and Cherries as hard as bullets, which, like the Strawberries, are so far from being ripe as to be flavourless, they find purchasers who evidently buy them more for the name of having them than for anything they possess in common with good ripe fruit. Foreign Apricots are better in appearance than the Peaches that reach us from abroad, but at best they are comparatively so far flavourless, that it is a wonder the quantities that come ever find buyers; their texture, like that of all the soft fruits named, is such that, even with all the despatch possible in bringing them over, they require to be gathered before they possess little more than a trace of their natural flavour. The same remark appliep, only in a less extent, to soft fruits of English growth that are marketed. To admit of their travelling without braising and their keeping sound until disposed of they must be gathered two or three days at least before they are ripe, a circumstance which causes them to be so far deficient in flavour as not to bear compari- son with the same kinds if allowed to remain until quite matured. Anyone who has had experience with the kinds of fruit named cannot fail to have noticed that it is during the last two or three days when the ripening process is completing that full flavour and sweetness are acquired. It is needless to say that soft fruits which have reached this stage are useless for market purposes— a fact which shows conclusively that those who would have them as they should be must grow their own. T. Baines. Does canker injure fruit?— None of your correspondents who have written on canker in Apple trees have referred to this point. It is natural to suppose that it must do so ; but it is certain that cankered trees bear fruit freely, and it is a common notion among old gardeners that some varieties of Apple trees— Collins, for in- stance— do not bear till they become cankered. This notion probably arises from the fact that canker is so apt to show itself when young trees are beginning to bear. I have small experience, most of my trees being young, but the best bearing tree I have is an old Nonpareil, which is scarred all over by old and deep canker. It will, I think, interest many of your readers if some of your experienced growers will report whether canker affects (1) the quantity of fruit, (2) its quality as to flavour, (3) its keeping power, and (i) its lia- bility to attacks from insects. — W. M. C, Claj>ton_ Fruit prospects In the south.— If a backward condition of the flower buds will help us as regards having a good fruit crop we ought to have a grand fruit harvest this year ; even in this, the most southern part of Hampshire, fruit buds as yet show scarcely any signs of moving ; yet they are plentiful enough on nearly all kinds of fruit trees and bushes. My impression is that the thorough ripening which the wood got last year has much to do with the dormant state of the buds this spring, as we have ample evidence that half-ri- pened wood hardly takes any perfect rest ; on such wood the leaves hang until the buds are again active, but, thanks to an exceptionally fine autumn, the wood ripened thoroughly, and the foliage died off with that fiery tint that one delights to see late in the season, Pear trees being especially rich in colouring. Though we have had no severe frost, the winter has been cold and dull ; consequently vegetation has made less progress than in seasons when severe frosts at night are followed by bright sunshine by day. I find, too, by comparing dates that hardy spring bulbs are very late in putting in their welcome appearance this spring. — James Gboom, Oosj/ort. Indoor Garden. PRIMULA FROM BURQHLEY. A FEW weeks ago Mr. Richard Gilbert sent us an account of his mode of growing double Primulas, and along with it a specimen of his growth. An engraving of this plant we now reproduce. Mr. Gilbert, it will be remembered, was the originator of numerous beautiful varieties of double Chinese Primulas, some of which were illustrated in colour in The Garden some five years ago. The value of double Primulas as winter flowers cannot well be over-estimated, and now that they are compara- tively cheap, every greenhouse should contain them. So much has been written from time to time in The Garden respecting their culture, that but little is left to be said on that subject. Mr. Gilbert's most recent account in reference thereto will be found at page 528 of our last volume. CHINESE PRIMROSES IN AMERICA. These charming plants have been greatly im- proved during the last ten or fifteen years by care- ful cross-breeding and judicious culture. The flowers h.ave been materially increased in size and enhanced in colour, form, and substance ; the variety of shading has been greatly extended, and the habic of the plant much improved, bat in all this, so far as I am aware, American florists have no share. It has been said that Chinese Primroses are everybody's plants, and it is true. All in pos- session of a frame or facilities for starting the seed early, a little common sense and care in summer, and a sunny window in winter, may have these beautiful flowers in abundance. No green- house is needed, and I know of no other plant that will bloom so surely, profusely, and continuously with so little trouble. As an experiment I once kept a few plants for six years, and during all that time I do not think they were out of bloom eighteen months. Of course, the plants became long-legged and unsightly, but the flowers were there. Still, it is much better to grow new plants every year or two. Stocky plants with fine vigorous foliage will thus be ensured, and this is almost as important as the flowers themselves. With respect to its foliage, this branch of the Primrose family is most beautifully endowed, and there is now a charming variety in form, colour, and other characteristics. Some of the Fern-leaved sorts are deeply serrated and crenated, and occasionally the leaf is lanceolate, similar to the common Fern itself. Then in most of the coloured sorts, especially the doubles, the reverse side of the leaf will be fuund brightly coloured and veined, con- trasting handsomely with the fresh green of the upper surface. Thus the Chinese Primrose is a charming plant, even when not in bloom, and, though it never flowered at all, it would be worth a place in foliage collections. The little seedlings as they grow are wonderfully interesting and pretty in their tender green woody freshness. I know of nothing more suggestive of the cool and shady wild wood, and the odour of leaf and flower aptly augments this verdict. Single and Double Sorts. Double forms of the Chinese Primrose, I think, came in cultivation some years after the introduction of the single flowers, and then not more than one or two colours could be had double until within the last decade. I well re- member the pleasing impression made upon my mind by the coloured plate published in The Garden about five years ago. It represented the attractive new doubles raised by Mr. Gilbert, of Burghley, and afterwards sent out by Messrs. Feb. 14, 1885.] THE GARDEN 127 Osborn. I tried to plan a way to get some of the plants here, but failed, and now I have at least one on my window-shelf which is identical with one of those figured, and it is grown from seed. There has been some controversy over the com- parative value and attractiveness of singles and doubles, some preferring one, others the other. Now I want both, claiming they are equally effec- tive, each in its place. I shall have no quarrel with the stiff-necked professional florist who wants a bold, flat, uncrampled, staring, glaring surface on his flowers, and sees little or no beauty in the many crimpy petals of the double. The single Primrose is unquestionably the most attractive and showy, though I prefer in them a little crowd- ing and overlapping of the petals, just enough at least to give a flight fluted surface ; it seems more graceful than the cold saucer aspect other- wise presented. But I like the full double flowers equally well, and they are much more enduring. The corolla does not leave the calyx as in the single forms, which drop it soon after expansion. The doubles are thus much more valuable for bouquets, and remain fresh longer on the plants. For this reason, if for no other, they should be in every collection. They can now be had in a great ' and is quite as attractive. In regard to size, if I ' can get a diameter of an inch and a half in my Primroses it is enough. This tendency to colossal magnitude and monstrosity in