* UMASS/AMHERST * 1 11'" If !' il! : ' llll: .i 141 ■IS III! 3- 2066 0333 3050 1 1 v.v. il ui.-,i.q'vM IP !, :' i^i !'■! ^" .V , '■ ' ^ ''■',■■ * ^H i ( ■ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Kl ' '> ' ' ;,:.■■■ m '■ * ' i ;.-■ .J ;■.•;■ ':;;if,i-I j ' ■.;■-'■= • : 'mTn^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H ) 1 \ i ' i :■ -i ■.) i aDDDDDDaDDDnDDaDnaDDDDDDaDnDDDDD D a a a D D D D a a a D n n D D D D D D D D D a D D D D D D D D D D D D D Q D D D D D D D D D D D D D D n UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY D n D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D n Q D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D DDDODDaDDDDDDDDaaDDDDDaDDDnDDDDn \'\\% ■' >tHi\v ^^*" ^....^^jS^^:"^"' .^^i/^' CtKJt ^ ^ it^K^ IX,X,USTI\ATEE) w£;ekx^y jout^Nal, HORTICULTURE IN ALL ITS BRANCHES, FOUNDED BY W. Bobinson, AiitJior of " The Wild Oarden," " Eiiglisli Flmver Garden" Ife. " You see, sweet maid, we marry A gentler scion to the wildest stock ; And make conceive a bark of baser kind By bud of nobler race : Tliis is an art Which does mend Nature, — change it rather : but The art itself is nature." VOL. XLIII. -MIDSUMMER, 1893. LONDON : OFFICE: 37, SOUTHAMPTON STEEET, COYENT GAKDEN, W.C. July 1,1803.1 The Garden ] >Al Jolt 1, 1893.] THE GARDEN INDEX 111 in^iDEx: TO ^OLTjn^vdiiE xixjIii. (Illustrations in Italics.) Abutilon Souvenir de BoDn, 358 Acacia liueata, 21 ; longifolia, 38; longifolia itiagnifica. 32 i; pulch ; L:idy Brooke, 471 ; I.ora Brooke, 471 ; Lord Ll.ang4ittock, 471 ; manicata, 110; Mrs. Hcgnart, 471; Tn- omphe de LemoiLC, 222 ; Winter Gem, 4 ; Worthiana, 125 . ,,„ Begonias, three, 21; three fine-leaved, 410 ; tuberous, 394, 482 ; tuberous, at Forest Hill, 512 ; tuberous, in distinct beds, 63, 113 ; winter-flowering, 186, 246 Bcrbeiis Aquifollum, 286 ; buxifolia, 318 ; dulcis, 287 ; nepalensis, 37, 485 ; steno- phylla. 340, 380 ; virtscens, 212 ; Wallichi- ana, 139 . , , i Bexley Heath, Peach trees in bloom at, 203 Bignonia veuusta, 3, 160 IV THE GARDEN INDEX [July 1, 1893. BigTionias, two, 127 Bilberry -leaved Knotweed, 501 BUlbergia Breautiana, 168 ; Saudcria^a, 108 ; sanguinea, 403 Black Curraut mite, the, 307 Blandfordia nobilis, 4i8 Bletia hyacinthina alba, 172 Bluebells, the, at Kew, 408 Bng garden, 'a, 531 ; the, 530 Boiler-s, garden, and anthracite, OS Bolbophyllum comosum, 33 ; Lobbi, 357 Book illustration, the degradation of, 452 Books— " Annals of an Old Manor House," 313 " Celery for Profit," 410 "Gartenbeete mid Gruppen," 402 "Insects and Fungi Injurious to Crops," 402 " Manures : how to Make and how to Use them," 410 "Observations on Injurious Insects," 351 " Onions for Profit," 351 "The Rabbit Pest," 267 Borecoles, late, 407 Boronia megastigma, 266 Bostall Woods, opening of, 452 Bougainvillea spectabilis, 314 Bouga nvilleas, 6 ; at Algiers, 276 Bouvardias, 174 ; resting of, 21 Box, a useful, 348 Brassia antherotes, 443 ; brachiata, 443 ; Gireoudiana, 443 ; Lawrenceana, 443 ; Law- renceana longissima, 443 ; verrucosa, 443 Brassias, 443 Briers, hybrid Sweet, 46, 104 Bricks, glass, Falconnier's, 437 ; huxagonal, 436; house glazed with, 437 ; lozenge-shaptd, 436, 437 British Guiana, woods of, 248 Broccoli, 34P ; autumn, 464 ; hardiness of, 233, 240, 278, 304, 370 ; sprouting, 527 ; Wilcove's White, 406 Brodijea Howelli, 424 Broughtonia sanguinea, 200 Brownea ariza, 268 ; Crawfordi, 91 Brunsvigia Josephinse, 129 Brussels Spriuts, 394 ; Dwarf Gem, 75 ; early, 74 ; for market, 24 ; planting 483 Buddleia Colvillei, 482 ; globosa, 523 Bulbous flowers in the parks, 296 Bulbous plants iu pots, 371 Bulbs and herbaceous flowers, 298 ; forced, 371 ; on Grass, 289 ; spring, a beautiful association of, 210 Burchellia capen-is, 3, 219, 243 Burton Farm, Michigan, a note from, 296 O. Cabbage, autumn, 527 ; early, 305, 391 ; En- field Market, 4oO, 498 ; sprouts, 483 Cabbages, spring and summer, 406 ; young, running to seed, 353 Cacti, flowering, 469 Cactus and decorative Dahlias, 342 Cactuses at Swanley, 164 Calaiium Ibis Rouge, 472; Mrs. HaiTy Veitch, 472 Caladiums, golden-leaved, 294 ; propagatiog, 2" ; some of the newer, 511 Calanthe gigas, 55 ; Oweniana, 419 Calanthcs and I'oinsvtlitis, 310 ; and Poinset- tias, notes on culture of, 319 ; resting, 28 Calceo aria fuchsisfolia, 1^9, 144 Calceolarias, herbaceous, 165 California, showing Chrysanthemums in, 45 Calla EUioti, 3 ; Little Gem, 242 Callas, '8, 112 Calliandra Tweedei, 144 Callicarpi jnirpurea, 239, 277 Calocbortus Beuthami, 383 ; Kennedyl, 108 ; venustus oculatus, 536 ; venustus roseus, 536 ; venustus var. Vesta, 536 Caltha biflora, 458 Calypso boi'ealis, 268 Camellia, single whit-, the, 2'»1 Camellias, "22, 265. 441 ; at Waltham Cross, 294 ; casting the r buds, 67 Camoensia maxima, 220 Campanula abietina, 25 ; Allioni, 25 ; alpina, 2'j ; barb-ta, 25; ca;spitosa, 25; carnica, 25; cenisia, 15; excisa, 25; fragilis, 25; garganica, 25 ; garganica, 25 ; glomeratji dahurica, 431, 456 ; isophylla, 25 ; isophylla alha, 24 ; nitida alba, 491 ; Portenschlagi- ana, 25 ; puUa, 25 ; pusilla, 25 ; pyramida- lis, 265, 506 ; Raineri, 26 ; the Chimney, 265, 284 ; Tommasiniana, 26 ; Waldsteiiii- ana, 26 Campanvilas, a note on, 532 Canna Mme. Crozy, 469 ; Progression, 314 ; Sophie Buchner, 403 Cannas, notes on, 416 ; the dwarf, 308 Cannes, ga-dens at, 142 Capsicums, two good. 92 Caragina arborescens, 378 ; frutescens, 379 Caraguata cardinalis, 222 Cardoons, 349 Carnation, a white, 339 ; Alice Ayres in pots, 44 ; and Ficotee, the, 30 ; Celia 38 ; Hayes Scarlet, 536 ; King Arthur, 536 ; I Leopold de Rothschild, 231 ; Malmaison, ' varieties of, 511 ; Miss Joliffe Improved, 142; Mrs. Seymour Bouveie, 471; Prin- ce s May, 314 ; prospects 4^0 ; showing, 231 ; the Churchwarden, 4"1 ; Uriah Pike, 314, 368 Carnations, 503 ; and the b rds, 299 ; and the winter, 209 ; at Coombe Warren, 488 ; autumn-flowering, 8 ; border, 197, 231, 533 ; border, for early flowering, 513 ; border, planting, 281, 313; Marguerite, in pots, 4; planting, 399 ; the Malmaison, 352 ; Tree, 91, 166; Tree, at Edmonton, 416; Tree or perpetual, 126 ; two good, 384 Carrots, early, 147, 174; failure of, 170, 264 ; main-crop, 284 ; sowing, on warm borders, 174 ; young, 505 Cassandra calyculata. 286 Cas!*ii)j>i;fai nata, 219 ; Rodekiana, 220 Clavijas, 219 Clematis, a fine new hvbrid, 348 ; cirrhosa, 123 ; montana, 401 ; Vitijella, 65 Clematises, 8 Cleome pungens, 514 Clerkenwell, an open space for, 404 Clerodendron fragrans flore-pleuo, 3 ; triclio- tomum, 504 Clerodendrons, climbing, 469 ; the shrubby, 337 Climbers for a greenhouse wall, 68 ; three old useful, 475 Clivia Beeclidale, 269 ; miniata, 92 167 ; Scar- let Gem, 223 Olivias, new, 162 ; seedling, 142 Coal, anthracite, and garden boilers, 98, 117, 141, 162 Coccocy]3se*um discolor, 141 Cochlioda Noezliana, 268, 467 Cochliostema Jacobianum, 416 Ccelogyne cristata, 290 ; cristata hololeuca, 130 ; cristata Lemoniana, 192 ; Dayana, 471 ; ochracea, 432 ; odoratissima, 192 ; Sa-^'derffi. 221 Cole worts, 505 Combii atiun, a happy, 287 Combretum purpureum, 416 Coue-flowers, i48 Conifer planting, 470 Conifers, golden variegated, 485 ; in wiater, 92 ; ugly, 410 Conoclinium ianthinum, 3 Conservatory or show houses, the, 237 Conservatorie , 441 Coombe, a, in Somerset, 341 Coombe, a, in Somerset, 341 Coreopsis, annual species of, 397 ; aristosa, 398 ; Atkinsoni, 397 ; cardaraini folia, 398 ; coronatii 398 ; Brummomli, 397 ; Drum- mondi, 398 ; tinctoria, 363, 398 Coruels, the, 152 Come at Kew, an interesting, 378 Cornusalba, 153 ; alba Gonchaulti, 153 ; alba sibirica, 153 ; alternifoUa, 153 ; asperifolia, 153; Baileji, 153; canadensis, 153; capi- tata, 153 ; circinata, 153 ; florida, 153 ; florida, 153; Kousa, 6, 153; macrophylla, 153; mas 154; Nuttalli, 154 ; officinalis, 154 ; panieulata, 154 ; pubescens, 154 ; san- guinea, 154 ; sericea, 154 ; stolonifeia, 154 ; succica, 154 Cornwall, Apples from, 77 Coronilla varia. 111 Cortusa Matthioli 179 Corydalis lutea, 457 Corylopsis pauciflora, 222 Costus igneus, 161, 16S Cotoneaster congesta, 534 Cottage, gardener's, at Gnat Tef, 61 Cotyledon umbilicus and C. chrysanthus, 45S Couve Tronchuda, 2(i3, 527 Covent Garden, fruit in, 34 ; white flowers in, 33 Crab Apple, Japanese, 339 ; Siberian, the, I 340 ' Crinum Powelli album, 536 ! Crocus Crewei 278 ; Imperati, 33 ; Tauri, I 278 ; the Cloth of Gold, 144 Crocuses in bloom, 196 ; the Indian, 321 ' Crops, attention to, 327; thinniLg young, 417 i Crossandra guineensis, 168 ; undulfefolia, 2 ! Crotalaria longirostrata, 245 Croton Thorasoni, 471 Cucumber, the longest, 95, 75 Cucumbe s, 333 ; early, 304 ; methods of pro- ducing early, 95 ; r.dge, 372J Ciipania filicifolia, 468 Curcuma australasic i, 335; pctiolata, 338; Roscoeana, 338 Curcumas, 33S Curraut, Red, Raby Castle, 438 Cyathea dealbata, 200 Cyclamen ooum, 77, 210 ; seed, hardy, sow- ing, 184 Cyclamens, hardy, 179 ; hardy in Cornwall, 34 ; Persian, 266 ; potting, 48J Cyclobothra amoena, 403 Cycnoches, 217 ; aureum, 217 ; Egertonianum, 217 ; Loddigesi, 217 ; pentadactylon, 55, 217 ; ventricosum, 217 ; Warscewiczi, 217 ; Way»rnriczi, 217 Cymbidium ebumeum, 172, 192, 258; grandi- florum, 139 ; Lnwjanum, 217, 321 Cynosurus echinatus, 208 Cypripediinn Apple ton ianum, 95 ;bellatulum, 495 ; Boxalli, 94 ; caudatuui roseum, 290, 444; Chamberlaini, 304; Charles Rich- man, 402 ; Coneo-Lawre, 139 ; Consta- bleanuni, 75 ; Curtisi, 52o ; euryan- drum, 312; Evenor, 467; Germinyanum, 5i ; Huybrecht ianum, 5:6;insigne Ame- sianum, 75 ; lo, 290; javanicum, 237 ; Lathamianum, 04 ; Lawrenceanum 388 ; niicrochilum, 268 ; Morgania^, 94 ; Parishi, 28 ; Peetersianum, 290 ; Penelaus, 55 ; Phiedra, 55 ; Pitcherianum, 290 ; Roth- schildianum, 290; spectabile, 130, 192, 454; spectabile at home, 495 ; Stonei, 420 ; su- perbiens, 389 ; T. W. Bond, 258 ; villosum aureum, 190; volonteanum giganteum, 471 ; Winnianum, 139 Cypripediums, 23; a note on, 526; for cut- ting, 321 ; from Bristol, 290 ; the harJy, 321 Cyrtanthera chrysostephana, 3 Cyrtanthus carneus, 91 ; McKeni, 167 Cyrianthuses, the, 91 Cvrtopodium punctatum splcndens, 313, 320 Cyti'*"s Andreanus, 138, 191, 2-Jl, 332,445; Andreanus grafted, 332 ; Ardoini, 445 ; biflorus, 340, 378 ; Everestianus, 265 ; prse- cox, 386 ; purpureus, 445 Daffodi', a good market, 221 ; Golden Spur, 245 ; Irish princeps, 298 ; Tenby, the, 245 Daffodils, 201 ; a border of, 256 ; and Roses, prizes for, 314 ; at Abberley Hall, 325 ; at Long Dittou, 281 ; basal rot in, 3 ', 297, 336, 341, 398; early, 33; Hoop- petticoat, 221; seedling 429 ; something more or less about, 344 ; three rare, 340 Dahlia hedges, 430 Dahha« trained to hedges, 399 Damson Farldgh ProHdc, 486 Damsons, 486 ; th best, 524 Dandelion, the culture and blanching of, 146 Daphne i^enkwa, 93; Mezereum, 191 Daiihnipliyllum glaucescens, IbS D;Liv,'iuia tulipifera, 277 Datura cornucopia, 400 Davallia fijiensiselegaus, 472 Davallias, 19 Day Lilies in pots, 46 Delphinium, a pure white, 23 ; grandiflorum Brecki, 57-', 266 ; grandifloruiii Brecki, 266 ; John Thorpe, 47^ ; the, 533 Del, hiniums among shrubs, 535 Dendrobium,a charmit g, 258; Ainsworthi and its alUes, 94; a bum, 11; ameihysto- glossum, 258 ; barbatulum, 289 ; Be.isoniae album, 402 ; Bryan, 26S ; Cassiope, 76 ; chel- teuhamense, 347, 389 ; ehrysodiscus, 172 ; Dalhousianum, 496 ; Dominianum, 172 ; Fal oneri giganteum, 290 ; Farmeri, 38 ; Findlayanum, 373; infinidibulum gigan- teum, '.iOO ; Jeukinsi, 347 ; Li awianum,38 ; lituiflonim, 2n7 ; moschati.mcuprcum, 4i4, 496 ; Niobe, 313 ; nobile, 290 . n. albescens, 218 ; n. album, 321 ; n. Amesise, 139 ; n. Ballianum, 221 ; n. Gabrielianum, Zll ; n. intermedium, 218 ; Owenianum, 139 ; Plcr- ardi, 149 ; Pierardi, 149 ; primulinum, 444 ; rhodostomum. 348 ; Sibyl, 268 ; splendidis- simum grandiflorum, 172 ; strebloceras, 321 ; sulcatum, 257 ; thyrsiflorum, 348 ; thyrsifloi-um Walkerianum, 347 ; Wardia- niim, 237 ; Wardiauum album, 268 ; Wat- tianum, 172 Dendrobiums from Rawtenstall, 257 ; i > sects in, 404 Dendrochilum filiforme, 536 Leutzia crenata fl.-pl., 138 ; gracilis, 522 Dianthus csesius, 458 ; deltoides, 31 ; Grierci, 458 Diauthuses, some choice, 534 Dieentra spectabilis, 64, 125 Dicksonia antarctica, 199, 200 Dielytra spectabilis, 367 ; spectabilis alba, 256 Dimorphanthus mandschuricus, 6 Dipladonia atro-purpurca, 511 Dipteris Horsfieldi, 19 Dirca palustris, 286 Disa, a new, 478 ; grandiflora, an experience with, 466 ; incarnata, 108 ; tripetaloides, 419 ; Veitchi, 526 Dodecatheon integrifoliuni, 499 Dog's-tooth Violets, 270 Dogwoitd, Siberian, 93 Dogwoods, the, 152 Dowingia pulchella, 245 Draba Miiweana, 107 Drabas, 267, 458 Dracaena Alsace-Lorraine, 129 ; australis at Torquay, 454 ; Duueetti, 166 ; Lord WoLe- , ley, 471 ; Sanderiana, 402 July 1, 1893.] THE GARDEN INDEX Dr.icocjephiUum gnindiflonim, 499 Uniins, ojien, 1S2 Drought iiiui tlic Potato crops, 517 Drought, thu great, 402, J30, 535 Dryiiaria musa-fulia, 412 Dabliu giirdeu and giiMcner, a, 49t) E. Eccremoearpus scuber, 614 ; hardiness o , 231 Echeverias in winter, 120 Edging, charming, a, 201 Egyptian Lotus, the, 4ii2 Elder, viiricg-atcd, t> Elvmus arcnarius, 123 ; (Wenarius, 123 Endive. :^0':> Epacris. the, li'7 Epidcndruni aurantiaoum, 12it ; bicoriuituui, oli; ciliare var. latifolium, 34 ; Clftjsianuni, 471 ; Forgetiiuuun, 530 ; macrochilum, 357 ; vitellinum, 47S ; vitelUnum majus. 4(i7, 495 Epigyuium leuco^otrys, 127 Epiphyllum Gajrtueri, 390; Makoyanum, 29(), 31S Eppiig Foi-est, 392 ; superintendent of, 336 Erantheniuni Andersoniauum, 2 ; pulchel- lum, 2, 12(5 Eranthis cilicica, 201, 279 Eremuri, 179, 343 Eremurus Bungei, 513 Erica carnea, 307 ; camea, white- flowered, 145; cinerea, 514; codonodes, 77, 139; hyemalis major, 45 ; melanthera, 3 ; ven- tricosa, 482 Eric;is and Epacris, 394 Erlgeron speciosus splendidus, 513 Erinus alpin' s, 430, 457 Eriobotrya japonica, 3S7 Eriogonum sub-umbeUatuni, 534 ; umbella- tum, 45s Eriopsis rutidobulbon, 75 Eriostemon cuspidatus, 168 EritriLhium nanum, 458 Erysimum ochroleucum, 2 )7 Erythrlna crista-galli in the open air, 6 Erythronium, a beautiful, 2S2 EscaUonia exoniensis, 380 ; Phi lipiana, 535 Eucharis amazonica, 447 ; amazonica, 448 ; Lowi, 314 ; Stevensi, 267 Euoomis, 1S5 ; amaryllidifolia, 185 ; bicolor, 1S5 ; nana, 185 ; pallidiflora, 185 ; punctata, 185 ; Regia, 1S5 ; undulatii, 185 ; zambe- fiica, 1S5 Euonymus japonicus coMpictus, 5 Eup;itorium graudiflorum, 120 ; ianthinum, 293 Eui'atoriums with coloured flowers, 293 Evergreens, cutting. 5 Examinations, horticultviral, 270 Exliibitiun, preparing for, 435 Exhibitions of the future, 103 Fabiana imbricata, 139, 210, 241, 286 February filldyke, 207 Ftrn-diul tca/l at Cxnford Manor, 334 ; walls, 334 Fern notes, 70 ; nursery, a, 411 ; pots, grubs in, 225 Fernery, the, 87 Ferns, 411, 509 ; and ferneries 218 ; and rock- work, 437 ; Filmy, at Kew, 245 ; for cover- ing walls, 137 ; Goll and Silver, in winter, 218 ; hardy, for rooms, 340 ; in and for the house, 340 ; propagating, 137 ; seasonable notes on, 252; seedling, 25^; tasselled, 37 ; tree, for cool house or ferneries, 199 ; variegated, 19 Ficus elastica variegata, 416, 409 Fig, Sr. John's, 311 Fig trees oa walls, protecting, 13 Figs, 41S, 441 ; how to make fruitful, 381 ; in confined burderd, 516 Fire Bush, the, 470 Floral decorations for fireplaces, 345 Flower, a beautifvil, 290 ; beda, 402 ; cut, arrangements, 251 Fljwer girden notes, 29, 42, 124, 159 230 250, 2yS, 325, 3i2, 364, 422, 431, 455,' 503! 533 Flower show, the Vienna, 408 Flowering plants and shrubs, hardy, in small gardens, 436 Flowers, ear.y, 77 ; early spring, 195 ; from Minchiuhamptoii, 32j; hardy, at Cbrist- church, litS ; h;irdy, at Crystal Palace show, 4il ; hardy, at Forest Hill, i,03 ; hardy, at Hitherbury. 197; at the Temple, 454; hardy, se;isonable notes on, 2jO; hardy wnite, for cutting, SO; hardy winter, 97 ; in Grass, 27H ; in vaso, 383 ; outdoor, 457; purple in, 115,228; spring, at Hol- loway, 277 ; summer, from seed, 66 Forest Hill, Imantophyilams at, 205 Foreat tree-", mixed planting of, 7 Forests, the climatic influence of, 316 Forsythii intermedia, 286, 331, 386 ; viri- dissima, 241 Fnuieiseea unirtora, 2 Franciscoas, 308 ; general culture of, 308 Fiancoa ramosa^ 287 ; ramosa, flowers of, 287 l-Yaxinellas, the, 454 Fremont a califuruica, 5, 38, 77, US Fringe Tree, the, 331 Kritiilaria aurea, 122, 18) ; pudica, 282 Kritillary. Snako'ts-head, 2y6 Frost, the, in market gardens, 34 ; of 1892 1893, 112 Frosts, late, 491 ; v. fruit, 362 Fruit and Rose prospects, 289 ; blossom, pro- tecting. 175 ; cold storage of, l^O, 99 ; con- tauii ation of, 102 ; from the Cape, 20i ; growing, 53; in Covent Garden, 34 ; keep- ing well, 18; marketing, 20 1 ; names of, 292; packing Australian, 508; prospects, 381, 350; show. 1893, interi^ational, 102; r. insects, 400, 507 Fruit and kitchen gardens in drought, 481 Fruit garden, making the most of the, 80; the, in a muddle, 12 Fruit houses, syringing in, 235; work in, 20, 70, 109, 154, 238, 327, 371, 418, 404, 505 Fruit trees, canker in, 51 ; does lifting retard blooming, 414 ; in small gardens, 437 ; mulching, 235, 302; protecting, 150; pruning, 101 ; red spider on, 438 ; training, 175 ; V. fruit bushes, 84 Fruits, bush, 52S ; hardy, work among, 9, 49, 89, 135, 174, 214, 259, 305, 349, 395, 441, 4S3, 527 ; Varieties, too many, 273 ; wall, 120 Fuchsia Avalanche, 110; Buffon, 110; Cham- pion of the W.ir.d, 110; Conite Leon Tolstoi, 116; Duchess of Edinburgh, 110; Frau EmiiaTopfer 116, Gust we Flaubert, 110 ; La France, 110 ; Miss Lucy Finuis 110 ; Mme. Jules Chretien, 10; Moles- worth, 110; Nouveau Mastodonte, 110; Octavie Feuillet, 110; Phenomenal, 110; Sir Garnet Wolseley, ll6 ; splendens, 166 Fuchsias, 174 ; double -flowered, 116 G Galanthus byzautiuus, 279 ; caucasicus, 77 ; Elwesi, 113, 278; Elwesi globosna, 209; Fosteri, 77, 201 ; winter-bl coming, 115 Galax aphylla, 500 Galeandra Batemani, 388 ; Baueri, 388 ; De- voniana, 388 Galeandras, 388 Garden, a fisherman's, 363 ; a JishiTman's, 303; at Broadway, 297 ; at Brotvlwai/, 297 ; design, 338 ; Italian, at Mr. H. H. Humie- utJI's, Wtlli:di';i, Maxs., U.S., 76 ; produce, railway rates on, 56 ; refuse, 50 ; the bog, 79, 135 ; trees overhanging, 98 ; vegetables, preserving, 3i4 Garienias faiUng, 322 Gardening, four-season, 81 Gardens, niarket,;frost in the, 34 GarLand Flower, ihe, 387 Gas-hme, use of, 212 Genista aetiiensis, 212 ; alba, 212 ; Andrcana, 212 ; anglica, 212 ; anxantica, 213 ; aspala- thoides, 213 ; candicans, 213 ; ephedroides, 213 . germanica, 2H ; hispanica, 213 ; juncea. 