our gardens of late years, both in the floral and vegetable departments, is distasteful to me. This great clamour for every- thing big seems absurd, at least in the realm of Flora. Sature has not made the exquisite Lily of the Valley very big, but, oh, how beautiful it is 1 and who would tolerate it any larger ? And yet I know florists want large saucer-eyed Primroses. It has occurred to me that writers in speaking of the Primula family should be more explicit and designate which branch or species is meant. The Auricula-leaved kinds are quite distinct from the Chinese and require different treatment. Why not adhere to the term " Chinese Primrose " in referring to the latter and use the generic name " Primula " to cover the other species, including P. vulgaris, P. veris, P. elatior, and the other forms, save, perhaps, Polyanthus, which is now generally known by that name ? It would prevent much confusion, I think. As a case in point I note the excellent article of Mr. Gilbert on " Double Primulas and their Culture " in the current issue of The Garden now before me. A double white Chinese Primula grown at Borghley. variety of shades in your country, but not in ours, as the old white seems to be about the only double offered at the florists' shops in America. And, what is still more strange here, very few of the single Primroses in any colour are offered for sale or grown for market in any shape ; in fact, the Chinese Primrose is comparatively unknown in this country, except the old double white, which is usually kept in stock by every florist, and this is generally considered somewhat difficult to propa- gate, and the price is often high. Very little is known here of the many excellent features pos- sessed by this plant for window culture. When its habits and beauties are better understood, it will replace many other plants now used so unsuc- cessfully in window gardening. The semi-doubles are also very pretty and effec- tive. These do not drop, and the little tuft of petals in the centre is pleasing. They come readily from seed and bloom abundantly in varying shades of colour, ranging from pure white, through the faintest blush, light and deeper pinks, and darker reds, magenta, crimson, and purple. Another pleasing feature of the newer Primroses is the fringed or fimbriated margin of the petals. This adds much to their beauty and is considered indispensable to a perfect Primrose by most florists. The points of a well-formed specimen now are size, substance, form, and fringe ; and of late the character and colour of the eye or throat-margin has become important, and florists have laboured to get a clear, well-defined lemon colour at this central point. And yet I do not know but the usual light pea-green of Nature harmonises just as well How many outside of professional florists will understand to which species he refers ? When it is remembered there are now over 200 known species belonging to the genus Primulacese, it would seem that some careful distinction should be observed. Early last spring I procured three packets of the best Chinese Primrose seed to be had in New York. One was from double scarlet flowers, another best Fern-leaved sorts, and the other from Holborn Prize specimens— so marked, at least. I planted carefully on gentle bottom-heat in the latter part o£ April. A fair proportion germinated promptly of two of the packets, especially the double seed ; only two plants started of Ilolborn Prize, however. All grew nicely, and I was much interested in the pretty little seedlings. They were potted singly and repotted as became necessary. In regard to their special treatment, previous numbers of The Garden have contained ample directions, and I will not repeat them now. Before the end of September the plants had attained vigorous growth, flower-stalks were pushing up, and two or three were already in bloom. On the approach of cold weather I transferred the entire collection to a sunny bay window in my study, keeping the plants in 4 -inch pots for the most part and giving them full light. I was very proud of them then, and have been still more pleased ever since. Early in November nearly every plant was in bloom, and they have afforded a gorgeous shower of blossom ever since. They average twenty-five flowers each continually, and one has thirty-five now. I have three full and beautiful doubles, two extra full and perfect; colour pink-magenta, as near as I can describe it, on obverse side of lower petals and reverse side of centre row, other sides much lighter shade, forming a pleasing contrast by the plaited ruffles into which the petals are crowded. Then the margins are delicately and regularly fimbriated. These continue to bloom profusely; flowers IJ inches in diameter, foliage good, maroon under- side and leaf-stem. Then I have five very attrac- tive semi-doubles, varying in shade from the faintest pink to a much deeper hue. They have a tuft of petals in the centre in addition to the main row. One of these latter, strange to say, came from the Fern- leaved packet. Another has a bright pea-green centre surrounded by light pink, much of the central tuft being green, the flower presenting a novel effect. The other six plants obtained from the double seed are single flowers, and most of them are exceedingly attrac- tive, varying in size from 1^ inches to l| inches. Light and deep pink, crimson, lilac, and purple are the colours. Some of them have canary-yellow eyes edged with a margin of white ; all the stained centres are very showy ; some are six-pointed and have six petals instead of five ; all are a mass of bloom, and most of the margins are beautifully fringed. Of Fern-leaved I have five beautiful Vfhites, the flowers being large, pure white, nicely fringed, and bright-eyed. The foliage, however, is not very much more ferny than that of other kinds, with one exception, and in that specimen I think I have a valuable acquisition in the shape of a Fern leaf. The plant came up late and is yet quite small, but the leaf is already 5 inches long by half as wide ; it is deeply and closely furrowed, and the edge is serrated like that of a Fern. The flower is white and large ; it is in a 3-inch pot. Another Fern kind has large light pink flowers in abundance. Of the Holborn Prize I had only a few seeds, only two of which germinated, but both are very beautiful. One is a velvety lilac, varying from light to quite a deep purple ; the other has the faintest tinge of lavender, almost white. Both are unique and delicate ; flowers very large and exquisitely fimbriated, and they are ex- ceedingly floriferous. This seed was a recent importation, and proves to be very choice. Such is a hurried outline of my success with Primula seedlings, and I am delighted with the attractive collection of plants thus obtained. They will doubtless remain a mass of bloom for many months to come. In conclusion, my advice to every lover of winter flowers, and especially window gardeners, is, procure the choicest Primula seed only, no matter about the cost, and then plant carefully, give proper attention afterwards, and they will not fail to reward you bountifully. Kingston, N.Y. H. Hendricks. A FEW GOOD PLANTS. A very useful plant for this month is Toxicoph- Ifea spectabilis. It has a white Bouvardia-like flower with a pleasant fragrance. It is very easy to cultivate and well worth growing, owing to its coming into flower in winter. A striking plant is Gynura aurantiaca. The stem and the back of the leaves are covered with purple hairs. This colour is so variable when watched at different angles, as to appear like shot silk. A small plant of it, with a shield of Anthurium Warocqueanum behind it, makes a curious combinaiion. The inexperienced are sometimes at a loss to know what plants will stand a sustained residence in- doors. Here are three about which there need be no hesitation, viz., Farfugium grande, Aspidistra lurida, and Curculigo recurvata argentea. This last mentioned has been known to stand in a res- taurant for over two years without showing signs of failing health. A good Palm for table decora- tion, and quite as graceful as Cocos Weddelliana, is Calamus ciliaris. Finally, a great deal more use might be made in conservatories and green- houses than what is of the climbing New Zealand Fern, Arthropteris filipes. It is a dwarf growing little plant that will cling to a piece of wood or «» 128 THE GAEDEN [Feb. 14, 1885, overrun any bare corner in a conservatory rock- work, and go no farther. Crowea latifolia has handsome violet-col- onred flowers, and keeps on producing them till the end of January. It is not of much use as a flower for cutting, but for a warm conservatory it will be found very serviceable. Correa magni- fica is more interesting than pretty. But both these epithets can be applied to Correa ventricosa. Young plants in small pots are now flowering pro- fusely. It is available for table or room decora- tion, and also in some degree for bouquet-making. It is curious why more people do not grow Zephy- ranthes (Amaryllis) Atamasoo and one or more of the pinky varieties ; they will stand gentle forciug very well. Another greenhouse flower, of vfhich the merits are pretty well known is Hib- bertia Reidi. I call attention to it as being a good free-flowering plant for anyone who may only have one or two houses, and is shy of making additions, on the ground that they will not do with him as well as with his better-off neighbours. M. C. GRAFTING EPIPHYLLUMS. Few, i£ any, stove plants are of more value than Epiphyllums, as they come in at a season when flowers are scarce and last a long time in perfection ; moreover, they admit of being grown in a variety of ways. They may be had either as dwarf pyramids or standards, or by grafting on the Pereskia. made to hang down from the rafters. If this last mode of cultivating them be decided on, the way to proceed is to run the Pereskia up from the front of the house, and when it reaches the top or has got to the desired height, it should be stopped and the grafting pro- ceeded with. Now is a good time for carrying out the operation — i.e., as soon as the Epiphyllums have done blooming and before they start into growth. The grafting is a very simple process ; all that is necessary is to make a cut in the side of the Pereskia extending about a quarter of the way through the stem and in length half an inch, when all will be ready for the graft. This should consist of from 2 inches to 3 inches of shoot, which should be trimmed wedge fashion. It may then be put into the cut made in the stock and there secured by binding a little Moss over and carefully tying all together, after which all that is necessary is an occasional syringing, to keep the scions from flagging till the two have united. The proper distance apart in which to place the grafts is about i) inches or a foot, which is quite near enough for plants on rafters, as the shoots will meet and touch, but for pyramids they may be a little closer where a fine effect is desired. To have regular symmetrical specimens the scions should be worked on different sides of the stock, commencing at about 6 inches from the bottom and continuing on at the same distance right up to the top. It' this is done and the grafts secured by being tied in, as already mentioned, they will make grand plants in two or three years, but if not wanted larger they may be kept to any size by annual pruning or shortening back of the shoots, as when these are severed at the joints they break again from the points and make the plants more dense than before. The proper time to prune or thin out the shoots is immediately after the blooms fall, following on which the plants should be kept a little drier to give them a slight rest, when by syringing and raising the temperature they plump up, break freely, and make plenty of growths. To get this firm and well ripened is the next thing to aim at, which desirable end may be accomplished by having the plants in light, sunny houses, with little moisture in the atmosphere and plenty of air during the summer ; under such favourable conditions the yoang shoots cannot fail to become thoroughly hardened, nor to set an abundance of buds. The most suitable temperature for Epi- phyllums during the autumn and winter when in flower is from 55° to 011°, in which degree of heat, if dry, the blossoms come rich in colour, and do not damp or go off nearly so quick as they do if subjected to the air of a stove. To get standards, nice straight-stemmed Pereskias should be chosen and cut back to the height required, when by split- ting the top the graft may be inserted there, where it will soon form a fine head. For table decora- tion Epiphjlluins gi'own in this way are quite un- surpassed, and no one who has heat enough and the convenience to keep a few should be without one or two sorts, the best of which will be found given below. To have Epiphyllums as dwarfs they must be grown on their own roots from cuttings; when they only just clear the top of the pots they are in, and depend gracefully down the sides, they are lovely objects when in bloom suspended in a window, where they stand well and make a magnificent show. Dwarfs are also very suitable for cultivating as roof plants in small wire baskets, as the Epiphyllum being, as its name implies, an epiphyte, requires but little soil, and that which it does best in is peat and loam, with a good sprinkling of sand to keep it open and porous. Of varieties there are many, the most distinct being E. truncatum, E. Ruckerianum superbum, E. Russellianum, E. Bridgesi, and E. violaceum. Epiphyllums are not at all subject to insects, and the only parasites that assail them are green fly, which sometimes get on at the time of the plants making their growth or when forming their flower buds, and the way to get rid of them is to fumi- gate with Tobacco, which will clear them all off. S. D. RHODODENDRONS IN POTS. Fob the decoration of conservatories and for af- fording a supply of cut blooms during January, February and March' I consider Rhododendrons unequalled. Many of the sorts, too, are singularly beautiful, the markings and colours, in my estima- tion, even surpassing those of the Indian Azaleas, while the foliage of many of them is by no means to be despised. In fact, it is the wealth of noble leaves that sets off the trusses of bloom to such good advantage, and it is in this respect also that Rhododendrons surpass Belgian and Indian Aza- leas. It must, however, be conceded that Azaleas are much more floriferous than Rhododendrons ; but though the trusses of the latter are fewer in number, they are more attractive. Unfortunately, if they flower very freely one season, the choicer sorts, unlike the old R. ponticum, rarely set any flower buds for the nest season. Hence the neces- sity of having two batches of plants and forcing each every alternate year. We have a number of strong old plants, which rarely fail to flower well every year on about half the growths. They are in 12-inch pots and have been so for four years, and at present show no sign of being in need of a shift. During summer they are placed in a rather cool i)Osition and kept regularly watered, varied with an occasional supply of weak liquid manure. When our early Peach house is started — usually early in December— Rhododendrons are introduced into it, and in about four weeks they are in bloom and fit for the conservatory. Another set of plants succeeds them in the Peach house, while a third batch of plants open their blossoms in a cool house, in this manner maintaining a good succession. In spring the plants are duly hardened off and then returned to their summer quarters. Nothing could be more simple than this, and no plants give us less trouble. The smaller plants that show no sign of blooming freely next season are planted out In good light soil, and here, without any very percep- tible increase in the size of the ball, they yet make fairly good progress, being usually fit for lifting during the second autumn after planting. They are given pots a trifle larger than the ball of soil, and a little good peaty soil is well rammed round them. They are then placed in a convenient spot ; their pots are covered with rough litter to protect them from frost, and are ready for forcing whenever they are wanted. We find Rhododen- dron blooms to be of great service; they are singularly pretty and effective when bedded in Moss and Fern fronds on the dinner-table. The trusses are used in different fashions for two nights, not necessarily successive, and then they are broken up and the individiial flowers used in some sort of scroll work. The trusses, with or without their leaves, are also available for speci- men glasses, and large vases filled wholly with Rhododendrons are most imposing. We also break up the trusses when making hand bouquets, the flowers being formed into triplets, and when wired and stemmed prove excellent substitutes for and more durable than the flowers of Azaleas. For pot culture and forcing I prefer the early flower- ing hybrids, and I may add it is not yet too late to