213;linifolia, 213;monos jerma,213; multiflora, 212 ; pilosa, 213 ; praacox, 313, 340 ; radiata, 2l3 ; ramosissima, 213 ; sagit- talis, 213 ; tinctoria, 213 ; tinctoria elatior, 213 ; virgata, 213. 514 ; Weldeni, 213 Genistiis, the, 212 Gentiana pyrenaica, 500 Geranium balkanum, 458, 514, 531 Gerbera Jamesoni, 207 German Dendrological Society, a, 144 German gardens, a ladyV notes on, 190 Geum coccineum flavum, 03 Gladioli, 3i3 Gladiolus communis, 458 ; insignis, 432 ; segetus, 432 ; the, in 1S92, 300 ; Watsoni- auus, 535 Glasgow Botanic Gai-dens, 118 Glasnevin, note from, 247 Glasses ill place of bottles for kfipiny Grapes, 51 Globe Flowers, 399 Glonera jasminiflora, 383 Gloxinia, an erect -jtoirered, 393 ; a white, 514 ; Brilliante, 409 ; Netted Queen, 471 ; Princess May, 536 Gloxinias, 392 ; at Chelsea, 513 ; at Forest Hill, 482 ; seedling, 44S Godetias, 303 Goethea strictiflora, 511 Gomphia decora, 511 ; olivaiformis, 390 Gooseberries, seedling, 119 Gooseberry and Currant bushes, 507 ; buds, protecting, 381, 439; bushes, red spider on, 395 ; caterpillar, the, 84, 177, 415 ; Whitesmith. 311 Grafting, effects tf, on Grapes, 84 Grammatophyilum Ellisi, 150 ; Feuzlianimi, 467 Grape, Black Alicante, 413, 460 ; Bfacl: Ali- cante, 413 ; Gros Colman, lute-kopt, 170, 204 ; Gros Guillaumc, productiveness of, 250; Uros Maroc, 118; Ladi/ J)ownt'.t, 85; Lady Downo's, 100 ; Muscat Hamburgh, 308 ; Miiifcat Jlamhnnjh, 309 ; Vinos, 441 Grape Hyacinth in pots, 101 Grape Hyacinths as pot plants, 186 Gnipc*, bloom on, lCO;bvmchei of, 329; early, colour in, 415; good latc-koepiug, 85; keeping late, 51; Muse it, sand for, 510 ; ni e and ripening, 4i>5 ; setting, 327 ; stonelcss berries in, 302 ; thinning, 327 ; tying up bunches of, 41 1, 401, 507 ; where they may be grown, 82 Grasses, 220 ; and Banboos, ornamental, 437 Greenhouse shadinsf, 338 Greenhouses, 405 ; heating, 98 Greens, varieties to plant, 305 ; winter, hardy, 30 > Guelder Hoses, 410 Gunnera at Trelissick, 513 ; manicata, 33 H. Habenaria niilitaris, 370 Hamamclis arborea, 77 Harebell, t/u irhitt Liynrlan, 24 ; tuf ed, 68 Hazel, the, 211 Heath, St. Dabeoc's, 470 Heaths, Cape, 409 ; hardy, 145 Heather, Gol.leu, 470 Hcdera acuta, 118 Hedges, cutting and felling, 182 Hedysarum nniltijugum, 514 Helianthemum Tuberaria, 325 Heliconia aureo-striata, 3, 428 Hellebore, forms of the Eastern, U4 Hellebores, a border of, 113 ; as cut flowers, 230; at Long Ditton, 192; Easter, from Devon, 201 ; tirotcth of, in tcinter, 113 Helle'^orus orientalis, 307 Hemeroeallis Apricot, 471 Hemidictyum marginatum, 411 Hepatica angulosa, 112 ; the double blue, 31 Hepaticas, 190 ; on the Grass, 279 Herbs, 194 Herts, West, the weather in, 78, 118, 142, 162, 22* Heterocentrum roseum, 3 Heuchera sanguinea, 384, 458 Hexesiabidentata, 530 Hibbertia Reidi, 27/ Hickory, the American, 33 Himalayan Rhododendrons in Devonshire, 513 Hollies, Japanese, 285 Holly berries, 32 ; the Weeping, 146 Honeysuckle, the Trumpet, 290 Houeysuckles, two winter-flowering, 19 Horse Chestnut, a red-flowered, 446 ; double, 445 Horticultural societies, notes concerning, 374 Houes, fruit, 28 i ; late, 193 ; orch*rd work, in, 193 ; successional, 193 Hoya Paxtonl, 468 Huntsman's Horn, the, for colour, 126 Hyacinthus azureus, 142 ; candicans, 196 ; candicans in puts, 44 Hydrangea hortcnsis, 408 ;/(or(cnsis, 407 ; hor- tensis mands hurica, 482 ; paniculata grandiflora, 408, 470 ; ^te^ata prolifera, 408 ; Thomas Hogg, 40S Hydrangeas as small plants, 482; in pots, 407 Hymenanthera crassifolia, 0 Hymenophyllum caud'culatum, 19 Hypericum Moserianum, 380 Hypoxis, the, 390 Iberis stylosa. 118 Hex crenata, 285, 332 ; integra, S:85 ; latifolia, 285 ; macropoda, 280 ; pedunculosa, 285 ; rotunda, 285 ; Sieboldi, 280 ; Suderoki, 286 Imantophyllums at Forest Hi I, 265 Impatiens Hawkeri, 129 ; Sultani, 127 ; Sul- tani, varieties of, 225 Indigofera floribunda, 138 Insect, acurious, 380 ; pests, 193 Insects, 405 ; and fungi injurious to crops, 402; injurious, observations on, 351; in manure, 307 ; in Primula soil, 307 ; on leaves, 247 Inula glandulosa, 429 ; glandulosa and I. Hookeri.367 ; Hiokeri, 112 Ipomaja Horsfalliie, 3 Ireland, flowers in, 124 Iris, a beautiful, 400 ; acutiloba, 133 ; alata, 19, 146 ; aropurpurea, 133 ; Bakeriana, 97 ; Barnumaj, 133; Bismarckiana, 133; Bois- sieri, 491 ; Chamseiris, 424 ; chinensis, 97, 128 ; culture, 499 ; Danfurdia;, 97 ; Gatesi, 131 ; Gatesi, 132 ; Haynei, 134 ; Helen*, 134 ; Heleufe or Maria;, 290 ; Heylandiaua, 132 ; hispanica Mongoluin,514 ; iOtrica, 131; lacustris, 367 ; Lorteti, 132, 491 ; lupina, 133 Iris Maripe. 133 ;^ Mour .ing, the, 458 ; Necda, 134 ; Oucoeyclus, atro-purpuroa, 379 ; orientiilis, 4>4 ; paradoxa, 134 ; porsica purp rea, .57 ; Polaki, 134 ; pumihi, 342 ; re- ticulata, 141, 201; ruticulatii var. cyanca, 210 ; reticulata var. sophcnensis, 210;Saari nazircnsis, 314; Sari, 132; sibirica, 456; spuria, 489 ; styloia, varioties of, 125 ; susi- ana, 127 ; suaiana, 132 ; the great purple, in masses, 47 ; vcrna, 383 Irises, 4 8, 450 ; at Ko^, 491 ; at Peckhani, i21 ; blooming freely, 43 i ; early flowering, 141 ; English names for, 42i ; German 4J4 ; notes on, 455 ; the Oncojyclus group of, 130 Ixura Westi, 1.8, 482 Ivy carpet-s, 211, 2S0 ; edgings, 20 ; and car l»etings luider treed, 5 ; the scarlet-berried, 146 ; ihe tree, form of the common, li8 Ivies in the winter, 211 J. Jamesia americana, 408 Jasminum gracillimum, 2, 44 ; nuditlorum, 18 Jonesia Asoka, i91 Judas Tree, the, 378, 410 June Berry, the, 331 ; llotcering shoot of the, 331 Juniporus nana, 445 ; rigida, 93 Justieia speciosa, 4 Kaianchoe camea, 4 Kale, Boda, 3d9 ; ll^igged Jack, 278 Kales, plauting, 527 ; winter, 459, 481, 5 Kalmia angustifolia, 241 Kennedya eximia, 45 ; Marryataa, 3 Kentias, 3 Kentish fruit season, th°, 432 Kerria japonica, 387 ; single, 37 Kew, Bamboos at, 108 ; mound at, 104 ; Wil- lows at, 221 Kitchen garden, work in the, 10, 20 48, 09, 90, 109, 135, 154, 173, 194, 213, 2j8. 200, 284, 305, 327, 849, 372, 391, 4i7, 440, 404, 483, 505, 527 Laburnum, golden, 211 Lacheualia Nelsoni, 142 ; tricolor in baskets, 275 Lachenalias a^ basket plants, 123 LsBlia albida varieties, 73 ; auceps Dawsoni, 130; a. Percivali ma, 28; a. Sauderiana, 108; a. Stella, 28; a., white, 75; a. Wil- liams', 94; Aruoldiana, 1 1 ; aacania, 3)7; autumnalis atro-mbens, 12 ; cinnabarina, 312 ; crispa, 490 ; elegans, 373 ; harpo- phylla, l.iO, 19 i, 257; hybrida Maynardi, li9; majalia, 400; peduncularis 11,129; purpurata, 172, 520 ; p. atro-purpurea, 471 ; p. delecta, 478 ; p. Fascinator, 478 ; p. fas- tuo^a, 478 ; p. Formosa, 478 ; p. Johannge, 478; p. Josephine, 478; p. Juno, 478; p. Lindeni, 444 ; p. lobata, 478 ; p. Lowiana, 402; p. majestica, 478 ; p. Niobe, 471; p. nobilis, 471; p. Phoebe, 478 ; p. priestan.s, 478 ; p. pulchra, 478 ; p. Russelliina, 388 ; p. triumphans, 477 ; p. varieties from Brussels, 477 ; auperbiens, 70 ; tenebrosa, 4j7, 478, 490, 620 ; vitellina, 2il ; Wolsten- holmise, 495 Land, how to increase the value of, 231, 310 Larch, distmces jjlanting of, 248, 27 J Larkspurs, 535 Lathyrus grandiflorus, 89 ; latifolius, 89 ; magel.anicus, S9 ; pratensis, 89 ; rotundi- folius, 89; Sibthorpi, 89 ; splendens, 12j, 307 ; sylveatris, 8 i ; tuberosus, 89 Laurels for north walls, 189 ; in flower, 378 ; the cutting of, 3J Lavender growing, 98 ; the cultivation of, 114 Leeks, 147, 194 ; forcing, 73 Leiophyilum buxifolium, 4l2 Lent Rose from Oak wood, 118 Leonotis Leonurus, 3 Leschenaultia biloba major, 205 Lettuce All the Year Round, 391 ; Veitc ."a Golden Queen, 315 ; Veitch's Perfect Gem, 497 Lettuces duriog hot weither, 391; early, 14S, 305 ; forcing, 370 ; for all seasons, 518 ; scarcity of, in early spring, 74 Leucostegia parvula, 19 Levens Hall, Westiiwreland, 65 Lewisia rediviva, 499 Libonia floribunda, 126 Lilac Alphonse Lavall^e, 269 ; Leon Simon, 331 ; Marie Legrange, 'Ail ; President Grevy, 5 Lilacs at Syon House, 3'8 ; grafted, 37 ; grafted, in France, 201, 242 ; grafting, 145, aiO, 387 ; In pots, 276 VI THE GAEDEN INDEX [July 1, 1893. Liliefi, 454 ; American Wood, 399 ; notes on, 504 ; of China and Thibet, 40 ; Plantain, 400 ; jjupular garden, 207, 2S2 ; rirsiis Roses, 15S, 178, 34S Lilies of the Valley loosely arranged, 93 ; foostli/ arranged in a r/Zass, 93 Lilium auratum, 67, 255 ; Browni, 41, 282 ; bulbiferum, 533 ; concolor, 41 ; cordi- fulium, 41 ; crocenni. 2S2 ; Davidi, 42 ; Delavayi, 41 ; Duchartrei, 41 ; elegans in variety, 532 ; Fargesi, 42; fomiosum, 41 ; giganteum, 41, 111 ; Harris!, 2i>5 ; Henryi, 325 ; laiikongense, 42 ; longiflornm, 41, 2S2 ; l'>i"i,jl„niiii llarrisi, 165 ; mirablle, 41 ; niyriiipliyihio), 41 ; ochraceum, 42 ; oxy- petalum, 42 ; papilliferum, 42 ; pardali- num, 2S2, 325 ; pomponium, 534 ; paeudo- tigi-imini, 42 ; pyrenaicum, 457 ; sutchu- ense, 42 ; speciosnm, 41, 282 ; speciosuni and L. Inngiflorum late varieties of, 28 ; tiiliense, 42 ; tenuifoliuni, 42 ; testa,cevini, 2Sj ; Thompsoniauum, 42 ; nmbellatvini or davuricum, 282 ; yiiQnancnse, 41 Liliums, 285 Lily an eriatic. 430; Colcliic, the, 282 ; the Belladonna, 490; tJw Betlailonna. A'M) ; tte white wood, 400 ; Turk's-cap, scarlet, 2S2 Lily uf the Valley, 201, 363, 383 Lime, the, 410 Limnauthes Douglasi, 363 Linaria crassifolia, 430 ; vulgaris Peloria, 64 Lindsiea guianensis, 3J7 Liquid stimiUants for fruit trees during winter, 198 Lithospermum prostratuui. 111, 458; pur- pure o-coeruleum, 480 Llavea cordifolia, 19 Lomarias in winter, 10 Lonicera fragrantissima, 190 Loxwood, yusscx, notes from, 201 Luddcmannia Pescatorei, 535 Luisia Aniesiana, 536 ; volucris, 536 Lycaste aromatica, 171 ; cruenta, 171 ; Dep- pei, 171 ; Harrisonite, 171 ; llarrisoniai eb\u-nea, 11 ; Measuresiana, 171 ; plana, 12 ; Skinneri, 171, 2l7; Skinueri alba, 380"; Skinuuri var. Hettie, 221 Lyc^stcs, 171 Lychnis alpina and L. lapponica, 458, 489 ; corouata 324 Lyme Grass, 123 ; the Sea, 123 Lyre Flower, the, 400 M. Mackaya bella, 276 Mri;,'iiuiia fuscata, 241 ; hypolcuca, 402; Sou- luif^eana, 377, 3S6 ; stellata, 138, 191, 355; steiiata, pink var., 269 Magnolias, 523 ; in pots, 266 Manettia bicolr, 383, 482 Manure, liquid, for fruit tret s, 3S1 Manures, how to make and use them, 401 Manuring, 249 Maples, the Japanese, 377 Mappa Goiteana, 408 Margnm Park, a note from, 291 Marguerites in pots, 504 Marica coerulea, 51 L Market garden notes, 258 Marrows, bush, 24 Marsh Marigolds, 365 Masdcvallia Armini, 357 ; bella, 1 1 ; Carderi, n ; Chimrera, il ; Gairiana, 467 ; galengi- ana, 357; Houtteana, 11; nycleriua, 11; platj'glossa, 149 , radiosa, 11 Masdevallias from Shrffield, 495; from Streatham, 495 ; of the Sacco-labiafce gi'oup, 11 Maxillaria Sanderiana, 357, 419 ; sanguinea, Mccunopsis, 81 ; aculeaUx, SI ; cambrica, 81 ; nepalen.sis, 81 ; Wallichi, 81 ; Waltkhi, 81 Medinilki magnifica, 383 Medlar-leaved Thorn, the, 387 Megacliuium p\irpuratum, 75 Megasea Stracheyi, 31, 230 Melbnirne, Victoria, a note from, 97 Melon Early Davenham, 100 ; growing fur market. 355; Ingestre Hybrid, 403; La Favourite, 51, 100 Melons failing, 240: home of, at Jiromham, 356 ; in frames, 418 ; in houses, 505 ; in pits, 327 ; sowing and planting, 100 ; suc- cessional and late, 506 Mesembryantliemum muricatum, 267 Mesospinidium vulcanicum grandiflorum, 139 Mespilus Smithi. 387 Mezereon, the, at Kew, 144 Microlepia Novw-Zelandiaa. 2 3 ; platyphylla, 253 ; polypodioides, 253 ;" scabra, 253 ; stri- gosa, 253 ; trichrsticha, 253 Microlepias, 253 Mignonette in pots, <5 : pot, 242, 285, 203 Millbank Prison site, 494 Miltonia stellata, 321 ; vesillaria Princess May, 321, 471 Mint for forcing, 148 Mistletoe, 32, 77 ; growing, 98 ; the, in France, 383 Mocassin Flower, the, at Pitlochry, 514 Mock Orange, the small-leaved, 16 Morisia bypogsea, 245, 383 Moss, removing, from lawn, 98 Musa Martini, 167 Muscari botryoides pallens, 296 ; Heldreichi, 339; paradoxum, 380 Muscaris, or Grape Hyacinths, 281 Muscat Grapes, sand for, 176 Mushroom beds, 392 Mushrooms, growing, 392, 443 ; in cellars, 498; in winter, 24; the culture of , 187 ; under cool treatment, 215 Musk, HaiTison's, 206, 257 Musks, 209 Mustard and Cress, 394 Myosotis alpesti-is Victoria, 363 ; pygma;a, 367 Myriopteris frigida, 509 N. Narcissi, hybrid, 300 ; new, 326 ; on Grass, ^01 ; the Star, 339 ; three distinct, 267 Narcissus cyclamiueus, 207 ; minimus, 179, 196; monophyllus, 77 ; Muzart orientalis, a bed of, 339 ; obvallaria, 221 ; Santa Maria, 201 ; Stella, 325 Nature, outraging, 184 Nelumbium luteum, 463 ; si)ecio3um, 462, 538 ; speciosum, 463 Nemesia stiiimosa Suttoni, 475 Nemesias, notes on, 192 Neviusla alabamensis, 387 New Orleans, the weather in, 141 New Zealand garden, notes from, 487 Nidularium striatum, 219 North Wales, notes from, 189 Norway Maple, the, 318 Note, a seasonable Fern, 137 Notes, cultural, 446 ; from a Worcestershire garden, 418 ; from Ahiiondsbury, 340 ; from Asia Minor, 299; from Chester, 318, i84, 454; from Liphook, 322, 379; from Lox- wood, 29^; from Shcptun Mallet, 278; on hardy plants, 325 ; on the season, 412 ; sea- sonable cultural, 3l7 ; summer, 490 NuthocUkna tlistann, 508; distans, 509; Eck- loniaua, 509; ferruginea, 509; lamiginom, 508; lanuginosa, 509 ; Mttrnntti; 509; mol- lis, 472 ; rufa, 509 ; ru/a, 509 ; siuuata, 509 ; sulphurea, 509 ; trichomanuides, 509 Nothoclttnas, 609 Notosimrtium Carmichaeli;e, 522 Nurseriets, the Albert, 'Zii'S HymphseaSj raising, from seed, 323 Oak Apple day, 380 Oak, golden, and the purple Beech, 408 Oaks, poison, 522 Oakwood, a note fi'om, 270 Obituary— Barluw, S., 472 De Candolle, A., 292 M'Kelvie, W. R., 315 McKenzie, A., 270 Phippen, G., 181 Sheppard, J., 57, 78 Tymons, Bev. F., 78 Webster, J. B., 452 Odontoglossum, a very beautiful, 237 ; cir- rhosiim, 139, 44» ; citrosmum, 419 ; con- strietum, 12 ; crispum, 312, 388, 444 ; c. Arthurianum, 94; c. De Ban-i Crawshay, 402; c. flaveolum, 192 ; c, fine variety, 75; c. Stevensi, b89 ; Edwardi, 237; Edwardi Klabochorum, 94; gloriosum, ]2 ; hastiJa- bium, 526 ; hybridum, 314 ; maculatum anceps, 318 ; najvium, 28 ; peruviense, 536 ; polyxanthum, 320 ; ramosissimum, 192, 2 7 ; Roeblingianum, 357 ; Roezli, 312, 373 ; Rossi, 237 ; Rossi majus, 94 ; Ruckeriaoum splendens, 221; sceptrum, 28; Tresideri- anum, 268 ; vexillbriiuu Leopoldi, 467 ; v. Priucess May, 467 ; Wattianum, 471 ; Wilckeanum, 12 Odontoglossums, failure with, 150 ; for names, 237 ; from Sydenham, 347 Oil jars, Italian, 78 ; for half -hanl y jlotras, 8 ; use of, S Oleanders not flowering, 167 Olearia stellidata, 268 Omphalodes Lucilia;, 179 ; vema, 111, 231 Oncidium altissimum, 478 ; ampliatum, 388 ; Cavendishianum, 108 ; concolor, 478 ; ex- cavatum, 478 ; flexuosum, 478 ; hastatum, 478 ; l-melligerum, 312 ; leucochilum, 108; macranthum, 312 ;spathulatum, 472 ; spha- celatum, 478 ; superbiens, 312 ;undulatum, 312 ; zebrinum, 312 Oncidiums, Cyrtochiloid, 311 Oncocvclus h-ises, 431, 534; in the Isle of Wight, 395 Onion Ailsa Craig for autumn sowing, 3*14 ; and CaiTot giiib, prevention of, 417 ; fly, the, 443, 527 Onions. 216 ; autumn-sown, transplanting, 194 ; for profit, 351 ; pickling, 327 ; storing, 148 ; the time to sow, 169, 240, 353 Onosma album roseum, 424 Opuntia Rafinesquiana, 3t'5 Orange Ball Tree, the, 445 Orange Flower, the Mexican, 139 Orchard and fruit garden, 486, 523 ; work in, 234 Orchard house culture, 131 Orchard trees, regi'afting, 50 Orchid blooms from Hinckley, 312, 478 ; from Rawtci stall, 312, 388 ; foe, a new, 290 ; seed, 320 Orchids. 417, 466, 505, 526, 528; at Burford Lodge, 107; at Dublin, 201; -at Forest Hill, 237 ; at Highbury, 312 ; at Syon House, 237 ; at The GrHUge, Hackbridge, 466; at The Woodlands, Streatham, 419; Bui-mese, 150 ; tool, at Kew, 466 ; cut, in florists' shops, 33 ; for an intermediate house, 11 ; from Cheltenham, 107, 257 ; from The Dell, 172; from Weston-super- Mare, 218 ; hardy, at Tottenham, 419 ; new, certificated in 1892, 129 ; two fine hybrid, 526; which do not deteriorate, 171 ; work among, 10, 57, 47, &9, 90, 109, 136, 155, 173, 193. 215, 230, 260, 284, 306, 328, 349, 37"^, 393, 417. 442, -164. 477, 4S4 Omithog-.Uum ar.ibicum, 315, ^24 ; pynunid- ale. 531 Orobus vernus albus plenus, 429 OxaUses, 390 ; under glass, 469 P. Pseouics, 407, 457; duuble crimson and blush, 431 ; fragrance of, 533 ; herbaceous, 454, A9{^ ; in the Cbiswick Gardens, 500 ; notes on, 7 ; tree, 210 ; imder glass, 127 ; varieties of, 380 Pansies, 383 ; at Chiswiik, 422 ; at Westmin- ster, 501 ; from Hawick, 422 ; seedling, 429; tufted, SO, 178, 282, 423, 526; with shi-ubs, 514 ; yellow tufted, 500 Pansy Bella Duncan, 472 ; Blush Queen, 527 ; Bridesmaid, 527 ; Countess of Wharncliffe, 527; Dorothy Tennant, 527; Duclie-s of Fife, 527 ; Edina, 527 ; Favourite, 527 ; George Muirhead, 527 ; H. M. Stanley, 5 -7 ; Moonlight, 527 ; Mrs, Primrose, 527 ; Prin- cess Beatrice, 527 ; Raveuswood, 527 ; Rosine, 527 ; Rothes, 527 ; fcunrise, 527 ; Swict Lavender, 527 ; Sylvia, 527 ; Violetta, 527 ; W. Niel, 527 ; Wonder, 527 Papaver alpinum, 489; bracttatum, 458; bi-acteatum maeninthum, 430 ; orientale and its varieties, 'iOl Park scenery at Cirencester, 4 9 Parks, p-ypularity of the, 494 Parsley, 284, 505 Pasithea cterulca, 296 P;issifiora Constance Elliot, 125 P.4' sion Flower, a hybrid, 291 Pavonia Wioti, 21 Pea, English Wonder. 