procure any number of them well set with buds from the nurseries. None are more serviceable than the scarlet, rose, and other varieties of Nobleanum ; Blanche Superb, pure white ; Bril- liant, a good scarlet ; Broughtonianum, rosy scar- let; Marian, shaded pink, beautifully spotted; Lady l>uckworth, clear pink ; Auguste 'Van Geert, chocolate-purple, p rettily spotted ; limbatum, white, crimson margin ; and campanulatum, creamy white. These are all worthy of a place in every collection. W. I. M. FEEDING ROOy-BOUND PLANTS. Ir there is one thing that strikes a visitor to the flower market in Covent Garden more than another it is the apparent disproportion in size of the pots to the plants growing in them, and many wonder how it is possible to impart such vigour, size, and floriferousness under what in one sense at least must be considered unfavourable circumstances. Take, for instance, Pelargoniums of the show and decorative types, 18 inches high and as much through, with foliage in the perfection of growth to the rim of the pot, and bearing a dozen trusses of bloom, all the soil they have to grow in in- dividually being- contained in the small compass of a ()-inch pot. It is evident that long ere such plants arrive at their flowering stage they have become quite root-bound, and that the soil must be almost deprived of its nutritive properties. Therefore, to constant feeding in some form or another is to be attributed the luxuriance they exhibit, which proves that the quantity of soil at the disposal of the roots is not of paramount importance, and that vigorous development may continue just as well after the compost becomes exhausted ; i.e., if nutriment is given in another way. It is doubtful if this is so well recognised as it should be by the generality of plant growers, and plants are often shifted on when liquid or concentrated manures would serve the purpose equally well. It also frequently happens that for the want of a little timely feeding the career of the plant is so checked, that weeks elapse ere it can recover ; and every plant grower is aware of the difficulty of inducing free growth when the tissues have become hardened through want of food or some other cause. An error often committed is that of allowing plants to absolutely need food before it is given them ; a little ob- servation will enable anyone to accurately note the moment when the roots have thoroughly per- meated the soil ; then a slight top-dressing or occasional supplies of weak liquid manure will maintain it in fertile condition. By way of experiment I grew a Vesuvius Geranium in a 4.^-inch pot for eighteen months, and it continued to bloom without cessation during that time, pro- ducing upwards of 2Ul) good trusses of bloom quite equal to those obtained from plants growing in the open air. It became at length so large, that the weight of the pot and soil were insufficient to keep it upright. Had it been shifted on it might have become larger, but could not have been more floriferous in proportion to size. A slight dressing with Clay's fertiliser from time to time and plenty of water in fine weather sufficed to maintain this healthy vigour. A large specimen of the old bronze Model has been six or more years in the same pot ; the stem is gnarled like that of an old Oak ; it looks as healthy as ever and makes good growth every season. In recent numbers of The Garden I have alluded to the satisfactory growth made by Lilies and Callas when allowed to remain more than one year without change of soil, and instances are plentiful enough of Camellias, Azaleas, and many other hard-wooded plants remaining in the Feb. 14, 1885. THE GARDEN 129 same pots for years and yet continuing healthy and blooming. Eoses being, as is well known, gross feeders, would naturally be considered as most unlikely to do well without change of soil, and yet one of the finest groups ever seen was that exhibited last year by the Messrs. Veitch, the plants composing it having been four years in the same pots. Their luxuriance and the size and per- fection of bloom was the subject of comment in the gardening papers, and it was stated that this was obtained by applications of Clay's manure as the plants appeared to need food. If Roses can be grown to such perfection in this way, it seems natural to suppose that most plants may remain several years without change of soil if well at- tended to in the matter of feeding. As to fruits, we know that Mr. Rivers and others have grown Pears, Peaches, Plums, and other fruits in the same pots for years without any lessening of their fertility, and I have had abundant proof that Strawberries will bear well under the same conditions. At one time we used to grow a great number of pot Strawberries, which remained from two to five years in the same pots. If anyone should doubt the quality of the fruit they bore, all I can say is that it was quite as good as that from young plants, and often realised lOs. per pound the latter end of May. The roots made by these old plants were stronger than those made by young ones, and they naturally did not require the care in watering, the pots being always full of roots. During the summer they had several dress- ings of soot or some concentrated manure, the superfluous crowns being thinned out when they began to grow freely. Soot is an excellent manure for root-bound plants, and may be used either in a liquid state or as a top-dressing. If in the latter way, it should be mixed with one-third of its bulk of sand, which prevents it floating ofi: when watered, and binds it down solidly to the surface of the soil. The best way of using it in liquid form is to tie it up loosely in a coarse bag and sink it in the water tank ; then it is quite free from sediment and may even be used for syringing. In this way it may bo used freely with perfect safety, and all root-bound plants should get it as soon as the days begin to lengthen, as it gives colour and solidity without stimulating over much ; it pre- pares the way for stronger food. Camellias, Azaleas, Neriums, and peat-loving plants, such as Ericas, Epacrises, Boronias, Lesche- naultias, and to which forcing nitrogenous manures are not applicable, are all the better for occasional doses of soot water, especially in the case of specimens which, having come into pots as large as it is desirable to have them in, begin to look yellow. The efliect of soot in such cases is almost marvellous, as in the course of a short time the foliage takes back the rich green hue natural to it. Peruvian guano is a strong forcing manure, and at one time we used it for pot Strawberries from the time the first fruit set, using soot water only in the early stages of growth. Every few days we put some in the tank, so that at each watering the plants got a little. Under this treatment they grew freely and the fruit swelled up finely. Many complain that guano burns the roots, but this is caused by using it too strong ; the water should only be just coloured and should be quite clear. As a top-dressing guano very quickly makes itself felt, but if the dressing is not renewed in time the plants soon go back again. Under glass, too, one cannot use it as a top-dressing, at any rate not where the plants are fully exposed to the sun, as there would be danger owing to the strong ammoniacal vapour. Clay's fertiliser, on the contrary, appears to be perfectly safe ; we have employed it for some years as a top- dressing for pot Strawberries, and it takes the place of liquid manure when the fruit is swelling. It gives great substance and vigour to the foliage and size to the fruit. It parts with its fertilising properties slowly, and does not seem to lose them when exposed to the sun and air, which cannot be said of all concentrated manures. I have used it for various kinds of soft-wooded plants, such as old Fuchsias, Geraniums, Cyclamens, kc, and in- variably with good results. J. Cobnhill. Hoya carnoaa. — 1 have often noticed it stated that Hoya carnosa is a stove plant. I have had one in my greenhouse for several years which blooms profusely every season, and the tempera- ture of the house falls in winter, as it has recently done in the night, to 40^, and after the middle of May there is no artificial heat at all in the house. This information may possibly be useful to those who having only an ordinary greenhouse would like to grow this interesting and beautiful plant. — W. J. T., Bririon. Books. THROUGH MASAI LAND.* Tub preface to this interesting book tells its purport. When an author says, "1 resolved to clothe the bones of a mere report in the flesh and blood of a narrative," the reader expects to find a description of the scenery and the incidents of travel vividly delineated, imagination is aroused, and made alive to the beauties of Nature and the perils of the traveller, and if to these a desire to embark in the same field of enterprise be added, the author must have performed his task of re- lating his travels in an attractive manner. This we must accord to the enterprising author of " Through Masai Land." On the beauty of the country he dwells with enthusiasm, and though the difficulties and dangers that beset African ex- ploration are doubtless great, still the author appears to have been capable of surmounting them. The following will convey some idea of the scenery through which he passed : — "Gazingeastward the eye roams over the Tavetan Forest and over the yellow, burnt-up plain beyond, till the view is bounded by the range of Bura and the peak of Kadiaro rising above the horizon like dangerous black rocks from a muddy sea. Turning to the south-east, we note in the foreground the hills and dales at our feet, carved out by numerous noisy torrents. Here a • gallery ' forest arches over a rushing stream, there a bush-clad ridge ; now a beautiful glade, anon a piece of park-like country. Such is Chaga, if you add curling columns of smoke and parti-coloured plantations. In the same direction, but beyond the base of the mountain, the eye takes in a rich expanse of forest and jungle, dotted here and there with strange little sugar-loaf peaks, which tell of former fiery vents of Vulcan's forge below. At- tention is finally arrested by a glimpse of the silvery, shimmering sheet of Jipe seen past the edge of the Ugono range, though far away beyond in the haze of distance may faintly be traced the Par6 and U-sambara Mountains. To the south the view extends over the well-watered depression of the Kah^ country to the interesting mountains of Sogonoi. This whole district — one of the richest in Africa — is practically uninhabited, except in some dense forest patches, owing to the terror with which the Masai are regarded. The expanse towards the west is most picturesque and varied, for there, looking over Machamo (a Chaga state), we see the clear sweep of the sunny slopes of Kilimanjaro from top to bottom, with the Shira flanking its shoulder scarred and rugged, its black gloomy rocks and narrow gorges contrasting with the smiling aspect of Machamfe at its base. Behind are the magnificent, though simple outlines of the wonderful volcanic cone of Meru, which springs up to a height of nearly 9000 feet from the surrounding plain and stands in all the severe and placid dignity of a cyclopean pyramid. Of the scene to the north, which closes in this glorious panorama, I will not attempt to give any descrip- tion." " We were now considerably over 6000 feet in elevation, and I was thrown into ecstacies of delighted surprise in observing several very » "Through M-isai Land." A journey of exploration ■imongthe snow clad volcanic mcuiitains and strange tribes of Eastern Equatorial Africa, being the narrative of the Royal Geu'Taphical Society's expedition to Mount Xenia and Lake Victoria JSyanza, 18S3-1884. By Joseph Thomson, F. R.G.S, author of "To tlie Central African Lakes and Back." Sampsou Low, Marston, .Soarle, and Kivington. fine coniferous trees (Junipsrs and Podocarpus) rising to a height of little short of 100 feet, among magnificent Cape Calodendrons, splendid flowering trees never before found north of Natal. The whole scene was singularly rich and varied with the numerous trees of temperate aspect and the dense undergrowth of bushes, mostly covered with charming flowers, which emitted a rich, though heavy, perfume. Beautiful glades honey- combed the forest and cattle paths connected them with each other." "On the eastern half of this divided plateau rises, as we have seen, the snow-clad peak of Kenia and the picturesque range of the Aberdare Mountains, which runs almost parallel with the central line of depression. A more charming region is probably not to be found in all Africa, probably not even in Abyssinia. Though lying at a general elevation of 6000 feet, it is not moun- tainous, but extends out in billowy, swelling reaches, and is characterised by everything that makes a pleasing landscape. Here are dense patches of flowering shrubs ; there noble forests. Now yon traverse a park-like country enlivened by groups of game ; anon, great herds of cattle or flocks of sheep and goats are seen wandering knee- deep in the splendid pasture. There is little in the aspect of the country to suggest the popular idea of the Tropics. The eye rests upon coniferous trees, forming Pine-like woods, and you can gather sprigs of Heath, sweet-scented Clover, Anemone, and other familiar forms. In vain you look for the graceful Palm, ever present in the mental picttures of the nntravelled traveller." That the book is cleverly written these ex- tracts are suflicient to show. It is also well illas- trated and printed. J. NOTES. The ■winter Jasmine.— Jasminum nudi- florum is such a bright and cheerful wall shrub, that it should be planted in various aspects so as to prolong its season of blossoming. It has been in bloom here for three months or more, and one plant on a western wall has only just begun to flower. Can anyone interested in Japanese shrubs tell us if there are two or more varieties of this Jasmine ? I think I could convince any visitor that we have two forms— one of a rapid lanky habit, and the other dense and bushy, covering the wall like a sheep's fleece with its short pendent flower shoots. Apart from its diflterent habit of growth, its flowers do not open until long after those of the loose-habited variety on the same wall and in the same aspect. Again, the long shoots of the latter form root freely treated as cuttings or as layers, but not so the dense-habited kind, which I find extremely difficult to increase. Fungi as food — It seems a great pity that there is no sure and safe method of distinguishing between the edible and the poisonous fungi, or, to put it familiarly, between Mushrooms and Toad- stools. There seems to be nothing for it at pre- sent but experience in the fields with a "wise man " familiar with the whole tribe ! At least one American humourist, however, has suggested a royal road, " If yew air in doubt," he says , " you eat the fungus. Then if yew live, 'twas a Mush- room ; and if yew die, 'twas a Toadstool ! '' Nor is this joke so ridiculous as it at first sight ap- pears. At any rate the experiment is made every year, and, as a matter of course, we hear of the " accidental deaths " which result from such trials. In Italy, we are told, that one of the species re- puted poisonous, and so excluded from the rnar- kets, is our common meadow Mushroom (Agaricus campestris). In Russia nearly all kinds are gathered indiscriminately, and are eaten after they have been pickled in salt or vinegar for some time. But is it not possible for our fungologists to help us in the matter of discrimination, or are we to take Mark Twain's ad\'ice for all time ? SnO'wdrops.— These lovely heralds of the spring and harbingers of the thrush's song are ten days later with us than last year, but just now several kinds are in bloom. It is commonly 130 THE GARDEN [Feb. 14, 1885. thought that Snowdrops are earlier, and at all events finer, in the north of England and Scotland than in the south. Is this so or not ? At any rate, some of the finest flowers I ever saw were sent to me from Dunrobin Castle, where Mr. Melville has raised several fine seedlings. Those who grow only the common Snowdrop and, per- haps, the broad-leaved or Crimean variety, may like to know that there are at least ten or twelve distinct forms of this popular flower. The finest are Galanthns Imperati, G. plicatus major, G. Elwesi major, and G. Melvillei, a seedling raised at Dunrobin Castle. These have great pearly buds of varying shape, and are really lovely if pulled early, i.e., just before the buds expand, and brought into the house to open under one's eyes. Helleborus niger.