497 ; Lord Anson's, 89 ; Telephone, 75 : Wi.liam the First, 432 ; Wordsley Wo i der, 75 Peas and birds, 391 ; early, 408, 481, 518 ; early gathering of, 443, 454 ; forwarding early, in pots, 50 ; late summer, 332 ; muk-hing, 4 43 ; nuilching or watering of, 417; narr>w drills for, a mistake, 392; preparation of gi-ound for late, ISS ; sowing in pots, 13 ; successional, 173, 440 ; wire hurdles for, 304 Peas. Everlasting, S8, 343 Peas, Sweet, 43 Peach Alexander, 100, 177, 236,274 ; Alexandm Noblesse, 234 ; and Nectarine bloom re- tarding, 176 ; bloom retarding, 204, 250, 309, 330 ; borders, cropping, 362 ; culture for protit, 85 ; growing for market, 102 ; wall at Famham Castle, 177; "yellows," phases of, 119 Peach tree borders, 382 Peach trees, free growth of, 361 ; in bloom at Bexley Heath, 203 ; training of, 177 ; weight of crops for, 487 Peaches, Alexander and Early Beatrice, 439 ; and sunshine, 309 ; at the Temple show, 454 ; early, 487 ; early profitable, 3S2 ; for profit, 60, i9, 152, 204. 250 ; from the Cape, liS; imported, 198, 234; in New England, 18; protecting whilst in bloom, 199; ripe and ripening, 418 ; seasonable notes on outdoor, 177 Peaches and Nectarines, 174, 305, 349 ; earliest, 193 ; on open walls, 361 ; successional, 418 Pear Bishop's Thumb, 1 20 ; L'oyenn^ du Cornice, 18 ; Glou Morceau, 2 4 ; Knight's Monarch, 311 ; Louise Bonne of Jersey, 203, 250; Marie Louise, 17, 83; Marie Louise d'Uccle, 18; Pitmaston Duchess, 101 ; Pitmaston Buda'ss, 101 Pear tne of Marit Louise in bloom, 17 ; psylla, 17 . Pear trees, unhealthy, 382 P.ars, 349, 441. 483. 528 ; cordon, 356 Pelargonium F. P. Raspail, 220 ; Mme. Charles I Koenig, 338 ; Aiplutos, 275 Pelargoniums, 328; at Lewisham, 510; at Swanky, 266; decorative, 48^ ; diffeient sections of, 294 ; for winter flowering, 275 ; in winter and fogs, 337 ; jiotting, 174; propagating show and regal. 36S, 469, 511 ; tricolor, 448, 512 ; v. Cl rysanthemunis, 44 Pellaa bella, 347 Penshurst, a note from, 408 Pentstemon Lumilis, 532 ; spectabilis, £31 Pentstemons, a note on, 257 Perennials and bulbs, hardy, £80 ; Ironi seed, 488 ; planting, 9 Peniettya nuicronata, 246 Pemettyas at Oakwood, 38 Petunias, a note on, 641 Phacelia campanularia, 501 Phaius amabilis, 139 ; tuberculosus, 218, 258, 373 ; Wallichi, 3SS Phalienopsis casta., 373 ; Luddemanniann, 373 ; Sanderiana alba, 28 ; Sehillenjina splendens, 76 ; Schilleriana vestilis. 139 ; speciosa, 12, 373 ; sumatrana, 466 ; tetras- pis, 432 Pliiladelphus, microphyllus, 16 Philadclphuses, new hybrid, 355 Phlebodium aureum, 218 ; sporodocarpum, 218 Phlox amcena, 379; canadensis. 489; stcl- laria, 458 ; snbidata, 342 ; the, 62 PliyHca erioiidcs, 369 Pbv lanthu^i nivo>us, 127 Pbvll.. cactus Plato, 403 Ph) llostachys nigra, 339 Pieris formosa, 445 Pine, the white, 58, 271 Pines, fruiting, 283, 464 ; hardy, near Chicago, 33 ; successional and young 1:83 ; young, 465 Pin.uicidas, 3V9 Pink Her Majesty, 488, Piiks, alpine, 454 ; at Chiswiek, 502 , male, 05 Piptauthus nepal- nsis, 387 Plantain Lit;//, SieboUl's, 323 Plantain Lilies, 3:;3 Pla»itations, destroyers in, 307 ; thinning, 36 Plant, bedding, a useful blue, 501 Plant hou'C at Kew, the hardy, 400 Plant houses, 506, 52S ; the shading uf, 294 ; work in, 10, 27, 47, 70, 90, 110, 136, 1/5, 174, 194, 2 4, 237, 259, 284, 306, 328, 350, 371, 394, 417, 441, 465, 484 Plants, alpine and herbaceous, early flower- ing, 369 ; alp'ne, at the Regent's Park show, 400 ; alpine exhibiting, Sii ; bul- bous, in Hyde Park, 343 ; evergreen hardy, 112; for the winter season, 484; green- hovise, 328 ; hardy, and alpines, at the Temple show, 532 ; hardy, at Tottenham, 16t; hardy, notes on, 31, t3. Ill, 179,207, 367, 429, 458, 489, 499, 534 ; in cold frames atd pits, iS4 ; in'toor, ii smal' pots, 3 2; names of, V9:', 315, 336, 380, 404, 4 8, 452, 472 494, 516, 538 ; neglected, 293 ; new, at the Temple show, 43 ; old, with new names, 531 ; spring bulbous, 195 ; stove and gi-eenhouse, annuals, &c., sow- ing, *-2 ' ; stove-flowering, 417 ; succep- sional. 442 ; suitable for ruins, wall-tops, &■■., 457; three useful old climbing, 433; winter flowering stt)ve, wr)rthy of more notice, 2; with vai legated foliage, il ; young, 484 Pleasure gi-ound notes, 80 Pleione humili*, 144 Plumbago capensis alba, 243 Plum, a good early, 130 ; Coe's Golden Drop, IS ; crop, the, 413 ; The Cz;ir, 130 Plums, 349, 483 Puduphyllum pleiant'.um, 416 Poinsettia, a white, 4 Pond, clearing a, 225, 290 Poppy, new hardy, 513 Polyanthus Narcissi on Grass, 318 Polyanthus Queen Victoria, 472 ; the blue, 155, 296 Polyanthuses, border, 156 Polygonum vaccinifolium, 501 ; vacctnifolium, 501 Polystichum capense, 180 ; coriifolium, ISO ; falcinellum, 180; frondosvim, 180; venus- tum, 180 ; vimustt'.n, ISO ; vestitum, 180 Poplar, the blacK, 36 ; the wh te, 58 Potato, a good ga-d^n, 74 ; planting, 238, 239 ; Quantity and Quality, 216 ; Sharpe'a Victor. 358; The Bruce, 216 Ptt-to disease, experiments in prevention of 353 ; prevention of, 390 Potatoes, cultural notes on, 95 ; disbudding, 148; earlj', 194; field crops of, 405; forc- ing, 13 ; forcing in potc, 'iHi9, 406, 460 ; good frame, 391 ; hollow, 240 ; in deeply stirred soil, 4S1 ; planting, 148, 27 8. f54, 394 ; pre- pn'ing ground for, 170; valuable, to make the »' ost of, 354 ; yellow-fleshed, 240 Potentilla flagellifera, 45i Primi'ose, curious forms of the common, ;25 ; the Japan, 500 Primroses and dry weathe*-, 4SS ; at Wisley, 3 42 ; blue, 201 ; bunch, 399 ; grown under glass, 164 July 1, 1893.] THE GAEDEN INDEX Vll Primula Gipititi, 207 ; corhisoides alba. 4-2'> : dcntu-uUta, -JOO; florilmudft, v4i: mollis, 430 ; ulH-onic;i, 242 ; oboouiea and skin diseisc. I'.i5 : Keidi, 429,471; rosea, 2Ti> ■ Sieboldi. 305 ; suffrutescens, 46S Primulas. Chinese, 141, isr., 2l!> ; Cinerarias and Cvclauions at Ueadiutj, 12S ; grubs in, 40O ; liardy, 255, 257, 407 ; hardy, at Kcw, 267 Primulaceai 421 Prunus divai-icata. 221 ; trilobii, 2S6 Pteris, crestd, 347 ; sorvulafc^, ll> ; serrulatu gigant«a. 55; Vietoriie, 41 1, 509 Public Gardens— Alexandra Palace and Park, 14, 202, 452 Birmingham, an open space for, 37t> Bolton, 515 Clcrkeuwell open space for, 142 Goldhui-st Fields, S, Hampstead. 452 Hacknev, open space for, 53S; Marshes, 225. 452 Ha-lesden public r^rk. the. 292 Higbburc Fields, land at. 225 Home l*a'k. Hampton Court, 35; open- ing of the, 3711 Inner Temple Gardens, 472 Kew GardeiiS, opening of the, 102 London Covmty Council and p;\ths. 5Ui London <^pea f'piccs Bill, ob- Mac-lesfield, gift to, U12 Northampton, park for, 370 Open spaces, 35, US, 225, 370, 404, 51G; Bill, 225 Paddington recreation gi-ou d, 452 Public gardens, new, 525 Red Lion Square Garden, 515 Richmond impi^vements, 162 Sandgate, pleasure ground for, 533 St. Helens, a new public park at, 472 Stockton on-Tees, park at, 142; opening of a park for, 53S Tilbury West Commons, 225 Waterlow Park, 494 Westmiuster, recreation gromid for. ;i30 Pulmoraria saccharafci, 400 Piu-ple in flowers, 67, 115, 201 Pvracantha, the, in flower, 446 Pyrethrum Jubilee, 432 ; Princessede Metter- nich, 456 Pyrethrums at the Temple show, 4S9 Pyrus cardinalis. 314, 347, 370; japonica, 3S7 ; japonica at Dropmore, 296 ; japonica, forms of, 31S ; Maulei superba, 42S ; Maiile's distinct form of, 3S7 Pvxidanthera barbulata, 45S Q. Quercus Ilex Fordi, 211 Quesnelia van Houtteana, 1 68 R. Rabbits and trees in hard weather, 5S Radishes, 417 Railway rates and fruit *rade, ISl Ramondia pyrenaica, 456 Ramondias, the, 404 Ranunculus cortnssefolius, 291 ; parnassi- folius, 457, 458 Raspberries, 305, 52S ; summer treatment of, 524 Red spider on Gooseberry bushes, 507 Regent's Park, spring flowers in, 245 Reinwardtias. two good, Oi Reoanthera eocc nea, 526 Rhazva orientalis, 404, 516 Rbipidopt^'is peltata, 19 Rhodanthe Manglesi, 456 Rhododendron arborexim, 378 ; Ariel, 471 ; Ascot Brilliant, 3S7 ; Aucklaudi, 514 ; cam- pylocarpum, 6 ; cinnabarinum, 454 ; Coun- tess of H;iddiDgton, 167; Dalhousianum, 3S3 ; Early Gem, 286 ; fragrans, 522 ; Heleue Schiffner, 402, 446; ii;dour, a beautifvil, 292 ; jaaminiflorum, 21 ; parvifolium, 241 ; pneeox, 100 ; racemosum, 6 ; WilUamsi, 266 ; Yellow Gem, 260 Rhododendrons, 127, 4'0; at Darley Dale, 470 ; four useful, 447 ; greenhouse, 442, 469 ; hardy, 522 ; hybrid greenhouse, 276 ; in the dell at Kew, 221 ; in temperate house, 245 ; planting, 485 ; two, 504 ; two hardy, ir.4 Rhodora canadensis, 318 Rhodotrpo^ kerrioides, 138 Rhopoloblas'e hexandra, 268 Rhubarb, early, iSS Rhus Cotinus, 145, 212 ; Cotimis, 145 Ribes Gordo ianum, 3S6 RichardiaLutwychei, 510 Rings, india-rubber, for ho' -water pipes, 35 Rocket, the double white, 111 Rockf oil, crimson. 292; gUveri/, 'poHtlom for, 232 ; ti'ftL'}, t/,t, 283 Rockfoils, two beaTitiful, 489 Rock garden, a bold, 2bl;at BrocuUands view ill til'., -205; con>-truetion of, for larger pla» ts, 2*0 ; luarffiii ofa pond in, 479 ; the, 65, 79, 117, 123, 156, 253, 3f6, 420, 470 ; the, arranged with regard to stability, 208 ; the, at Broadlands, Newton Abbot, Devon, 205 ; water in the, 366, 420, 479, 530 : work in, 232 Rock gardens, gay. r. cemeteries, 365 Rocks for alpine plants, cou'^truction of, 232 ; for fast-gi-owi'ig alpines, 2S0 ; for hiivAy Ferns, 2S0 ; for shrubs, 280 JioH-inirk;stclion o/,ithfneing intrrior arrange- mento/]-«H-»for cfinici af/utte^t'25-i \ nho-rinff roofA (rroirhig ilmrutnD'ilst, 255; xtrnt\rir(i mclrxplontiit jritlt afjniirA, 255 Rodgoi-sia podophylla, 491 Rogieni gnitis ima, 41 Romneva Coulteri. 535 Rondeletii gi-atissima, 203; speciosa. 293; speciosa major, 20;i Rondeletias, 203 ; cti'ture of, 203 Roots travoll'ng of, 212 Rosa acicularis, 370; chlorocarpa, 408 ;Mundi, 401 ; pyre'iaica, ".'27 ; rugosa by the water- side. 513 : spinosissima, 494 Rose Abel Carrieie, 164 ; Adam, I'U; Aim^e Vibert, 525 ; a freer-flowering than Gloirc de Dijon, 474, 525 ; Allistcr Stella Gray. 536; Amy Hobsart, 472 ; Austrian Copper Brier, ^7'i\ Austrian ('opjitv Jirii r, flotn so/', 375; Bardou Job, 435 ; Camillc Bernardin, 228 ; Camoens, 513; Capfciio Christy, 377; Car- mine Pillar, 472 ; Caroline Testout, 37tj ; I hristine de None, 3(i3 ; Cleopatra, 164 Climbing Niphotos, 370 ; Colonel Felix Breton, 377 ; Conitcse d'Oxford. 377 ; con- troversv. US ; Corhina, 258 ; " Derby," date for the." 88 ; Docteiu- Andry, 377 ; Due de Montpensier, 164 ; Duchesse d'Auerstadt, 435 ; Duchess of Bed'ord, 377 ; Duchess of Edinburgh, 15 ; Duke of Connaught, 37:; Dulce Bella, 377; Elie M.trel, 377; Ella Gordon. 228; Emilie Dupuy, 4*5; Ernest iMet^ 164 ; Ethel Brownlow, 228 ; foliage, 376 ; garden, 227. 453 ; nloire Ly nnaise, 227 ; good, a, 227 ; Grace Dar- ling, 514 ; Gustavo Piganeau, 435 ; Otis- t;ive Regis, 525 ; Harrison's Yellow, 163, 433 ; Jlarri.-toii's Ytl/oir, 105 ; Henriettc dc Beauveau, 4S5 ; Heinrich Schultheis, 303 ; Her Majesty, 88 ; Lady Henry Grosvenor, 303 435 ; Larnarque, 379, 474 ; Lamarque in Xew Zealand, SS'i ; Tldeal and the dry early spring, 474 ; Ma Capucine, 377 ; Marechal Niel, 15, 72, 2SS, 30 J ; Medea 303 ; Merrie England, 536 ; 5Ime. Alfred Carriere, 473, 538 ; Mmp. Bravy or alba rosea, 435 ; Mme. Charles, 453 ; Mme. E. Levet, 408; Mme. Uoste, 22S : Mme. Lam- bard, 408; Mme. Pierre Cochet, 303; Mrs. Harkness, 536 ; Mrs. Paul, HU, 303 ; Niphetos, 288, 301 ; notes, 424 ; Perle des Jardins, 3 '1 j Perle d'Or, 453 ; Pei-sian Yel- low, 163 ; Polysntha, a bed of, 515 ; Prin- cess May, 303 ; Princess of Wales, 228 ; season, the past, 1 ; Sir Joseph Paxton, 228 ; Sir Roland Hill, 228 ; Socrates, 453 ; Souvenir de S. A. Prince, 228 ; Susanne Marie Rodocanachi, '64; the best single, 525 ; the Polyantha, 525 : Turner's Crimson Rambler, 434, 474 ; Victor Hugo, 164 ; Waban, 303; William Allen Richardson, 106, 453 Rose Society, the National, 71 Roses, 377, 437 ; among the, 302, 376, 435 ; and Clematises, 228, 288, 376 ; and Peaches in the same house, 474 ; and the late weather, 106 ; and the past winter, 227 ; at Colchester, 407 ; at the Drill Hall, 434 ; at the Paris show, 454 ; at the Temple show, 453 ; Austrian Brier, 375 ; climbing, under glass, 376 ; cut, in Coveut Garden, 33; dis- eases of, 301 ; eai-liness of, 340 ; eai'ly pot, treatment of, 421 ; forcing, 72 ; from heavy and light laud, exhibitin?, 1 ; hanging labels on, 434 ; hardy and delicate, 15 ; hy- brid Brier, 77 ; in fruit houses, 433 ; in May. 432, 453 ; liable to mildew, 227, 288 ; moisture for, 5J5 ; new, 303 ; notes on, 376; old, at the Temple show, ^74; on walls, 375 ; own-root. 474 ; own-root, in quantity. 16; pnming, 87, 163; quick growth of, 408; i^roCcU Jirkr, 301 ; Scotch Brier, 301; stmdard, 5'3 ; Tea-scented, 473 ; the best of 1861 - 1881, 106 ; the growth of Tea, 72 ; two good Monthly, 453; two showy, 514; imder cool treat- ment, 288 ; wall, 435 ; with scented leaves, 424 ; vellow, H)5 Roaea, 'Christmas, in tubs, 63; transplant- ing, 17S Roses, Lenten, 201 ; as cut flowers, 281 Rubus deliciosus, 13S. 386 ; nutkanus, 445 RudbeckLa bicolor, 348 ;hirta, 348 Rudbeckias, 384 Saccolabium cerinum, 357 Salad ing, spring, 104 Salpiglossis, 363 Salsafy, 263; and Scorzonera, 349 >and fur cuttings, 345, 404 Saponaria ocymcides splendidissima, 534 Sarracenia Mandaiana, 3 14 Satyrium aureum, 217 Savoy Cabbage, 497 ; Drumhead, 497 Sivoys and Cabbage, 305 Saxitraga Boydi, 201; Burseriana, 164; fl:igellaris, 2"7 ; ligul ta, 457 ; longifolia. 457 ; longifolia, poAifioiig for, 232 ; lutoo- purpurea, ' 195, 867 ; oppositifolia, 208; pyramidalis, 401 Saxifrages, 64 Sawdust as a mulch, 494 Scabious, German, 3o3 ; the great white, S14 Schivereckia y>odolica, 400 Schizanthus, treatment of, in winter, 21 Schizocodon soldancUoides, 26 i Schizostylis coccinea. 456 Schlumbergeria Li"doni, 390 Seilla ante Taurus. 270 ; bifolia, 231 ; bi'oUa alba, 282 ; sibirica alba, 279 ; sibirica pal- lida, 279 ; sibirica vera alba, 269 Scopalina Hladnickiana, 222 Scorzonera, 263 Sea Holly, the true alpine, 513 Seakalc, 170, 327 ; increasing and planting, 174; late, 261; Lily-white, hardiness of, 140, 264 ; planting, 174 ; pots, summer use of, 24, 62 Season, earline's of the, 34'^, 432, 491 ; Ihe, 432 Sedum dasyphyllum, 458 ; glaucum, 458 ; Pittoni, 179; sarmentosuni, 408 Seed-sowing, 324, 350 ; on heavy soil-!, 262 Seeds, early, sowing, 171 ; s.i all. sowing, 168 ; vegetixble, 392 Selaginella Wallichi 412 Sehiginellas for a Wardian cise, 253 Sempervivimis, 458 ; Cobweb, the, 79 Senecio grandifolius, 167 ; pukrher, 170 ; sagittifolius, 246 Shade, 407 Shield Ferns. 180 Shortia galacifolia, 24^ 367, 408 Shrub, a good variegated, 471 ; a January flowering, 33 Shrubberies, 6 Shrubbery management, 32 Shi-nbs, a few good, 138 ; and trees, a few goud variegated, 387 ; digging among, 5, 32, 190 ; flowering, 485 ; flowering, from Belgrove, 465 ; flowering, from Truro, 3S4 ; forced, 104 ; hai-dy, certificated in 1802, 5 ; hybrid, 386 ; in bloom, 210 ; planting, 201 ; two early, 118 Siberia, the flowers of, H2 Silenc acaulis, 111, 170 Slugs, 372 Smilacina oleracea, 416; raceraosa, 417 ; stcl- lata, 417 Smilacinas, 416 Snowdrop Tree, the, 378 Snowdrops, 207; early, 115; in the Gra<^s, 206 ; notes on, 144 ; other new, 278 Sobralia macrantha, 444 ; uiacrantha Kien- astiana, 467 Societies and Exhibitions— Crystal Palace. 269, 426 Earl's Court, Gardening and Forestry at, 162, 425, 449 ; Rose show at, 515 Gardeners' Orphan Fund, 14, 57, 78, 117, 141,181,336, 360,404,516 Gai'deners' Royal Benevolent, 34, 56, 97, 141, 247, 379 Ghent exhibition, 335 Midland Counties Pansy Society, 14 National Auricula and Primula Society, 358 National Carnation Society, 514 National Chrysanthemum Society, 141, 161, 224, 336 National Dahlia, 224 v National Rose 16, 71, 88 Pansy and Viola, 403 Royal Botanic, 247, 359, 427, 537 Royal Horticultui-al, 35, 55, 139, 201, 221 247, 268, 291, 313, 336, 357, 402, 471, 516, 536 ; Temple show, 428, 450 United Horticultural, 34, 141, 224, 315 Soils, digging, 216 ; heavy, seed-sowing on, 262 ; prep ring, for borders and rockeries, 422 Solanum crispum, 387, 40S ; Seaforthianum , 491 Sollya linearis, 448 Solomon's Seal, 399 ; preparing for forcing, 456 Sonerila Hendersoni, 3 ; margaritacea, 3 Sparrows and Primroses, 363 ; and Crocuses, 298 Speedwell, the Cypress, 491 Speedwells, New Zealand moimtain, 383 Spinach, 372 ; and it-s substitutes, 5 .7 ; per- petual, 304 ; winter, 147 Spir^a arguta, 445 ; astilboides, 390 ; cana, 445; confusa, 300. 471 ; japonica multiflora compacta,266 ; splendens and S. betulifolia, 521 Spring, 1893, compared with 1892, 322 ; flowers, a note on. 230; floweis at Drop- more, 315 ; Star Flower, 296 Spruce, the Weeping, 248 Stanhopea Amesiana, 357 Staphylea colchica, 355 Statices, 328 Stauntonia latifoUa, 161 Stonoglottis, 496 ; fimbriata, 496 ; longifolia, 496 Stephanotis floribimda, 415 S'ocks, 285; intermediate, 270; long succes- sion of, 229 Stove and greenhouse plants, now, of 1802, 22 StrawbeiTy Auguste Nicaise 461 ; croji, the, 508 ; cultur.; under glass, 23ri ; .John Rus- kin, 87 ; layei'ing, \'icomtcsse Ilt^ricart dc Thury, 524; pi nts, 487; Sharpless, .521; Vicomtcssc Htricart de Thury, 176 ; Water- loo, 3til Strawben-ies, 283, 395, 470, 483, 527; and nioi-turc, 382 ; autumn, 5'^4 ; change of stock, ■*l'i ; early, 432 ; flowering early, 305 ; for forcing, 52, 102, ir.2; g owing, 506; in Derbyshire, 53j ; in London, 462 ; iu May, 329* ; in pots, 506 ; in sjjring, plant- ing, 213 ; late, 528 ; late, on north btirders, 524 ; layering, for forcing, 460 ; niain-crop and late, 305 ; new, 461 ; packing, 414, 461 ; planting out forced. 