— No doubt Mr. Wood- all (p. 77) is quite right in considering that all the forms of this plant are merely- varieties, but in describing masimus or altifolius as being sterile he is in error. The late Miss Hope, of Wardie, found it sterile— that is to say, seedless — in her garden, but I saw ripe seeds plump and black on a plant growing at Straffan in 1883. The varie- ties of H. niger are very numerous ; a dozen at least could easily be defined by photographs or by carefully made drawings, although it is not so easy to distinguish them by words. To assume that any given plant must needs be a hybrid merely because it is intermediate between two other forms is only misleading, and in the case in point the Eiverston plant could only be a cross- bred variety, since two varieties only, and not two species, are its supposed parent.s. Qalanthus Imperati.— This is now bloom- ing with us for the first time, and is, as I consider, a great beauty in its way. In its bud state it is perfect. For years I had grown a very large and fine form of the Crimean Snowdrop (G. plicatus) under this name ; then I bought a few imported bulbs named G. Imperati, only to find them to be G. Elwesi at blooming time. Now, however, we have the true plant, with its long fusiform buds depending among the pale glaucous leaves, which are like those of the common Snowdrop, but per- haps a little broader. Of all the Snowdrops we find G. Elwesi the earliest and decidedly the most variable, some forms scarcely so good as the common Snowdrop, while others bear great inflated buds — G. Elwesi, to wit, figured in these notes a year ago. Plant a few bulbs of Snowdrops near a clump of Cyclamen Coum, and you have a picture. The Orchid conference.— The idea of holding an t)rchid conference is a good one, and one that if properly recommended to amateurs and trade growers must needs prove a great success. Orchids were never more popular than at present, and if a grand exhibition of them can be held at South Kensington during the ensuing London season, all the town'will go to see it, as well as many country visitors. Apart from plants in flower especial provision should be made for cut specimens of rare or curious species and varieties. The parcel post offers such facilities for transit now-a-days, that many country growers would gladly send cut specimens who might reasonably object to send plants long distances. With a little organisation valuable results may be obtain ■ able, and questions of culture and nomenclature satisfactorily settled by experts in this branch of horticulture. Iris flmbriata.— If the plant alluded to by "A. R." (p. 78) is the same as that graceful ever- green species, otherwise known as Morsa fim- briata or Iris chinensis, I can corroborate all that has been said in its praise. Even when not in bloom the plant has a fresh and pleasing habit, but its fringed flowers are really lovely. They are produced in panicles and open in gradual suc- cession, so that a plant with three'or four bloom- ing growths continues in blossom several weeks. It is readily increased by offsets, which are freely produced and blossoms profusely if grown strongly. Tears ago several large pots of this species used to flower every year in the succulent house at Kew, where it used to obtain great admiration from visitors. Furple-leaved Ivy.— Of the rich bronzy beauty of this plant there is no doubt whatever, and if planted at the foot of a wall along with the true large-leaved Golden Ivy, the effect of both is enhanced, and the result is a living picture. Hedera atro-purpurea was sent to me by the late Mr. Williams along with other rare plants, which seem to have been peculiar to his garden, since I never heard of them, except in connection with his name. Its leaves have a solid bronze-like appearance, and, as indicated (p. 77), are most valuable for cutting. A bit of old stone wall covered with this dark-leaved Ivy and Jasminum nudifiorum would be pretty, as its leaves would emphasise the brilliancy of the golden flowers. One peculiarity about the variety is that the leaves are at their best, in colour I mean, during the winter season. Vinca acutiloba.— Anent this bright green winter Periwinkle (see p. 109) a friend in Ireland sends me the following note : " I am glad to see you have a word of praise for this large white- flowered Periwinkle. I found it in quantity along the Riviera. Last November, and even into December, I had bunches of it on the drawing- room table with Chrysanthemums. It does not flower as large or handsome as in its own warm climate, but it is always acceptable and a link with the pleasant past. I have just been out to the garden, and see that its blooms are trying to open. It is also found in Greece, I believe, and generally over S. Europe." Corbularia oitrina. — This pale lemon- coloured Narcissus is opening its first blossoms in the greenhouse, and a great beauty it is, very variable in size and with some little variety of tint also, but yet quite distinct in all ways from the common kinds of Hooped Petticoat with their deep golden-yellow flowers. Mr. J. D. Llewellyn told us long ago that this fine variety grows abundantly near Biarritz, peeping up among the rocks and stones along with the lovely blue-flowered Litho- spermum and other wild flowers of the district. I am afraid it will not be quite hardy on the majority of soils, but as a pot plant in a greenhouse or frame it has but few rivals at this season. Feeding the flowers.- The old northern farmers have a saying that " Muck is the mother of money," and what is true of the farm is true also of the garden — the market garden to wit. After all we may get a good deal of floral beauty from the manure heap if we will, and in a well- managed garden nothing is lost ; but we must be very careful in our use of manurial stimulants, and more especially in the application of crude solid manure to all plants, especially to bulbous ones. The old-fashioned plan of planting Potatoes was to lay the tubers on a layer of stable or farm- yard manure in the trenches or rows previous to their being covered with earth, and even yet the direct application of crude manure to newly planted tree and flower roots is practised. The golden rule is that manure should never be placed in contact with a tuber or a bulb, but should, if used at all, be so placed that the roots may find their own way to the manure if so disposed. Mulchings, apart from their mechanical action in preventing radiation and evaporation of earth moisture, act as manure water during rain. Flowers of spring —There is no sunshine, the birds are silent, and a drizzling rain filters down from a leaden sky. Here and there comes a gleam of mellow light from a closed-up Crocus bud or from the Aconite flowers, but the long tassels of the Garrya bush, which were yesterday swaying and dancing in sunshine and the wind, now hang as if limp and lifeless among its cool grey leaves. It is not a morning on which to be- come enthusiastic about anything, and yet snugly ensconced at the foot of the rockery in a friend's garden a flower has opened its velvety petals and displays a glorious richness of colouring unsur- pa.s£ed in its way by thetenderest or rarest of exotics. It is only Iris reticulata Krelagei, but there is a something in its vernal freshness that makes even Orchid flowers themselves look tame and insipid when compared with this little Iris, so richly is it dressed in njby-purple and gold. Cultural progress.— Of course all real pro- gress is slow, and this much seems especially true of garden practice. The phrase " While doctors differ patients die " is as true of gardening as it is of medical science, and for a simlar reason, since in either case it is rare to find all the conditions of any two cases exactly the same. What we want is the establishment of accurate stan- dards—a registration of demonstrable truths. Gardeners have been groping in the dark ever since the beginning, and even nineteenth century progress has not helped us so much as one would naturally suppose. True records of actual facts are valuable, but what we desire to know with mathematical accuracy are the laws which govern vegetable life beyond all disagreement or contro- versy. We may never acquire this knowledge per- fectly, but it is the goal to strive for, and the nearer we approach it the better. ■\'ebo>'ICA. Garden Flora. PLATE 479. AMASONIA PUNICEA.* It seems somewhat strange that so beautiful a plant as that represented by the accompanying plate should have been known to science for nearly a century, and yet not introduced until lately to European gardens. So long ago as 1796 a German botanist n.amed Martin Vahl published descriptions of plants from Central America in a work which he called •' Eclogfe Americanae," and among them was this Amasonia, the materials for the description of which were derived from the island of Trinidad. Early in the present century it was gathered by Humboldt in forests bordering the river Orinoco, and not many years afterwards it was discovered by Martins in the Brazilian province of Para, and also in the region of the Rio Negros. No further notice appears to have been taken of it till nearly four years ago, when Jlessrs. Veitch's collector, Mr. David Burke, brought living plants of it to their Chelsea establishment from British Guiana, where it must have escaped the observation of the keen-eyed Schomburgk, as the name is not in his " Versuch Einer Flora von Britisch Guiana," although the typical species, A. erecta, is there mentioned. It is therefore evident that this species of Amasonia has an extensive range in Equatorial America, where it affects hot and moist situations. A. punicea is a low suflru- ticose shrub, with erect stems furnished with spreading foliage. The leaves, which are elliptic- lanceolate, have serrate margins and are about a foot long ; the inflorescence is terminal, the crim- son peduncle being about as long as the leaves and slightly nodding. As a horticultural plant it is unquestionably one of the most beautiful of recent introductions, its value as such being greatly enhanced by the persistence of the bril- liant-coloured bracts, which retain their colour for upwards of three months. The merits of this distinct and ornamental stove plant have been re- cognised by the floral committee of the Koyal Horticultural Society by the award of a first-class certificate. A. erecta, the plant on which the genus was founded, is a small shrubby plant with inconspicuous flowers and small red and yellow bracts ; it is scattered over the savannahs of Venezuela and Guiana. Four other species (six in all) are described by Schauer in De CandoUe's " Prodromus," but none, with the exception of A. punicea, appear to possess any attractions for the horticulturist. The Amasonias are verbenaceous plants, and come near Clerodendron and Vitex. * Drawn in the Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, in September. AMASONIA PUNICEA Feb. 14, 1885.] THE GARDEN 131 Oar plate represents a full-sized spike of this new plant, but the colour printer has failed to reproduce the glowing brilliancy of its scarlet- vermilion bracts, which are as bright as those of the Poinsettia. The flowers are a pale primrose- yellow, a colour in charming harmony with the bracts and the luxuriant green of the foliage. A great future may be safely predicted for this novelty, whose distribution cultivators await. WORK DONE IN WEEK ENDING FEB. 10, 1885. Febeuaby i. Fine and spring-like, very good forcing weather ; early Peaches have set well, and have been par- tially disbudded and the borders being inside, water- ing was needed and applied, the chill being taken off by adding half a dozen pots of hot water to each tub that holds about thirty pots. The bor- ders are always kept covered with long stable litter, thus the moisture is retained for the longest period, and it is cleanly for standing bedding and other plants on. Potting succession Pines and plunged others, having renewed plunging ma- terial. The fruiters are now given clear manure water at each watering, sheep droppings and soot are excellent ingredients, as also for Strawberries, the plants of which, swelling oflE fruit, are now given it on alternate days. Sowed more seeds for sub- tropical bedding, Ferulas, Eucalyptus, Cannas, &c., being amongst the number. Planting Laurels, laying turf and Box edgings, and finished nailing Peaches and Nectarines comprised the whole of our outside doings to-day. Febbuaey 5. Slight showers occasionally, but happily our soil being gravelly it works well in all weathers, except during hard frost. Finished shrub planting for the present ; mulched all, and tied to supports such as required it, to prevent wind waging. Planted a few more early Potatoes, Myatt's Ashleaf and Mid- summer Kidneys ; made another sowing of Broad Windsor Beans and Peas, Advancer and Veitch's Perfection being the varieties now sown. Planted Shallots and Garlic and a few of our finest-shaped Onions for seeding purposes. Potted ofi: bedding Tropseolums, Heliotropes, and Ageratnms. Put in cuttings of Lobelias and of Saxifraga Cooperi ; the latter is one of the very best plants there is for dotting in dwarf green, grey or white groundwork plants, and being comparatively hardy will, when better known, be in great request by all who have to do summer bedding with the hardiest kinds of plants. Sowed Pyrethrum Golden Feather in boxes and placed in warmth, and also made a sowing on a sunny bank in the open air. We have frequently had our best supplies from the latter position ; it hand-lights can be spared to cover over the bed, then to a certainty may good plants be relied on in time for planting out in May. Potted some stove plants and a few Pine suckers. February 6. Repotting stove plants. Ferns, &c., washed Gar- denias. Fly and soft scale being the only para- sites that afflict our plants, therefore they are not difficult to clean, but they soon make fresh attacks and require frequent attention in regard to washing — the stems and main branches with a brush, and the foliage with sponge, the solution being a strong lather of soft soap or Gishurst, the final being a thorough syringing with clear water. That worst of all plant pests — mealy bug — we got rid of by syringing at intervals of a week with a solution of paraffin oil, a half pint to from two to three gallons of water ; at this strength the plants did not suffer in the least, and that it was effectual, freedom from it for years is the best of all proofs. Stopped a few of the stronger shoots on early Vines ; generally we pinch at the second joint from the branch, but do not follow this rule too severely, especially if there is likely to be roof space for all the foliage to have a due share of light ; in fact, we pinch close or distant, according to space, our one aim in the matter being to cover the roof— not crowd it — with foliage. Now that the weather is milder, and the sun occasionally puts in an appearance, forcing can be done without ' injury to the prospects of the crop ; 68° or 70° at night in such mild weather is not a bit too high, and by sun heat we allow the temperature to run up to 80°, and close up the house with plenty of atmospheric moisture at about two o'clock to husband what sun-heat we get. Cleared oS the old stems of early Broccoli, and the ground is now being prepared by deep digging and manur- ing for summer Spinach, French Beans, and Lettuce. Made a sowing of Lettuce and Radishes on a south border, and began to turn gravel walks in kitchen garden. The gravel is broken to a depth of about .5 inches, then raked smoothly over, and afterwards a light sprinkling of fresh gravel is applied, rolling being done at every opportunity till they are well consolidated. February 7. The sun to-day was too good to last ; it was what weHampshire folk call a " weather breeder," three hours being a most unusual length of time at this season for that orb to display its life-im- parting influence to vegetation. However, we may gladly welcome a passing storm if the penalty be nothing worse than that of to-day. It has visibly pushed on our Peaches and Strawberries, and for the first time this year the latter needed the water - pot twice the same day. Watered Pines, Fig-house border, and early Muscat Vine border, warm water only being used ; looked over Grapes in bottles to remove bad berries, and fill up the bottles where needed. They never kept better, I think, never so well — a fact that shows that full ripeness is indispensable to good keeping. Last year the season was such that they could not be hindered from getting well ripened, and thus the lesson was enforced that all should willingly learn, viz., that good keeping can only be assured by perfect ripeness of fruit. Being Saturday, all the houses had the usual weekly round of scrubbing, washing, and rearrangement of plants, &c. Thinned out and planted autumn- sown Onions digging in kitchen garden, and re- pairing walks in the same. Cleaned up woodland and pleasure ground walks and coach roads ; rolled newly-laid Grass verges and loose parts of walks. Februaet 9. The storm foreshadowed by Saturday's brilliancy came in full force yesterday, heavy rain and high wind continuing without cessation all day long, whilst to-day has been fine, though not sunny, but drying. Manured herbaceous plant borders that were made last year, and planted in the more open spots Ranunculus, Anemones, Canterbury Bells, Brompton Stocks, and Sweet Williams. The