305 ; pot, 13 ; relative merits uf early, 486 ; reliable forcing, 330 ; ripening and packing, 310 ; starting forced, 53 ; three, 535 ; three good, 439 ; to fruit in autumn, 356 Stnniii in a Der^onsliire gardtii, 367 St-ca)iiht, plan ttliowing natural rniint<' of, 366 ; si'cdon of artificial, 3''6 ; securing sides and bottom of a, 366 ; shape of the, 366 ; the, 36t; Streptocarpus hybrids, 383 iStreptocarpuses, 513 Strobilanthes Dyerianus, 357 : isophyllus, 20, 167 Stuartia pentjigyna, 173 ; p^i vdn-CamcUia, 172 ; i-irttinica, 173 Stuartias the, 172 Stylophorum diphyllum, 408 Styi'ax japonica, 331 Succulents, 230 Sumach, the Venetian, 145, 212, 241 Summer, flower beds for, 168 Sun Rose, a variety of, 454 Sun Roses, 432 Swanl y. Cactuses at, 164 ; flowers at, 185 ; zonal Pelargoniums at, 266 Swan Orchids, the, 217 Sweet Briers, hybrid, 287 ; Lord Penzance's hybrid, 525 Sweet Williams, 501 SjTinga alba grandiflora, 383 Taamanian Tree F»'rn, the, 200 Vecophylsea eyanocrocus, 221 Terrace walk, an old, at Berkeley, 475 ; an old, at lkrkhioides, 221 Timber, prices of home-grown, in Kent, 58 ; qualities of, 36 Toadflax, five-spm-red, 514 Tomato ChaUenger, 443 ; flowers setting, 480, 517 ; plants, strong, 49 ; the, 2 3 Tomatoes, bad, 638 ; early, 96 ; failing, 498 ; for the open air, 230, 405 ; growing early, 96 ; in boxes, 518 ; in pits and frames, 464 ; main-crop, 104; manures for, 261; plant- ing in the open, 464 ; prevention of crack- ing in, 481 ; to fruit in spring, 405 ; under glass, 441 ; winter, and fogs, 160 Topiary Kork, example of old, 73 Tottenham, hardy plants at, 164 Town garden, a, at Bournemouth, 499 Tree, noteworthy, in flower, 286 ; planting, 271 ; planting around London, 182 ; saving a, damaged by rabbits, 36 ; stumps, arti- ficial, at Lyons, 20 ; trunk of a, covered iritk male bark, 21 Tree Pjeonies, 325 Trees and shrubs, 241, 354, 377, 409, 470, 485 ; clipped, the Builder on, 08; evergreen, in North America, 201 ; example of rapid growth of evergreen, 145 ; many, on small areas, 354 ; mulching the, 305 ; overhanging garden, 08 ; the philosophy of clipping, in and near the flower garden, 61 ; weeping, 182 ; young, 175 ; young wood on old, 59, 120 Trichopilia suavis, 129 Tricyrtis hirta, 458 Trillium graiidiflorum, 97, 170 ; at home, 504 Triphia orthoceras, ^21 IVitoma pumila, 207, 281 Tritonia Templemanni, 67 TroUius Fortune!, 431 TroUiuses, 429 VUl THE GARDEN INDEX [July 1, 1893. . trop:«ol'im BaU.6f Fire, 242 ; Clibran's Gem, 422 ; paa^'phyH'um, 31 ; tricolor, 166 Tnmki'thK.qi'a tree and tub, 20 Tuberose, tlie, 4 Tulip, a beaiitiful, 400 Tulipa Buenoventura, 3S^ ; Greigi, 2% ; Kauf- maiiniana, •■l'2\ ; Korolkowi niarginata, 282 ; Leichtliiii. 365 ; linifolia, 3fc3 ; sylvestris, Tulips at Kew, 3fi4 ; at Long Ditton, 423 ; English florists', 380 ; PaiTot, 430 ; the, 342 Tunica Saxifraga, 458 Turnip and Brassica fly, prevention of, 405 Turnips, 372 ; and Carrot , early, 188 ; early, 174 IT. Ulmus Wreedi aurea, 402 Upt n Rectory, notes from, 246 Urceocharis Clibrani. 164 Uroskinnera spectabiUs, 20 V. Vaccinium hirsutum, 489 Vallota purpurea, 510; purpurea delicata, 471 Vanda coerulescena, 348 ; Parishi Marriotti- ana 388; teres, 321; teres Candida, 54; tricolor Rohaniana, 347 ; tricolor Seeger*, 347 Vcqitable Marroir, a {/nod tf/pr of, 353 Vegetable Marrows, 352, 372 ; early, 327 ; forced, 334 ; grown as a screen, 354 ; on leaf heaps, 334 ; on lubbish heaps, 277 Vegetables, early, 104 ; little grown, 263 ; size of, 95 ; small, the best, 23 ; the culti- vation of, 75 ; two good winter, 50 Vegetation in East Anglia, 3S4 Veitch Memorial prizes, 56 Ventilation, 5.S Verbeiias, 43 Veronica amplexicaulis, 519 ; anomaJa, 519 ; Armstrongs, 520; Arnistrongi , 523; Bid- willi, 519 ; buxifolia, 519 ; carnosula, 519 ; chathamica, 519 ; culture, 521 ; cupres- soides. 52J ; cupres^oid^s var. variabilis, 520; diosmiefolia, 519; elliptica, rl9; epa- cridea, 519 ; glauco-cneru'ea, 519 ; Godefroy- ana,519; Hectori, 520;Hulkeana,'il9; Haas- ti, 519 ; Lavaudiana, 519 ; linifolia 519 ; lo- tanioides, 520 ; Lyalli, 519 ; lycopodioides, 520; monticola, 52'; nummulaua, 296; pimeleoides, 5l9 ; pinguifolia, 519 ; pingin- folia, 534; prostrata, 489; Raouli, 519; salicifolia, 520 ; species of, from New Zea- land, 520; speciosa, 520; Traversi, 520; vemicosa, 519 Veronicas, the shrubby, of New Zealand, 519 Viburnum Opulus, 446 ; plicatum, 243, 403, 446, 478 Vhini roma, 389 Viijcas, the, 389 Vine borders, 371 ; in hot weathi r, 413 ; out- side, fermenting materials for, 59 ; water- ing, 487 Vine foliage, burning of, 439 ; leaves, scalded, 439 ; roots, chilling of, 461 ; the claret- coloured, 32; thv clant'Coloun'd, at The Woodlands, Cohham, b2 ; weevil, the, 59 Vineries, syringing in, 362 Vints, changing the character of, 197 ; in nairow borders, 176; lifting in summer, 309; mildew on, 273, 329; mixed and otherwise, 52 ; mixed in vineries, S3 ; planting, 99, 37' ; starting newly-planted, 86 ; syringing, 274 ; yourg, 371 Viola conuita, 283 Violets, Dog's-tooth, in the Grass, 298; double, 488; grubs attacking, 336; the cnltivation of, 157, 231, 2S1, 320 Vitis heterophylla humulifolia, 377 Vriesia brachystacbys, 46 ; Morreni, 383 W. WahUnbergia dahuatira, 68 ; dalmatica, 69 ; graminifolia, 68 ; Kitaibeli, 68 ; Pumilio, 69 ; pumi iorum, 68 ; serpyllifolia, 68 ; tenuifolia, 68 Wallflowers, perennial, 344 M'all fruits, 120 Wardian case, Selaginellas for a, 253 Wat r Chestnut, the, -172 Water in the rock garden, 324 Watering, 528 Water Lily, a rare, 3S3 M'atsnnta ollia, 229 Wayside cottage in Cornwall, 433 Wai/sidf rottofff in Comicall 433 Weathtr and the crops, 289, 415 ; and the work, the, 199 ; dry, and state of crops, 369; in Durham, 491 ; in West Herts, 35, 57, OS, 181, 224, 2(7, 29i, 31% 33fi, 360, 380, 404, 428, 452, 472, 494, 516, f 38 ; the, 375, 528 ; the late severe. 77 Web ter. Mr. A. D., ■)72 Weed, a noble, 535 Weeds, 404 ; troublesome, 485 Weevils, a plague of, 292 Weigela Looysn ani aurea, 387 ; rosea nana varicgata, 432 Weigelas in a mass, 470 Willow, a new Tree, 144 Wil'ows, some Tree, 92 ; the, at Kew, 221 ; Weeping, 189 Windflower, the winter, 77 Windflowers, tall-growing 39 Winter Aconite, abnormal beauty of, 179 Winter, effects of the, 98 Winter garden, the, 57 Wistaria for bowers and covered ways, 522 ; sinensis alba, 6, 387 Witloof, or Cabbage -headed Chicory, 168 ; or targe Brussels Chicory, 169 Woodland notes, 36 ; work in the, 248 Woodlice, novel remedy for, 460 Woods of British Gui-na, 248 Wreaths and other floral offerings, 34 X. Xanthoceras sorbifdia, 409 Xanthurrhiza apiifolia, 489 Yucca pendula, 455; jien(?)f?a, a grovp of, 455 Yuccas at Bitton, 535 Yulan, the, 296 Z. Zenobia speciosa, 522 ; speciosa nitida, 241 ; speciosa pulveruleuta, 332 ; spfciom pul- nrulnUa, 241 Zenobias. 241 Zinnias, 125 Zvgopetalum ci rinum, 526 ; intermedium, "54 COLOURED PLATES. Pahe BOUGAINVILLEA SPECTABILIS <"> BUDDLEIA COLVILLEI 482 CALOCHORTUS KENNEDYI 108 CAMPANULA PUSILLA VAR. C^SPITOSA 2-1 CLERODENDRON TRICHOTOMUM 504 CORNUS KOUSA 152 CYPRIPEDIUM CHAMBERLAINI ... 304 DENDROBIUM PHAL^NOPSIS SCHRCEDERIANUM ... 23G GENISTA yETNENSIS 212 GLOXINIAS 392 HABENARIA MILITABIS 370 HYBRID SWEET BRIERS 46 LATHYRUS GRANDIFLORUS 88 KELUMBIUM SPECIOSUM 462 NEMESIA STRUMOSA VARS NEW NARCISSI: 1, ALBATROSS; 2, SEAGULL; 3, SEEDLING PHEASANT'S -EYE ONCOCYCLUS IRISES: 1, GATESI ; 2, LORTETI ; 3, LUPINA RUDBECKIA PURPUREA SMILACINA OLERACEA STUARTIA PSEUDO- CAMELLIA TEA ROSE CORINNA THUNBERGIA GRANDIFLORA TUFTED PANSIES: 1, RAVENSWOOD : 2, EDINA ; 3, ROTHES TUFTED PANSIES SYLVIA AND BESSIE CLARK ... WAHLENBERGIA PUMILIORUM Page 192 326 130 348 416 172 258 440 526 282 68 Ti\C CAROEM jut. ' '^''^ RHODOCHITON VOLUBILE Ja5. 7, 1S93.] VOL. XL 1 1 1. Rose Garden. KATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY. EXHIBHING KOSES FROM HeaVY AND LiGHT Land. Having read an article on the above subject, signed C. J. Ciralianie, in your issue of Dec. 10, I wish to make a few remarks concerning my practical experience in tliis matter. 1 have grown, and do grow, a number of Roses on botli heavy and light land. I readily admit that Roses grown on the former are, as a rule, later in coming into bloom than on the latter, but I find that the situation of a garden, the aspect of the Rose holders, the varieties grown, stocks used, and the manner in which plants are treated may make some little difference in the time of blooming. I grow Roses here in three situations, each being a quarter of a mile apart, one being uji at the top of the hill and the remaining two on low ground. I grow them in several soils, in several aspects, in many varieties (a good many plants each of the best exhibition kinds), on several stocks, with several kinds of manure. I have cultivated the best va- rieties in the best manner known to me, using every effort to procure good blooirs in an average season by the first week in July, and the result is not very encouraging. I could seldom cut on July 2 forty-eight varieties even from cut-backs that would show any- thing like very full strength against an amateur growing the same number of plants south of London. Few of my maiden plants, although many ^vere worked on the Manetti planted in a light soil, produced blooms ready for exhibi- tion by July 16 this year (Lady Mary Fitz- william andA. K. WQliams excepted). Al- though I cultivate several thousands of cut- backs (besides maidens), I could only cut forty-seven varieties on the eve of the last Crystal Palace show. I have only budded a few of the early varieties of Roses (plenty of each) besides some of the new kinds this year, because I find the later varieties do not come into bloom on maidens till nearly all the chief shows are over. Xow I have merely stated the results of my eflforts so far, and probably they will show that I, at any rate, ought to be very much surprised if able to show a respectable forty-eight on the great "Rose Derby" dayat the Palace in 1893; whereas I might be able to do so if that day fell in the height of the Rose season. We more northern growers, it is .said, only represent 30 per cent, of the members of the National Society ; therefore, we are the lesser number, and must, so long as we belong to the society, be governed by the "greater number," or, in other words, by the southern growers, who, no doubt, will enjoy the "greater happiness" (unless an exceptionally early season come) on July 2, 1893. Surely more enthusiastic northern Rose growers would join the N.R.S. if they were met half way by southerners in vc the date of metro- politan exhibition, which, although the second national show of the year, is the Rose Derby daj', so to speak. It is not to be wondered at if we only represent 30 per cent, of the members, for when wo visit the metropolitan exhibition and notice that the exhibits of such men as Messrs. Harkness, Mack, and Merry- weather are conspicuous by tlieir absence, our eyes and those of others must be opened to the fact that either the fixture is too early or the season too late for northerners. There is some satisfaction to many to be able to exhibit even if they do not win. Al- though I admit that a day fixed for the metropolitan show to pirobably suit 70 per cent, of the members would and has resulted in one of the grandest of .shows of Tea Roses (which are earlier than H.P.'s), still we ought not to forget the qualification National nor the future popularity of the society in the north. I must admit that I believe a nor- thern society would be popular, and that more rosarians would join it besides 30 per cent, (the present number of northern mem- bers) of the National Society ; but, for all this, " Unity is Strength," and I hope and trust that no such society will be formed, but that north and south will Ije united in one National Society with a qualification not only existing in name. Henry V. Machin. Gateford Hill, near Worksop. A RETROSPECT OF THE PAST SEASON. At the year's close it is often pleasant and instruc- tive to look hack upon our successes and failures. Early in the jear tuere were very severe frosts ; so much so, that a few ytars ago many growers would have given little hopes of their Tea-scented Roses that were unprotected. By the way, I fancy tliat this class is becoming hardier and of a much better constitution than in former y ears. Can this be from their being grown under less coddled conditions ? It certainly ought to have a little effect upon future plants whether they be propagated from tender or hardy subjects. Al- though much of the wood of Roses was frost- bitten during the winter of 1891-92, and the plants started into growth fully three weeks later than in the majority of seasons, they broke in a healthy manner and for some time promised well ; much better, in fact, than many anticipated from the slate the wood was in at pruning time. Late in May and early in June was a trying time for Roses, and this was followed by a severe frost on June 17 that at one time looked like .spoiling all the early flowers, and even caused some to say that the N.R.S.'s metropolitan fixture — usually the show of the year— s-hould be postponed for a week. But, as so often happens, the last three or four days brought the Roses on so rapidly, that the Crystal Palace show of 1892 was one of the best on record. The Tea-scented and Noisettes were particularly fine and more numerous than ever before. I think that if we take into con- sideration the Teas staged among the Hybrid Per- petuals, we should not be wrong in saying they represented a good half of the blooms exhibited. Looking back some years further, one can remem- ber how few Teas were exhibited compared to those of the Hybrid Perpetual class. I think it would be a fair estimate to say there were three or four of the latter to one of the former. This is due to two causes — first, the fact that Teas are quite as hardy as their rival class ; and, secondly, the fact of so many of our finest varieties having been introduced during the last ten or fifteen years. There has also been much advance made in the cultivation of this charming section, and the know- ledge, gained from experience, as to the greater suitability of the Brier as a stock for them has all conduced to their present high standard. The season of 1892 has brought a few of the compara- tively new Teas well to the front rank, notably Ernest Metz, Ethel Brownlow, Mme. Hoste, Cleo- patra, and Souvenir de S. A. Prince. All of these were particularly prominent at the Crystal Palace and Earl's Court exhibitions. Among the Hybrid Perpetual class there were also several of the newer varieties which made a mark in the Rose world. The palm must go to Gustave Piganeau, but Victor Hugo, Earl of Dufferin, Mrs. John Laing, Margaret Dickson, Jeannie Dickson, Sala- THE GARDEN. [January 7, 1893. mander, Sir Rowland Hill, and Viscountess Folke- stone also fully upheld, and even increased, their previous reputations. Gustave Piganeau is a very aking Rose, and won the medal at the two exhi- bition; of the National Rose Society, Crystal Palace and Chester. As usual, the Colchester champions had a tough fight for the trade trophy both at the metropolitan and provincial exhibitions. It is singular that they should have changed places so decisively as they have done during the l-ist two years, one winning the early prizes and the other taking all of the chief prizes later in the season, this order being reversed the following year. It is only another in- stance of the difference there is in the earliness or bxckwardness of two gardens in the same locality ; but it is rendered more strange by the fact that the order was so completely reversed during suc- cessive seasons. At the Crystal Palace show every- thing worked smoothly and pleasant. At Chester, on the contrary, there was much confusion, and this combined with a miserably wet day made it far from a pleasant gathering to many rosarians from a distance. The chief features of this show were the close competition between the Colchester rivals in the twopremier classes and the remarkably good blooms of the dark red varieties, like Victor Hugo, Prince Arthur, Charles Lefebvre, Duchess of Bedford, Earl of Dufferin, General Jacqueminot, Louise van Houtte and Horace Vernet. The finest bloom of Gloire de Margottin that has probably been seen was staged by Messrs. Merryweather ; while Mr. Pemberton and Mr. Mawley had exqui- site flowers of Comte de Raimbaud and Souvenir de S. A. Prince respectively, gaining the society's medals for the best blooms of their classes among the amateurs' exhibits. Here, too, we saw that grand Rose Mrs. W. J. Grant in fine form, it succeed- ing in gaining the gold medal for a new Rose not in commerce. I believe it was shown better else- where during the past season, but here I saw enough of it to be certain it has a grand future before it. Looking back to the classes for garden Eoses we find them increasing in popularity and forming one of the prettiest exhibits in the show. Then, too, the charming hybrid Sweet Briers that Lord Penzance exhibited at tlie Crystal Palace could not possibly fail to please all who love this section. The colours are deep and glowing, and although the individual flowers do not last any time, the freedom of flowering of the plants must make them a grand feature in gardens where Roses can be let grow almost at will. Taken as a whole, I do not think we were troubled so much as usual with insect pests and mildew as was the case during the previous two seasons. Among my own plants the Rose maggot was almost unknown. Aphis, too, was not very prevalent after the frost of June 17. Red spider and thrips gave scarcely any trouble, and I have seldom, if ever, had my Teas freer from mildew during the latter part of the summer. Early in August red rust denuded my Hybrid Perpetuals of foliage and made them look very bare ; but as a general rule this class of Rose is almost over by that date, and consequently this incurable blight or disease did not result in much serious disap- pointment. We have seldom had so favourable an autumn for the production of good blooms late in Septem- ber and October, nor do I ever remember the plants ripening more steadily and satisfactory than they have done this season. We have also been favoured with a grand time for replanting, and altogether I, for one, think the season of 1802 can be looked back upon with pleasure as being a fairly good year for the queen of flowers. Well-ripened wood upon established plants and a favourable time for early planting afford a very pleasant prospect for the coming season of 1803, when X trust we shall see the Rose even more popular than hitherto. There