longer planted borders have got so over- crowded, that the whole of the plants are being entirely dug up, the ground well manured and trenched, at which work we set every avail- able hand, that the 'plants may be got in before any injury accrues to them. As showing the im- mense popularity attained by these old-fashioned, but most beautiful, class of plants, we need only to instance our own case. A very few year since we might have had dozens, but have hundreds in lieu of dozens now, and still they come, but not space for all we would like, as they are not al- lowed to elbow out of the garden our best classes of summer bedding plants, as they fill a niche that herbaceous perennials are not equal to fill, at least not from my point of view. However, this is not the place for argument on the matter, and as I consider both classes indispensable, I cannot justly be accused of being prejudiced in favour of one over the other. Just now, however, I am en- thusiastic over perennials, and mean to have them grand ; hence the thorough doing up of the borders now in progress, but in May next I shall probably be just as enthusiastic over summer bedders, and which, in fact, we have been amongst to-day. Put- ting in more cuttings of various kinds, pricking out seedling Centaureas, and potting herbaceous Lobelias, and made up a manure frame for the first batch of Alternanthera cuttings, our stock of these being all raised in this way, being planted direct from the cutting bed to the flower bed. Got in soil for another Melon bed, shifted Strawberries that were set into a warmer house, having first thinned out the fruit to about six in each pot. Those in flower are given abundance of air during this mild weather, cold draughts and wet on the blossoms being carefully guarded against. February 10. Another fine day has enabled us to make good progress in the renovation and rearrangement of herbaceous borders. In the disposition or placing of the plants we strive as much as possible to dis- tribute the several varieties regularly throughout the borders, so that there may be an equal amount of flower at the same season throughout the whole. As to height of plants, some little attention is paid, and for the most part the tallest growers occupy the back and central part of bor- ders, but true uniformity of height we endeavour to avoid, and only the very strongest, tall, and spreading growers are planted in single file, groups of from three to nine plants of one variety being placed together, a plan that shows off the varied characteristics of the plants with far greater effect than is seen when planted singly. Recommenced shrub and hedge cutting, and con- tinued repairing of walks. Indoor duties have been much of the same order as yesterday, propa- gating principally and putting in relays of hardy plants, Roses, &c., to force ; also another batch of Seakale, and prepared soil for potting remainder of Pines. Hants. Fruits under Glass. Vines. — The early forcer who started bis Vines in November will now be tying down, stopping laterals, and regulating his bunches, as they will be sufficiently advanced to admit of a selection being made for the crop. Should the weather continue as dull and sunless as it has hitherto been, it will be advisable to run over them when in flower with a soft brush to insure a good set of even-sized berries. The Hamburgh being a very free-setting variety, many people do not consider it necessary to take this precaution, but weak Vines do not always set so well as one could wish, as is often experienced by the number of stoneless berries which have to be removed at the final thinning. To obviate this an operation so simple should never be neglected on fine days when the temperature has reached the maximum. Foster's Seedling, Buckland Sweetwater, and the White Frontignan, which generally find a place in the early department, are not free setters, and as they invariably succeed best when fertilised with foreign pollen, the operation of collecting from the Ham- burgh for this purpose, all other conditions being satisfactory, will leave nothing to be desired in this important part of Grape culture. Watcrhig inside borders. — If the internal bor- ders were properly moistened by the time the buds began to swell and fermenting leaves prevent the escape of moisture from the surface of the soil, it is hardly likely that a second supply will be needed before the Grapes are set, but this rule does not always hold good, as so much depends upon the depth and structure of the border, the quantity of drainage, and the mode of ventilation or aeration. With these points for his guidance, independently of the appearance of the foliage, the experienced maker and manager of his own border will be the best judge of the requirements of his Vines, and the tyro will do well to bear in mind that they should never be watered when in flower; therefore, if a second supply is thought requisite, it should be given before they reach the flowering stage. Once the Grapes are set and swelling, a copious supply will be imperative, as well-planted Vines in active growth cannot easily be over-watered, while the want of this element may ruin them for the season. Succession /toiises.—'When all the buds are fairly on the move the rods should be tied up to the wires before the young growths become ' ongated and take an unnatural direction, which will give trouble when the time arrives for tyi -g out. If any of the strong canes throw double creaks, rub off the weakest, and defer the general disbudding until the bunches are perceptible. Let the night temperature range about 60^ for Hamburghs, 65° 132 THE GARDEN [Fer. 14, 1885. for Muscats, and ran up 10° by day, at which point give a little air at the apex, but shut up in time for the temperature to touch SO" when favoured by gleams of sunshine. Si/rhiging. — Many leading Grape growers dis- continue direct syringing as soon as the buds liave started into growth, and maintain a moist growing atmospiicre by a liberal application of tepid water to the walls and floors. Others syringe once or twice a day until the bunches are ready to burst into flower, asserting as their reason that it is wise to keep spider in check as long as it is safe to syringe without doing harm to the Grapes. The first, it he succeeds in keeping his Vines clean, secures the most compact bunches ; the second, if he syringes through dark as well as blight days, runs the risk of forcing a weak, flabby growth, which generally goes hand in hand with elon- gated bunche.=, which do not always set well. In my own management I never wet the foliage when the day is dark and the temperature low, but syringe freely up to the lloweiing period after the house is closed at the maximum temperature on bright sunny days. PEACHE.S. — Early Iioiises. — If the early forcer is possessed of a good stock of patience and the roots of his trees are active and confined to inside bor- ders, he will most likely have a good "set" of fruit fit for thinning, an operation which must be conducted with great caution. First, the trebles and doubles are reduced to one, then the worst placed singles are removed, until eventually the fruits intended for the crop remain at intervals of r, inches or 1) inches apart, as much as possible with there points facing the sun. But it must not be assumed that all these Peaches will be allowed to swell to maturity, as a fruit to every square foot of foliage forms a heavy crop for a tree to carry year after year, despite the misleading as- sertions that are sometimes made to the contrary. Unless the trees are very weak, in which case they are unfit for early forcing, the prudent grower al- ways leaves a fair percentage for the final thin- ning after the stoning is complete. The operation of disbudding being so well understood, it is only necessary to say it must be carried on conjointly with the thinning of the fruit, and when finished a space equal to 6 inches in width must not be oc- cupied by more than one shoot if there is to be full development of the foliage and future flower- buds. Siiccessimi houses. — A temperature ranging from 45° to 50° at night and .50° to 5(;° by day, with a chink of air and moderate syringing, will soon bring these into flower ; but before the first flower opens the house should be moderately fumigated, not less than twice, to destroy every vestige of green fly. If this is neglected, and fly gets into the blossoms, the chance of securing a crop will be very remote, and the trees will most likely be crippled for the season.