are a few splendid new Roses to be intro- duced, but it will be well to defer any notes upon these until they are before the public. RlDGEWOOD. Stove and Greenhouse. WINTER-FLOWERING STOVE PLANTS WORTHY OF MORE NOTICE. Embraced under this heading there are several excellent subjects which seem to escape notice to a large extent in private gardens. This may be caused by the more extended culture of those plants which are both easily grown and whose flowers last for some time when cut. Even in these cases it does not follow that more cannot be added to the list, and that with advantage. When the choice of variety is narrowed down too much there is the possible danger of intervals without anything interesting to look at and admire. More particularly in the dull season of the year should an efl'ort be made to provide sufficient material to make the houses attractive. The greater amount of interest will be centred therein now that there is an almost entire absence of outdoor flowers. There is a disposition in some cases to grow more plants of one particular kind than can be accommodated so as to aflford at the same time a fair chance to other things. In such cases the plants in bulk of any one variety are not always so good as they might be if a less number, without so much crowding, were grown. Of plants worthy of more notice I would draw attention to the following, viz. : — Aphelandea auhantiaca Roezli. — I can very well remember when this beautiful Aoanthad was tirst introduced, or at any rate when it first became prominent in our stoves soon afterwards. About twenty years ago I used to grow it in fair quantity for mid-winter decoration, raising the plants annually from seed, which is by far the better way of procuring a stock of useful plants. The seed wants closely watching just before it is ripe, as the seed vessels burst when fully matured, the seed itself flying as it were out of the same. It is an easy matter to thus lose the seed before one is aware that it is ripe. This raising by seed is far preferable to the slower process of propagation by cuttings, whilst it is also productive of better furnished plants, the foliage drooping down below the rim of the pot. Having relied upon cuttings alone is, I surmise, the reason why this beautiful dwarf winter-blooming plant has not been more generally grown. The spikes of flowers upon vigorous plants are, as in the case of the type, of a branching character, the colour a bright orange- scarlet, which is set off to greater advantage by the distinct silvery shading of the foliage itself. The type, A. aurantiaca, has a slight trace of this shading, but not nearly so markedly as in Roezl's variety, whilst being of a much taller growth it is not consequently so useful. This will grow up to 3 feet or more in height, as I have proved myself ; whereas the variety now recommended will flower at from 8 inches to 1 foot in height, and in pots from 3 inches to 5 inches in diameter. To grow it well the plants should be kept as near the glass as possible to retain the dwarf, sturdy growth. As to soil, &c., ordinary stove treatment suffices in every respect. Aphelaxdka nitens. — This is another dis- tinctly ornamental plant, whether it be considered from the foliage or flowering point of view. The foliage itself is very distinct, being of a shining dark metallic green, whilst the flowers are even brighter in colour than those of A. aurantiaca Roezli ; it is also rather taller in growth, but under good management will flower at from a foot to 18 inches ; the spikes do not branch, however, to the same extent. This variety comes from Columbia and the first named from Mexico. Fraxciscba unifloka (syn., Hopeana).— In this Franciscea we have a deliciously scented plant for the winter season, and one which will flower most profusely when it has previously had good attention bestowed upon it. I used to grow F. uniflora out of doors in a sunny spot during the summer ; the growths would thus be sturdy and be- come well ripened. The flowers open of a violet- blue shade, and as they gain age gradually fade away to pure white ; thus one has blue and white flowers on the plants at the same time. I have not tried this Franciscea for cutting to any extent, but I am disposed to think it would prove very useful. The soil I grew it in was leaf -mould and sand with but little loam. Cuttings strike freely and the young plants flower freely also whilst still small, making thus good decorative material and a pleasing contrast to the Aphelandra first named. The little sprays with a few flowers and buds upon them would make a nice change where coat flowers are in request to any extent. The growth of this variety is nothing like so vigorous as in most of the kinds usually seen in cultiva- tion. Eranthemum pulchbllum. — This species stands out so prominently as one of the best of all deep blue-flowered plants throughout the winter season as to merit special notice for that quality alone. It may be grown either in the form of dwarf bushes with several shoots upon them or in quite small pots with only one or two shoots. In either case each shoot will invariably flower. In growing this plant I prefer to obtain a good strong growth with relatively stronger spikes of bloom ; the small plants even when well cared for will produce good spikes. The size of the plants can be regulated, as in the case of Poinsettias, by pro- pagating at various times, stopping the plants once or twice, except the latest of all, which should be struck about July. Pit culture during the summer is the best, with a little warmth at command if necessary. When housed the plants should have all the light possible, being kept well up to the glass. It is a moisture-loving plant, and may be grown very well in a damp stove. Eranthemum Andersonianum. — This variety will flower at other seasons, but in the winter from January onwards it is very useful. Its strong spikes of light-coloured flowers vie with many an Orchid in their beauty. The growth is erect, more like that of a Justicia than the foregoing species, but by striking somewhat late in the summer any disposition towards a tall plant can be greatly remedied ; the spikes are terminal and not branch- ing. The flowers, which continue for some weeks in good condition, are pure white, the lower petals being thickly dotted with dark crimson. Ceossandra undul^efolia. — This plant has much in common with the first-named Eranthe- mum as to habit and freedom of growth, and should be grown as a companion plant to it. The spikes are produced in the same manner, but the flowers are larger and of a dark orange colour. This plant for the sake alone of its distinct shade of colour and free-flowering properties should have more recognition. It has not, however, in one sense yet lost much time in making its way, having only been introduced by Mr. W. Bull for about ten years. AmasoniA punicea. — Although this plant was exhibited back in the autumn by Messrs. Veitch and Son.», who introduced it to notice, it must not be inferred that it is not essentially a plant for the winter months. It is quite unique in its style of flowering, the long terminal spikes being clothed with darlc crimson bracts, whilst the flowers afford a great contrast thereto, being of a pale straw colour. Compared with some things, this plant requires care, being of a more permanent character than some stove subjects. I have raised it easily enough from seed. It should be grown in nearly all peat and be kept in the warm house at all times. Jasminum gracillimum. — This beautiful Jas- mine can either be grown as a bushy plant or as a climber. It does best in the stove, although it does not require so much heat as many plants grown therein. I have grown it myself in a green- house temperature, but neither the growth nor the freedom of flowering was so good as say in a cool stove. It is a plant that will bear prun- ing so as to retain the bushy habit, or it can be trained upon the roof or against a wall. Too much shade is prejudicial to freedom of flower, as the Jan TAR I- 7,1893.] THE GARDEN. wood should be well ripened. It is a pl.ant to which the white scale is partiil ; this troublesome insect should therefore be well looked after. IPOM.EA Hou-^FALLI-E — As a winter-blooming climbing plant this is so decidedly distinct as to at once arrest attention. Its richly coloured dowers of a deep shade of rose are produced freely in large masses, continuing to open in constant succession, although each flower is very fugitive. I have not attempted its propagation, but I think it is usual to work it on to the roots of another species. When, however, it is well established it is not at all a difficult plant to manage. BIGNONIA VENUSTA.— If I am not greatly mis- taken there are two species grown under this name, one much inferior to the other. The true variety is a gorgeous p'ant indeed when seen in its pro- fusion of flower. Being a climber, and one also that requires some considerable space, it should be grown upon the roof, and if planted out in a limited space it will thrive better than in pots. It is by some classed with greenhouse plants, but this is not its best place, as 1 have proved. It will grow therein, it is true, but it is as it were only on sufferance ; tl;e cool stove or a warm con.^ervatory is the best place for it. The large clusters of orange- crimson flowers are fine features in the winter, the growths then being allowed to hang down- wards from the roof. BuRCHiiLUA CAPEXSIS — As to temperature, (his comes under much the same category as Bignonia venusta. I have it now growing in a conservatory, bat it does not feel at heme and rarely gives so much bloom as it should do. Grown in an ordinary or cool stove, it is a fine thrubby plant, its neat trusses of medium size being then freely produced. In the warmth of a stove it flowers sooner also, the blooms being of a bright scarlet colour. Thyrsacaxthcs rutilaxs. — I note th:;t this old-fasbioned, but really beautiful plant has lately been alluded to in the pages of The GARDEN. Fur- ther reference is therefore unnecessary, fave to confirm the remarks therein made by the writer. SOSERILA MARGARITACKA AND S. HeNDER- soxi. — These and close'y allied varieties are more often classed with plants of fine foliage than with flowering ones, but they are very useful indeed as dwarf plants for the sakeof their flowers alone, these appearing in profusion just above the prettily spotted or marbled foliage. The colour, a solt shads of rose, is both pleasing and attractive. These p'ants should be worked up from cuttings every spring, being most at home in a moist atmo- sphere. ClERODBNDRON FRAGHANS FLORE - PLENO. — This is another old-fashioned plant, but one which bists in good condition for some considerable time. Its fragrant flowers are most useful to mount in the same way as Tuberoses on wires for button-hole bouquets. The greatest drawback with this plant is the spreading and somewhat large foliage as compared with the size of the trusses. CONOCLINIUM lASTHixuM. — This plant has the fame drawback in its spreading growth, but when well managed it is a really beautiful plant whilst in flower, with its pale blue Ageratum-like heads of bloom. It is sometimes grown in the green- house, but the flowers are not then nearly so fine. Hetejiocentbum roseum. — This makes a fine show whilst in flower, the best effect being obtained from piants of good size, these throwing up strong sucker-like shoots 3 feet to 4 feet in height and bearing a good crop of flowers. During the summer in favouiable positions it may be grown out of doors, or at any rate in a greenhouse. Division of the old stools is a very good mode of propagation. Not lasting very well when cut has no doubt been against this otherwise very useful plant. H. G. H. Kentias. — Next to the Aspidistras, the Kentias are the most enduring of any plants used for indoor decoration, and being of graceful habit, bright and fresh in appearance, it is no wonder that they have become popular. K. Belmoreana and K. Fosteriana are the most useful. As a small plant the former is the prettier, K. Fosteriana being better adapted for purposes where large plants are required, having larger leaves with long leaf-stalks. Although the Kentias referred to are usually grown in a stove temperature, they will do well in a cool greenhouse, or in a room where the temperature does not fall below freezing point, the same plants will keep in good condition for a considerable time. If in a position where they get plenty of light and are properly looked after, they will even make good growth. Until quite recently Kentias have been rather scarce, owing to the fact that a very high price had to be paid for the seed, which was often unreliable. Withiit the last few years, however, seed has been imported in enor- mous quantities and of good quality. At the present time I should think that these two Kentias are grown in larger quantities than any other plants used for decoration. To see the enormous numbers in some of the leading market nurseries one might well wonder what would become of them, yet they stiU comruand a fair price, and seem likely to do so for some time to come at any rate.— F. H. Heliconia aureo-striata is a magniScent plant, said to come from the South Sea Islands. It is somewhat Musa-like in its appearance. Although somewhat dwarf, it has bold and strik- ingly variegated leaves. This plant would appear to have lost a great deal of its popularity from its apparently being a bad grower, but it does re- markably well in the Victoria Nursery, Upper Holloway. Mr. Williams tells me he has found the p'ant thrive very much better in light leaf mould than in the stiff loamy soil in which I had usually been accustomed to grow it. — W. H. G. Cyrtanthera chrysostepliaiia. — J. Befzeley sends mea, beautiful crown of the golden-yellow flowers of this. It is a Mexican plant of great beauty, remarkable for the red venation of the under side of the leaves which are of a rich deep green. The flowers, produced at the points of all the shoots strong enough to bloom, are some 2 inches in length and of a rich golden-yellow, which makes it a showy and desirable plant to grow for winter decoration. It belongs to the Acanthacese, and is nearly allied to the Aphe- landras. It was introduced to cultivation some twentv-two years ago by Mr. W. Bull, of Chelsea. — W. H. G. Erica melantliera. — This is one of the win- ter-flowering Heaths, but the blooms are not suffi- ciently showy for it to be cultivated to any great extent. Still, a few specimens in a greenhouse are very pretty at this time of the year or a little later, as its season of blooming varies somewhat according to the temperature of the structure in which it is growing. It is a free, but densely twiggy bush, which is when at its best so thickly laden with bloom, that little is to be seen except the tiny pink blossoms with their conspicuous black anthers. The flowers are also slightly, but agreeably scented. It gives but little trouble at any time, and when in good condition will grow and flower well for years without being repotted. — T. Centropogon Lucyanus. — As a winter bloomer for the intermediate house this has much to commend it, for the blossoms are not only bright and showy, but a succession of them is kept up from the autumn till spring is well advanced. It is usually grown as a pot plant, but I have also seen it in suspended baskets, and in this way the long flexible shoots, weighted down by the clusters of flowers at their extremities, had a very pretty effect.— H. P. Calla EUiotti. — In answer to your correspon- dent (page .'J57), I may say that, judging by the plants of this Calla that have come under my observation since they were disposed of by auc- tion, I do not suppose that anyone has flowered them since then, as it is apparently a summer bloomer of the alba maculata type, and the growth was pretty well completed before they were sold. The sale took p'ace on June 17, and about six weeks afterwards some of them began to show unmistakable signs of going to rest, and at present, in a maximum temperature of 55°, they are still (juite dormant. The tubers are very much like those of alba maculata, that pass the entire winter in a totally dormant state, and are quite different from those of the common Lily of the Nile.— H. P. LEONOTIS LE0NURU3. This rare and curious plant is a native of South Africa, and although the precise date of its intro- duction to this country cannot be given, it is pro- bably nearly two centuries ago ; at any rate it was grown by Philip Miller in the Botanic Garden at Chelseain 1712. Although when well grown it is a very handsome plan', it does not appear to have ever been much cultivated, and until Mr. Lynch re-introduced it from Ghent about twelve years ago and flowered it in the Botanic Garden at Carn- bridge, it was apparently entirely lost sight of in this country. Plants of it are now flowering in the large temperate house at Kew. Under culti- vation here it is of herb.iceous growth, although very old plants would doubtless become woody at the base. The flowers are produced in whorls from the axils of leaves towards, but not quite up to, the tops of the previous summer's shoots ; they are very brightly coloured, being orange-scarlet. The Leonoti's, like the Dead Nettle of our way- sides, is a member of the Labiate family, and the flowers have the same two-lipped structure. In this instance they are given a singular appearance by being covered on the outside with short hairs. Each flower is about 2 inches in length, and about forty or fifty of them are borne in a single whorl. The mere growing of this plant Is the simplest matter, Init, in the neighbourhood of London^ at least, it is not always so easy to flower. Coming into bloom at a time when fogs become frequent, and being very susceptible to them, it is not un- usual for a plant instead of being in flower to be denuded both of leaves and blossoms at this sea- son. But in districts with a clearer atmosphere this danger has not to be feared, and there is no reason why this species should not become as generally known as its beauty and interest entitle it to be." Plants may be grown on from cuttings each year, or they may be kept for two years, but after that period the stock should be renewed. Plunged in a slight bottom-heat cuttings taken in spring root as readily as A'erbenas. They should be potted on as required until they fill 10-inch pots. It is quite necessary to place them out ot doors in a sunny position during the summer it sturdy flowering growth is to be obtained, housing them in a cool, light greenhouse towards the middle of September. Strong shoots 3 feet or 4 feet long should be sought after, these producing larger and more numerous flowers. There is in- deed a danger, in endeavouring to secure bushy, well-furnished plants, of stopping the shoots too often, and thus rendering the growths so weak as not to be able to flower at all. Like so many of the sun-loving plants from the Cape of Good Hope and Australia, this species suc- ceeds to perfection on the French Riviera, and it is also said to be quite a popular garden plant in Turkish gardens near Constantinople. Both the generic and specific names refer to the conspicuous hairiness of the flowers. W. B. KENNEDYA MARRYATTiE. If asked to name a dozen of the best greenhouse climbers in cultivation this Kennedya would have a place assigned it, for it is in every respect a most desirable subject for the greenhouse, not the least pleasing feature being the length of time it re- mains in bloom. It is a free, yet slender growing climber, clothed with silky trifoliate leaves and deep .scarlet Pea-shaped blossoms. In the " Dic- tionary of Gardening "the flowering season is given as March to June, but it is by no means limited to that period. It will bloom freely throughout the winter months ; indeed, a thriving specimen is very rarely wit bout flowers. A few years ago there used to be a large plant in the greenhouse (No. 4) at Kew treated as a rafter plant, that is the principal shoots THE GARDEN. [Jandary 7, 1893. -were secured to the rafter, and the minor growths allowed to dispose themselves at will. The result ■was, these s'ender shoots hung down for a consider- able distance and in the greatest profusion, thus ■forming a living screen, and when studded with bright coloured blossoms its beauty was still further enhanced. Kennedya rubicunda is another very desirable species, stronger in grcrwth than the last. This has dark green leaves, while the blossoms are of a deep red colour and very showy. Other Kennedyas are K. coccinea, with bright scarlet coloured blossoms, and K. nigricans, a strong-growing climber with smallish flowers, purple in colour, with a yellowish blotch. The Kennedyas are by no means particular in their cultural requirements, for a mixture of peat and loam with a liberal dash of sand will suit them perfectly. In the case of tha strong growers, such as rubicunda and nigricans, the loam mav largely predominate, while the others are benefited by an extia amount of peat. With regard to in- sect pests, the principal thing to guard against is red spider, wliich in the case of plants trained near the roof is apt to attack the foliage. H. P. . Christmas Boses in pots.— Some of the finest clumps of these most useful winter flowers I lately saw at Hackwood Park. A quantity of the largest plants are every year lifted from the open ground and put into boxes or 14-inch pots, and those I saw blooming recently in wondrous profusion were fully 30 inches across, and already had produced hundreds of blooms. When these have finished flowering they are simply out in twain with a sharp spade and replanted in the garden borders. They suffer very little so treated, and in a couple of years are, if needed, again fit for lifiing. Two batches suffice each year for indoor flowering, whilst the plants outdoors, if covered with hand- lights, give a wealth of bloom. — A. Marguerite Carnations in pots.— I lately saw a fine batch of this Carnation growing in pots. The seed had been sown in the spring. Only very few gave single flowers, whilst the rest of various colours gave myriads of charming double blooms. These had been found useful for all sorts of pur- poses and were much appreciated. The stronger plants bloomed in tj-inch and the later ones in 4i-inch pots. Their blooming period had run over'three months, and they would flower for some time. It is found to be of great convenience to be thus able to raise a batch of such charming Carnations from seed in the spring. Grow them on during the summer in pots in the open or in a cool frame, and then by putting them into a very gentle warmth, have a wealth of beautiful flowers all through the winter. — A. D. Kalanchoe carnea.— This is far from being a common plant. It is largely grown at Hackwood Park for winter flowering. The plants in pots are about 20 inches in height, have stout leathery leaves, not unlike those of the Megaseas, but much smaller. The flowers, which are pure white and sweetly scented, are borne in clusters like those of the Trachelium, but yet bear a close resemblance tb those of the white Jasmine. Small pieces are largely employed for Ijutton-hole bouquets, the perfume being so acceptable. The original stock was raised a few years since from seed, but now the plants are annually propagated in the spring. The winter-blooming character of this plant renders it specially valuable. — D. Azalea mollis.— That flowering plants of this Azalea were exhibited at the meeting of the Eoyal Horticultural Society on December 13 shows well its value for forcing, as very few hardy subjects can be had in bloom thus early. That they were home-grown plants, too, will come as a revelation to those who look upon imported plants or bulbs of all kinds as vastly superior to home-grown ones, es- pecially for forcing, and as the season advance's it ■will with no more th'in the protection of a green- house, flower much earlier than it will in the open ground. The plants shown being home-grown ones Should serve to direct attention to the vast srms we pay the foreigners for such things as this Azalea, Spiraeas, Lily of the Valley, Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora, and many other subjects that might be as well grown in some parts of this country, while complaints are often made of many crops here being unremunerative. — H. P. THE TUBEROSE. The December importations of this bulb should no longer be lost sight of. If the first batch has not yet been potted attention should be given to the work, for it is these which will prove very use- ful when in flower as a change to the earliest Gar- denias and Rose-buds for coat flowers and sprays as well as for bouquet work. For the Tuberose I have a liking myself for the tall pots as used by some Hyacinth growers; these pots give depth, which in the case of this bulb is of importance. In potting, I prefer to keep the bulbs nearly covered, as in the case of Hjacinths, making the soil fairly firm. This latter may very well consist of good turfy loam and leaf-mould, or, failing this, some spent Slushroom manure worked through a coarse sieve; road-scrapings can also take the place of silver sand if this latter commodity is scarce or troublesome to obtain in quantity. A moderate warmth may at once be given, but no undue excitement until the roots be well advanced, otherwise the foliage is drawn up weakly and the bulbs in a measure weakened also before the spikes appear. After one good watering to settle the soil no more is needed lor some little time, the surface being meanwhile covered with a light dressing of cocoa fibre to save watering. A dry place whereon to stand the pots should be avoided; a gentle bottom-heat, as from leaves only, in a pit devoted to the early forcing of shrubs, &c., would, on the contrary, be a suitable place, but then even too much moisture from the syringe should be guarded against. By potting up a fair number a succession can be had later on, for it seldom hap- pens that they all come into flower at one time. As the spikes appear these plants can be drafted to a house or pit with additional warmth. Those not potted up at once should not be left in too cold a place nor be exposed to a drying atmosphere. The better way to keep them is either in cocoa fibre or sand where a temperature less than 45° is not the rule. Rather than expose the bulbs I would pot all up at once and regulate the succession afterwards. For pots of the size named above one bulb is sufficient, but if ordinary .s-inch pots be used instead, three bulbs can be placed therein. Should the bulbs on arrival be found at all shrivelled, not handling plump, they may with ad- vantage be soaked in warm water for an hour or two ; this will be far better than watering freely before roots are formed. When well rooted plenty of water is required, with frequent doses of liquid manure, or soot water will answer in its place. A weak solution of this latter will also greatly help to check any development of the red spider, an insect to which the Tuberose is very subject. For this reason it is never advisable to have it in vineries, or amongst Cucumbers or Melons even. The free use of the syringe is for this insect on the Tuberose the best deterrent. H. A. Begonia Winter Gem.— Those who may have visited the R.H.S. meeting on the 13th inst. will have noticed a beautiful exhibit of this, one of the most brilliant of all winter flowers. The extremely dwarf habit of the plant with its bright green habit and spikes of bloom sufficiently raised above the leaves to be seen to good advantage are excel- lent features. In the stove — not the warm one where such as Ixoras and Nepenthes thrive, but that where the ordinary run of winter-flowering plants, as other Begonias, Poinsettias and the like, are grown in a satisfactory manner — this choice Be- gonia will find a congenial home. It has, in common with those hybrids which have preceded it from Messrs. Veitch and Sons' establishment, that highly important and notewoi thy feature of retaining its flowers in good condition for several weeks. From three to six weeks these flowers will last in good order. This lasting property makes them all the more valuable for cutting from, whilst they may also be grown very successfully within the fog and smoke radius, as I have myself proved. The other two alluded to above are John Heal and Adonis. This trio should be taken more note of by those who are seeking for further and valuable accessions to winter-flowering plants. — Aglaonema costatum — This very dwarf and interesting decorative stove plant will prove a decided acquisition where dwarf plants are in request, whether it be in the stove entirely, or for other purposes outside of it. It has the property of retaining its foliage quite fresh throughout the winter, thus supp'ying the place then vacated by Caladium argyrites. Having in my own case grown Peperomia arifolia argyrea in good num- bers and noted how frequently it was admired, I am all the more fully persuaded that this companion Aroid will prove valuable. The variegation is white, creamy white and glossy green, the folinge about one-third longer than wide, but seldom exceeding 5 inches in length. I was much pleased with this Aglaonema when it was shown by Messrs. Veitch and Sons at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, last spring. It is one of their introductions from Perak.— H. A. Anthnrium Andreanum. — This Anthurium has never attained the degree of popularity that was anticipated at the time of its introduction, but, for all this, it must by no means be passed over, for it is a wonderfully showy flower, and one that will remain bright and fresh for months. While its flowering season can scarcely be de- scribed as limited to any particular period of the year, where a few plants are grown some of them can be depended upon to flower during the winter, and just now we have several examples in bloom which will remain fresh till the spring. The loose, somewhat scandent habit no doubt detracts from the popularity of this Anthurium, but with regard to this feature, individuals vary greatly, some being far more tufted in growth than others ; still, the finest flowers are as a rule borne by the strongest growing forms. It ripens seed freely, from which young plants can be readily raised, while it has also been employed by the hybridist, and, in conj unction with the white-flowered A. orna- tum, has given us a race of pinkish-flowered forms, which, though pretty and useful for their free- flowering qualities, are not nearly so showy as a good form of the typical A. Andreanum. One of the best coloured flowers of this Anthurium that has ever come under my notice was shown last spring from the grand collection that Sir Trevor Lawrence has gathered together. It was awarded a first-class certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society under the name of A. Andreanum sargui- neum. One of the first hybrids in which A. Andre- anum played a part was A. ferrierense, which still remains among the best of its class. — H. P. SHORT NOTES.— STOVE AND OREENEOUSE, Justicia speciosa.— This is an easily-grown plant that serves to enliven the warm greenhouse dur- ing the dull days of midwinter. It forms a freely hrauehed, but somewhat upright-growiug plant, whose bright purple blossoms are borne in great profnsioo. This Justicia is not at all suited for cutting, but a group of a few plants in full flowtr serves to display its charms to the best advantage. — H. P. White Poinsettia.— A good companion to the brilliant Poinsettia pulcherrima. We have had a good batch of the white variety this season, and it has been much appreciated. It requires a little more care, but if well treated it will make Hue heads of bracts, which when associated with the red are very effective. To succeed with ths care must be taken that the plants do not suffer from a low temperature during the autumn — F. H. The English FloweP Garden. — UmiV*. Vkm and Plaiiti. ThinI tditton, rfi-isid, iritk mani^ nito liliLstrationa^ London: J. Murraij, and throui/h all booksdUrs. January 7, 1893.] THE GARDEN, Trees and Shrubs. BAMBUSA METAKE. The fine specimen here illustrated is the smaller of two planted about twenty years ago in the garden at Middleton Hall, Carmarthen- shire. The}' have grown well without protec- tion of any kind or attention be^-ond the neces- sary removal of runners invading the walk and Grass. That the climate of South Wales suits this Bamboo is evidenced by the number of healthy plants of all sizes about the grounds, most of them being from these runners. None get or require protection, though a few in e.\- posed situations become a little browned in severe winters or continued cold winds. Gun- nera scabra also does well with verj' slight pro- tection. R. G. Lawrence. THE CUTTIXG OF EVERGREEXS. ABOtrr Christmas-time and early in the new year there i^ usually a demand for Evergreens to use in various wiys for festive decorations. It is not of their use that I now refer, but more particularly to the cutting of them. Wben there is a choice tj a few days, a fine dry day should if possible be chosen. The work of cutting can then be performed with far greater comfort by the men, whilst at the same time it can also be done more carefully. It is a description of work that is oftentimes done in a perfunctory or haphazard manner, with no real thought either as to the after appearance of the shrubs or their future well-being. Of course what holds good in one kind does not always do so in another, whiUt varied forms and styles of growth should also be considered. In my own case I have for several yeirs been aiming at cutting Hollies so as to get the trees (for trees they are) into more of a pyramidal shape, not formal, as in clipped trees, but so much so as to give every opportunity for the lower branches to spread out and not be overshadowed by the branches above them. In this way I have under my care a number of well-furnished specimens from 20 feet to 30 feet and even more in height. These consist of the common Holly, the silver variegated, and the yellow-fruited kind. The soil, a light one rest- ing on gravel, suits them very well. Aucubas I find do best when they have plenty of room to develop into dense bushes ; these when too tall are beheaded, 2 or 3 feet being taken off the tops. Young growths will follow in due course. With Laurels, a medium coarse of cutting is better in my opinion than either of the two extremes, viz., that of constant summer pruning to keep them, as it were, in ac- cordance with some architec's plan or excessive cutting down, as a woodman would do it, leaving everything bare for a time. A deal may be done with Yews to keep them from extending too wide when the space is limited by merely cutting out the leading shoots. By the same process the Box trees can be retained in a bushy and dense condi- tion without being in any sense formal. When shrubs are taken in hand in time by judicious thinning out here and there, it will take years before they arrive at a size when a more radical course will be found necessary. This informal kind of pruning regulates the growth of the shrubs and prevents strong shoots from taking the lead to the weakening of the rest, with the consequent after results of a bareness both undesirable and nnsishtly also. It frequently happens that shrubs are left more to chance than anything else in the garden. As long as they look well at the time, be they ever so crowded, there is no thought given as to the future. This is a great mistake, the after effects of which cannot be so easily remedied. EVEBGREEN. Digging among shrubs.— I have to deal with a heavy cold soil, in some parts clay, and if left alone it quickly becomes covered with Moss on the surface. In its management I find great assist- ance from the annual digging-in of the leaves, not work proceeded. On the top were pLinterl long only in the easier working of the soil, but in thus ' trailing shoots from the woods of the common preventing the leaves being blown about the lawns English Ivy. The growth was rapid, and now there contiguous to the shrubberies. Therefore the time I is a thick mass of greenery as neat as possible. An spent m digging is more than saved in after I annual clipping of the current year's shoots is all sweepmg. By burying the leaves, the shrubs of i that is required, and certainly nothing as a covering all kinds are invigorated. In my case most of tlie ; could be more effective. — E. M., Swanmorc I'arlt. shrubberies were formed of the soil excavated for house-building. This, as a rule, is not the best material for shrub culture. The common-sense plan of digging among the shrubs should be to lightly scratch over the surface close about the stems of all trees and bury the leaves. Not only are the shrubs benefited by such an addition, but the roots are not .seriously interfered with, the sur- face is more easily worked, the water runs away and does rot lie aboit the plaits all the winter months. — E. M. Fremontia californica — That this shrub is a rare one in gaidens, as stated on page 532, is no doubt greatly owing to two special features in connection with it, the first being the fact that it is by no means an easy subject to propagate, and t'le HARDY SHRUBS CERTIFICATED IN I8<)2. The list of hardy shrubs certificated by the Royal Horticultural Society during 1S!I2 is, exclu.sive of Roses and Tree Pieonies, but a limited one, there being throughout the year less than one for each month, while the majority of the few thus honoured have been in culti- vation for many years, and are now fairly well known. The first to receive recognition at the hands of the floral committee was LiL.ic President Guevy, which was shown on second, its having a way ot dying off suddenly even February 0, the plants being of course forced. The when large and apparently in good health. Not blooms of th's are large and double, while they are borne in very massive clusters. As shown they were in colour almost white, but in the open ground the flowers are more of a bluish lilac tint. This Lilac is one ot the varie- ties raised and distributed by M. Lemoine, of Nancy, who has made the production of double-flowered Lilacs essentially his own for some years. The first of this group was Lemoinei, sent out about a dozen years ago, and awarded a certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1884. Since that time we have had numerous other forms put into commerce from the same source, s > that the list of these double-flowerel Lilacs from Nancy amounts now to a couple of dozen or thereabouts. As the range in colour is by no means great, some of the varieties must considerably resemble each other. Amygdalus Davidiaxa alba. — The plant to which a first-class certificate was awarded under the above name is, I believe, regarded as the typical A. Davidiana, there ■ being another form with rosy-tinted blossoms. A. Davidiaca is a native of China, from whence it was in- troduced several years ago, but it is still very uncommon. It is the earliest of all the Almonds to un- fold its blossoms, for in mild winters some of them will expand before January is past, while the specimens to which the certificate was awarded on March 8 were taken from the open ground. The wood is more slender and the flowers smaller tlian those of the common Almond, but they are borne in great profusion along the shoots of the preceding year, so that a plant in full flower is quite a mass of Baiiibas.i ik-take in the garden at Middlctou Ifall, Carmai't'oeu. Eugraved for The Garden from a photograph sent by Mrs. K. G. Lawrence. only have a few instances of this come under my notice, but other contributors to The Garden have before now noted the same. — T. Ivy edgings and carpetings under trees. -One of the best examples of this work that I bloom. Being so early it will be a very useful have ever seen is at Dove Park, Woolton, near subject for flowering under glass, as simple pro- Liverpool, where underneath tall Lime trees on , tection will be the only thing needed to have it in each side of the carnage drive for fully 200 yards, j ^oom quite as soon as many shrubs that need I should say, Irish Ivy completely covers the sur- | ^^^h ^^^^ forcing. A woodcut of this pretty face, making a mass of greenery, most beautifuL ^ju^ond ^^ j^gn jq ^^^ GARDEN for May 28, dunng the winter when the trees are leafless over- ; law head. The bed on each side is fully 15 feet wide. Mr. Carling told me that the soil in which it is growing is very thin, and not far from the surface EUONTMDS JAPONICUS COMPACTUS. — This IS very different from the commoner forms of the there is a bed of scale overlying what is known as Japanese Euonymus, as it forms a neat compact the Woolton rock or red stone. Quite small plants little bush not much more than 6 inches high, but were put out, many thousands being required. No ! quite upright in growth. The oblong - shaped labour in clearing the leaves is incurred ; all are | leaves are each about three-quarters of an inch in allowed to decay, this considerably assisting the length, of a deep shining green with a narrow growth. We have here a flint-built store wall 3 margin of clear white. It will no doubt be sought feet high that was put together some few years ' after for various decorative purposes, while it since as a retaining wall for some soil. The soil could doubtless be used fcr cr'g'rgs after the man- was packed tightly in amongst the stones as the n^r of Box. THE GARDEN. [January 7, 1893. Rhododendron campylocaepum. — Though perhaps a stretch of imagination to class this with hardy shrnbs, it will stand the winter in so many districts without protection, that it may, I think, be incladed here. It is one of the Sikkim species, introduced into this country about forty years ago, but though not rare, it must still be classed with the more uncommon kinds. It may be reganleJ as one of the medium growing species of this district, the leaves being 3 inches to 4 inches long and about a couple of inches in width, wiih the edges -slightly, but distinctly undulated. The blossoms are bsll-shaped, a couple of inches or so in dia- meter, and arranged in a rather loose terminal head. Their colour is a sulphur-yellow without any spots, a tint quite distinct from that of any other Indian species. Sir Joseph Hooker in his Hima- layan Journals speaks of the sheep feeding on this Rhododendron as well as oa R. Thomsoni. Rhododendron racemosum.— This pretty little Rhododendron from the Yunnan district of China was shown on April 10 by Messrs. Veitch, and at that time, from its very distinct character, it at- tracted a considerable amount of attention. It is of dwarf compact haV>it, flowering freely when less than a foot high. The flowers, which are borne in terminal and axillary clusters, are about an inch in diameter, pale pink, edged with a deeper tint, and slightly fragrant. Should it prove perfectly hardy it will be a very desirable dwarf-growing shrub for the rockwork. A coloured plate of this distinct Rhododendron was given in The Garden Octo- ber 8 last, and accompanying it will be found a mast interesting article on this species and also others from the same region. Wlstaeia sinensis alba. — This white-flowered form of Wistaria has been before the public for many years, but it is seldom planted, and, in fact, but little known. It may be described as a pure white counterpart of the common Wistnria; that as shown by Messrs. Veitch on May 17 well de- served the first-class certificate then awarded it. Azalea Mrs. A. Wateeee.— This is one of the hardy Azaleas with large well-formed flowers of a pure white, blotched in the interior with yellow. Jtisa good illustration of the larger and bolder flowers that are now to be found among the hardy Azaleas, so many of which find a congenial home at Knap Hill, where this particular variety origi- nated. COENUS Kousa. — The specimens of this shown by Messrs. Veitch on June 21 were very attractive, and it will doubtless now be sought after, as it is very distinct from most of our flowering shrubs. It is, I believe, regarded as identical with Benthamia japonica, the genus Benthamia being now merged into that of Cornus. The flowers, which are jellow, are very small, and borne in little clusters, but the showy part of the inflorescence is furnished by four large pure white bracts which subtend,each cluster of blossoms e.xactly as in the flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). The bracts of the Japanese Cornus are, however, more pointed than those of the flowering Dogwood. Whether under the name of Benthamia japonica or of Cornus, it is certainly very little known in this country, tliough more than tvo years since, viz., December 27, ISitO, in hi.* notes from Glen Cove, United States, Mr. Falconer spoke highly of it, with the remark that it is one of the finest shrubs one can have in a garden, and it is far hardier than B. fragifera. Vaeiegated Elder, — An award of merit was on September 20 bestowed upon an Elder whose leaves were very freely blotched and marbled with pure white, while many young leaves and tips of the shoots were almost wholly while. While a place doubtless may often be found for it, this Elder IS one of tho-e very pronounced subjects that are easily overdone in a garden. Hymbnanthera ceassifoli.v. — It is seventeen years since this little shrub was introduced from New Zealand, and it has now been a stock plant in many nurseries for several years. It is a dense growing bush, usually of a flattened hemispherical shape that reaches a he'ght of 2 feet to 3 feet. The leaves are very small, but so thick in texture as to merit the specific na'iie of crassifolia. The most distinctive feature is the berries, which ripen in the autumn, at which time they are white, a tint very seldom found among berried shrubs. The fruits are, however, crowded along the under- sides of the branches, and are consequently not so conspicuous as they would be if borne in a more exposed position. Though a native of New Zea- land, it is much hardier than most shrubs from that region. T. Dimorphanthus mandsohuricus — Unlike some of your correspondents, I admire established specimens of this fine shrub or dwarf tree at all seasons of the year. I refer especially to plants— as to winter aspect— that have acquired sufficient size and age to develop their peculiar branching characteri.'itics, for I should indeed be surprised to find anyone who could perceive beauty in young plants say of three or four years' growth when devoid of foliage, for then they are about as orna- mental as a strong bare flower stake. Even the fantastic arrangement of its bare and rugged branches during winter is interesting and dis. linct from most others, reminding one more of noble stags' horns than anything else I can com- pare them to ; while in the spring the rapid, de- velopment of its noble tropical-like foliage is very pleasing, and as autumn advances its beauties are heightened by the profuseness of its delicate creamy-white blooms, which are in evidence con- currently with the lovely autumnal tints assumed by the enormous leaves, both combined making up a beautiful picture of colour in the landscape. I have no personal experience of its behaviour in heavy cold soils, but here, where the reverse as regards soil is the case, it grows luxuriantly in any position and aspect, and old-established plants pro- duce suckers in thickets, these affording a ready and expeditious mode of increasing the stock. The plants form conspicuous objects both as single specimens in isolated positions and also in clumps of considerable size. It is a shrub I would strongly advise for any position where a tropical effect is desirable.— J. R , Tan-y-bivlch. Shrubberies. — The question as to how to treat shrubberies is a seasonable one to raise just now. Much, however, depends upon the condition of the shrubbery in determining whether the ground shall or shall not be dug. Many old shrubberies, especially where trees overhang, are so crowded, that the soil has become one mass of roots. There is no use whatever in such cases in attempting to dig in the leaves that lie on the surface, and there is no other course but to let them lie and decay in due time, or cover them over with a coating of soil, which, however, cannot always be found. Then there is the plan of annually clearing out all the leaves, carting them away to some out-of-the-way place to dec^y, bringing back in their place the leafage of the preceding year, which, with other refuse, has become thoroughly rotted and is now in admirable condiiion to spread over the surface as a mulch or dressing. Too much is it the case when leaves are removed from borders to allow them to decay and then employ them elsewhere. No wonder in such cases that shrubs in time wear a thin, starved aspect, and once they begin to decay there is no arresting the process without hard cut- ting back and giving the ground a heavy dressing of manure and soil. — A. D. SHOUT NOTES. — TREES AND SHRUBS. Erythrina crista-galli in the open air.— Planted at the toot of a low wall at the south euil of one of Messr.J. ' Veitch's houses at Cbelse;i, T last September saw this growing and flowerine very freely, but not of the height named by "J. F." (p. 5.32). From what I gtithered, the rUnt had occupied its position for some years. — E. M. Choisya ternata in the open air.— In many parts of this country this shrub planted at the foot of a south wall, and in some few places as a bush in the shruhbory, succeeds well. It is as a wall pljnt that it is seen at its best, the warmth of the wall ripeniuR the wood sufficiently. Where the growth is free the plants will flower twice a year. At the present time (De- cember 17) our plants have flowers on them ag well as many in open bud. It is in May, howevfr, that the fullest crop is borne, the plairts being literally a sheet of white.— E. M. This not so tender as many people suppose, for in the open s:round, under similar conditions to the com- mon Laurel, it often suffers less than that dues. Of course, if the Choi.sya has been grown a good while under glass and is then planted out, it is far moro liable to be injured durin? winter than where more fully exposed during its earlier stages. — T. Garden Flora. PLATE 891. BOUGAINVILLE AS. WITH A COLOURED PL.WE OF B. SPECTABILIS.*) There can hardly be two opinions as to the value of Bougainvilleas from a decorative point of view for the ornamentation of our plant houses. This refer.s more particularly perhaps to B. glabra, the culture of which is far more general than in the case of B. spectabilis, which forms the subject of the coloured plate for this week's issue. B. glabra has no doubt won its way to public favour more than its rivals through being better suited to pot culture —at least, its culture is more understood in the majority of gardens. Between the two as far as treatment is concerned I have in my experience noted one remarkable diversity. This is in relation to pruning. B. glabra is easily managed and produces its flowers and bracts in profusion under what may be termed spring pruning, as in the case of an Allamanda. In the ca.se of B. spectabilis the same mode of procedure would mean a loss of bloom to a large extent. This latter variety flowers from the terminals of the shoots of the previous year's growth, hence in cutting these away it can be readily seen that the plant is deprived of its floral lieauty. I have noted that almost as soon as the young shoots start into growth in the spring the flowers show with it and soon develop. What pruning, therefore, is rerjiiired should be seen to immediately the plant i.s out of bloom, so as to ensure a well-ripened growth by the autumn, this latter being carefully pre- served for the next season's flowering. I found this out more by accident than otherwise through the plant from which the flowers were taken that form tlie .accompanying plate beinf passed over one spring entirely as to pruning. I noted afterwards .as it showed for flower that if I had pruned it as I would have done Bou- gainvillea glabra, I should have cut off nearly all the future bloom. This mode of proce- dure by non-pruning in the spring has now been followed for several seasons, and the plant flowers regularly. This, too, it should be noted, whilst under pot culture, and that not under the best of conditions. Just now the plant 13 at rest, retaining a portion of its foli- age, but in a house rather tco cool for it. The temperature of the house now falls to about 36" when the frost is very severe, about midway between that and 40° being taken as the average during the winter at night. If I could add 10° on to the temperature I believe the plant would so thrive as to be a grand sight; every spring, and that in a pot too. From my notes of its requirements I am quite disposed to think that this Bougainvillea has lost ground as compared with B. glabra more through want of suitable treatment than anything else. • Drawn for The Garden in the Garden^, Gun- Tiprsbury House, by Gertrude HamiltMn, .Taue 11,1892. Lithographed and printed by Guillaume Severcyna. o P m > I — I I — I z JAN...7, lS'J3.j I [CriE (jAiruKi The (;aui en tJAN. 7, 1893. TETEIt BARR. Jan. 7, 1893.] THE GARDEN INDEX 3tl COLOURED PLATES. ACACIA DEALBATA AMELANCHIER CANADENSIS ANTHURIUM ATKOSANGUINEUM AZALEA HEXE BIGNONIA SPECIOSA CERCIS SILIQUASTRUM- CHIMONANIHUS FRAGRAN3 CHIONODOXA LUCILLE VAR. GIG.A.NTEA CLERODENDRON K^MPFERI CYPRIPEDIUM ACiULE AND C. PUBESCEN'S CYriSUS ANDREANUS DAPHNE GENKWA DISA VEITCHI ECHIUil CALLITHYRSUil PAOE 9 510 28 118 254 312 50 210 502 .. 33G 188 01 40S 452 ERICA PR0PEND3NS FRITILLARIA AUREA GESNERA CARDINALI5 HIBISCUS HUGELI IRIS HISTRI0IDE3 IXORA WESTI PAPAVER OJIIENXALE RHODODENDRON KEWE>iiE RHODODENDRON MULTICOLOR HYBRIDj RHODODENDRON RACEMOSUM SOLANUM SEAFORTHIANUM VANDA TERES ... ' ... ZYGOPETALU.M CRINlTU.iI PAGE 298 72 232 430 364 49G 5.S4 471 IGl 320 518 27G 140 The GaudunJ [Jan; 7. Ui-.S. -■•^ PETER BARR. Mr. Pkter Baku was bom at Govaii — then a prosperous weaving village on the Clyde — in April, 1S26, but more to his taste than looms or their products were the Tulip beds in his father's garden, and it was their beauty decided his fate. At an early age he was employed in the seed shop of Mr. Jas. Thynne, of Glasgow, eventually taking full charge of the seed dejjartment when but twenty years of age. His neit appointment was with Messrs. Daly, Drysdale and Co., seed merchants, of -Newry, Co. Down, Ireland, where he passed through the terrible famine years of 184-6-47, caused by the general failure of the Potato crop. From Newry he went to Messrs. Richard Smith's nursery at Worcester, then only sixteen acres in extent, and a year or two afterwards he was appointed manager to Messrs. Butler a-id McCulloch, of Covent Garden. After some years of experience in the London seed trade, Mr. Barr started as a seedsman in the autumn of 18G1 under the style and title of " Barr and Sugden." During the last twenty years or sj Mr. Barr has devoted much attention to garden plants as well as seeds, beginning with the Daffodils, and studying also othsr groups, such as the Scillas, Lilies, Hellebores, Funkias, while more recently he has paid much attention to the beautiful genus Peeonia in all its forms and variations. Mr. Peter Barr is best known for his labours in collecting and popularising the Narcissi and the DaToJils. These once much-appreciated spring flowers, like others, however, had been thrown aside or neglected during the artificial epoch of flower gardening known as " bedding out," and it is to Mr. Barr that we are in the main indebted for again collecting and exhibiting them in London and elsewhere, and so obtaining for them that attention and culture which to-day they receive. An impetus was given to his labours in this direction by a correspondence with the late Mr. Leeds, of Longford Bridge, near Manchester, who had raised hybrids and seedlings of these flowers, which, as shown at South Kensington, had been much admired, although at that time there was little or no sale for them. This correspondence continued until near the close of Mr. Leeds' life, when it was rumoured that " if his Narcissi were not sold before his death, he had directed in his will that all should be destroyed ! " This was so alarnung, that Mr. Barr consulted the Rev. John Nelson and other friends, azd the result was a syndicate which purchased Mr. Leeds' stock. While cleaning and selecting these varieties at his old bulb grounds at Garrett Lane, Lower Tooting, Mr. Barr accidentally heard that Mr. Milner, of Sheffield, had a stock of these bulbs, and he went to Sheffield to see them, and found that they had been raised as seedlings by Mr. Milner's brother-in- law, Mr. W. Backhouse, of St. John's, Wolsingham, Durham, who had sent consignments of new seedlings to Mr. Milner from time to time. Mr. Milner's stock was divided between Mr. Jiarr and his friend, the Rev. John Nelson, and so the Backhouse seedlings came into far more prominent notice than they had before attained. Not only did Mr. Barr collect all the old species and varieties of Dafi'odiis from all sources, but he also, at much trouble and no little cost, selected and named the seedlings raised by the amateurs above named, and more recently he has dealt with those of other raisers, such as Rawson, De Graaff, and Herr Max Leichtlin. Ho has, moreover, made two or three special journeys to Spain, Portugal, and the Maritime Alps in quest of wild Narcissi. The extensive collection of Daffodils and Narcissi (seven or eight acres) to be seen in bloom at Mr Barr's new bulb grounds at Long Dittcjn, Surrey, during April is a very interesting one. Januai.y 7, 1893.] THE GARDEN. Given a inoper temperature and a light, airy house, I tiriuly believe it would vie with that better-known species under pot culture, to say nothing of the gorgeous eli'ect produced by a plant that is growing in a well - prepared border. If I am not greatly mistaken, it was B. spec- tabilis which used to be (and may be now for aught I know) sudi a splendid sight every spring at Swanscombe House Gardens, Henley- on-Tliames, then under the care of Mr. Daniells. Since tlien, though now some years back, I have seen it thriving well at The Denbies, Dorking, in a lofty glass structure between lower houses. I should think this plant was difficult to get at, hence probably its growth would not be much restricted ; but at any rate it used to flower well. Perhips Mr. Beesley, who succeeded Mr. Drewitt in the charge of the gardens there, can inform us on this point. I note also tliat Mr. Herbert J. Veitch in his travels was attracted by the display of Bougainvilleas which he saw in the Government gardens at S.iharunpur (I'iile G'irileners' Chrauicle for July 2, 1802, pp. 11 and 12). He thus writes of Bougainvilleas : " Mr. Gallon has three distinct varieties of Bougaiuvillea, B. glabra and two of speciosa, one of which lie calls spectabilis. The true B. speciosa with the dark flowers and h:iiry foliage generally flowers in March, whilst the one Mr. G:illou calls B. spectabilis flowers from September to May, being at its best in February." Which of these two (B. spectabilis and B. speciosa) as there cultivated is that known as B. spectabilis in English gardens I am not able to state. There is, I think, some confusion in the nomenclature. I remember som? years ago one called Bou- gaiuvillea lateritia. This was then stated to have thedaikest flowers ((.e, bracts) of any. Ingrowth it was similar to li. spectabilis, but I did not see it in flower. This may p issibly be the B. speciosa of Mr. Herbert Veitch's notes. I have (in common, no doubt, with others) observed a great difl'ereuce in the colour of the bracts of B. glabra as grown and shown. This is not be- cause there are inferior varieties, but through too much shade having been given to the plants. By exposing them freely to the sun, and that not in either a too warm or a too moist stove, the colours will be greatly intensitied. B. spectabQis flowers usually before much shade is required ; hence the remark thereon does not apply in this case. B. glabra may be regulated to flower almost to a nicety by stopping the shoots and forcing a simultaneous break about twelve weeks prior to any given time in the summer. As to soils, thoroughly good peat and turfy loam will be the best for a plant growing in a bed ; whilst if in a pot, leaf sod may very well take the place of peat. In any case, plenty of wa^er is required whilst the growth is active, but much less during the winter, when B. spec- tabilis of the two should have the soil kept the moister, because of its extra amount of shoots for the next year. J. Hudson. tlie deepest bring up to the surface and scatter over the land by their fall of leaves, sulistauces benefi- cial to other trees wliose roots do not de.-^cend deeply enough to re.noh them. These substances have also a bene(ici:d effect upon the herbage which springs up after the land is either ]iartially or en- tirely cleared of timber. Though little or nothing will grow uniier the shade of a dense A«h, yet after the clearance of the timber the land is un- doubtedly improved, and where a crop of Oaks has been matured, the land is found to be considerably benelited liy the saline matter obtained from their leaves, wliich amounts to about 5 per cent, of their whole weight. After a plantation of Larch has been thinned out sulHciently to allow grass to cover the ground, such herbage far surpasses both in quantity and quality what the land previou.sly pro- duced.— A. Flower Garden. Mixed planting of forest trees. — The practices of planting indiscriminately all kinds of forest trees and distributing them throughout the plantations with the regularity of the patterns upon a wall paper are at once opposed to science and to correct taste. Few foresters can boast of soils adapted to the growth of any great number of species in the same enclosure, and the recur- rence of the same forms and tints in spring, sum- mer and autumn at regular intervals throughout the woodlands entirely riestroys the spirit of plant- ing. It may often be advisable to mi.? up the deep and shallow-rooting trees, so that the soil may be well occupied from its surface downwards. Be- sides, some of those trees whose roots penetrate NOTES OX P.E0NIE3. P.EONIES are most impatient of removal at any time, and for this reason alone they should be planteil if possible in autumn. The chief points in their culture are a deep and very rich soil. Under no circumstances should the plants be surrounded with crude manure, but, instead, di^ in as much as you like at 1 foot to 2 feet deep, so as to enrich the soil by the time the large fleshy roots are ready to descend to and receive it, which they quickly will if good healthy plants are secured to make a start with. Medium-sized plants, with two or three good crown buds to each and plenty of fresh young root^, are to be pre- ferred to much older plint-: wliere the large trunk of the root-stock has become much cankered. If any such are received, I recommend the shortening of such large trunk-roots considerably, as well as removing any cankered [arts that may be visible. In the planting of any such cankered roots and in certain soils with ci rtain kinds, canker will of a surety be present in a greater or less degree ; it will be of help to the future progress of the plants if a niche be cut around the trunk or main root at about 2 inches or 3 inches below the base of the crown-bud^. This will luasten the formation of fresh roots from the latter and materially assist in the .speedy building up of anew and more vigorous growth than could possibly ensue where the old and cankered pieces remiiin. Another good way, if the plants are large enough to admit it. is to cut the large trunk-root in two longitudinally, this, with shortening of the trunk, bain^ also arl- vantageous to the futirre plant. In planting let there be no fear of burying the crown buds, as these when left have a tendency upward, and as roots are freely produced from the ba^e of the buds, there is a danger of these roots becnming parched and destroyed in dry weather. Where attention is given to these seemingly insignificant details at planting time it saves any after disturb- ance, which, as I have said above, the plants are most impatient of. Fiequently I have seen it re- commended that herbaceous Paeonies should be planted in the spring months, just as they a-e sending up their fresh young stems for the season. To plant these things at such a time is a very great mistake ; in fact, no worse possible time could be chosen, for, if nothing more, the young growths are subjected to great ri>k in transit and are frequently entirely lost. Therefore, to all who wish to have success in growing these Paeonies I say do not plant in spring and do not wait for the appearance of new growth. Such signs as these are all well enough for the many plants that are continually emitting numerous roots throughout the season, but it is another question altogether for such subjects as only make one or two sets of roots in each year, and that with unvarying regu- larity. In all these latter instances the aim of the planter should be to snatch the moment between these two sets of roots and get the plants into their places. Lobs of tap root will then be small, while the small fibres .should still have to come. Had I to choose any special time in the whole year, I should unhesitatingly — and for I'iconies in pnrti- cnlar— select from the end of September onwards to the end of the year. October, however, is decidedly to be preferred to December, because the land is generally more workable in the former month. E. J. II. CHRISTMAS ROSES. The planting of these .should always be done prior to the pushing forth of new foliage. I am, however, aware that in some gardens where espe- cial attention is accorded these plants they are successfully planted in the spiing months as well as at other seasons. In all ordinary instances and where no especial home is provif Raspberry canes may take the place of some of the bushes or they may be planted 15 inches apart in rows in the place of Gooseberries or Currants. I. M. H. Canker in Apple trees. — Canker in Apple trees is. I think, vciy much aggravated by the con- ci ions of the foil and the manner in which the trees are managed. Some varieties are much more liable to canker than others. It is idle to say that all sorts of Apples will grow in any soil, no matter how favourable the situation may be as regards the climate, shelter, i:c. I have here many in- stances of this. Ribston Pippin as a standard. Scarlet Pearmain as a bush, and Gloria Mundi grown in the same w,ay exemplify this too well. The first has been planted fourteen years, and dur- ing that lime the tree has been replanted at least three times in various kinds of soil ; the stem is thicker, of course, but the head does not cover a bit more space now than it did when first planted. Growth has been marie .at times freely, owing to the change of s il, but the succeeding winter has laid the found.ation of canker, which was fully developed the next season. Many examples might also be quoted of trees that showed decide 1 signs of canker at one time, as the result not of deep planting, but of a system of too close cropping. The constant adding to the soil of manure and other materials raised the soil .about the trees so much that the roots were deeply buried, canker in the branches quickly following. The spread of this was checked directly the trees were lifted, their roots brought nearer to the surf .ace, and instead of the ground between the trees being cropped with vegetables, it was laid down to gras.s. Soil that is heavy, therefore retentive of moisture and conse- quently cold during wioter and spring, is condu- cive to canker in some sorts of Apple trees, par- ticularly if the roots are deep and away from the influence of the sun. Shoots that are not ripened owing to the causes above named are almost cer- tain to be affected with canker. With such a large number of varieties, it is possible to make a selec- tion suitable for any soil, but the difficulty is to know the offending sorts when making the selec- tion.— E. Protecting Fig trees on walls.— In the most sheltered parts of the country the coverii:g of Fig trees en walls may not be necessary, but to ensure a good crop it is essential to protect the trees in many districts. I find Bracken well p.acked among the branches an excellent protection. Of course it is necessary to unnail the leading or scattered branches, bring them closer home, and then cover with the Bracken. I prefer B;tf mine on a plant that bad made two shoots ,,mt 5 feet long^ Ihe second year after planting, as soon as the flowers had faded, the shoots were cut down to within 1 foot of the stem cr old wood, but the result, as I anticipated, was not satisfactory. Iresh growth was i^ade by the cut-back shoots but it was so late in the summer before the plant could be cut down, that there was only time enough for it to make growth about 2 feet long before the cold weather set in and checked its further pro- gress The behaviour of this Rose under glass is pretty generally understood. I refer to it now for the purpose ot saying that in the year 1887 I placed four plants in the inside border of a span- roofed greenhouse. Two of them were on their own roots obtained from cuttings taken from an exceedingly vigorous plant. One of the others was budde'd on the seedling E.ier stock, and the other on the Manetti. Both of the last-mentioned plants are already attacked with canker. One of the own-root plants has made excellent growth from the first, with no signs of canker at the pre- sent time. The other plant which is on its own roots has not made any growth more than o feet long although quite free from canker. This ex- perfence appears to point to the fact that own-root plants are not so subject to canker as those on any other stock. I should like to record ''bat I be- lieve to be a departure in furmshirg a house w h the growth of this Rose without revolting to put- ting in fresh plants. Anticipating two Y^ars «go that my plants would ultimately succumb to an attack of canker, I brought a long^^l>.o°t down from the loof on to the border, and buried a por- tion of it in the soil about 4 inches deep^ In three or four months the part buried in the sou 16 THE GARDEN. [Jakuaby 14, 1893. had sent out roots, and at the present time they are sufflGiently numerous to sustain the growth which it has since made, and which is very much stronger than other parts of the plant. Last spring when I cut down the growth of the other plants I cut back the layered shoot as well. Since then it has made four vigorous shoots, some of them more than 20 feet long, so that it is evident, from the condition of the growth on the other part of the same plant, that the layered shoot derives the greater part of its support from its own roots, and that it is capable of a separate existence if it were severed from the old plant. J. C. Claeke. OWN-ROOT ROSES IN QUANT iTY. Probably one of the most primitive methods of obtaining these was the best. Just before the fall of the major portion of the leaves, viz , to- wards the middle or end of October, take off and insert the cuttings. It was a moot point at onetime whether these two operations should proceed abreast. Some contended that they should, others that Rose cuttings rooted best with a rest between tlie removal of the cuttings from the parent plants and their insertion in their new rooting quarters. A .slight welting, they contended, favoured surer and speedier rooting. The reason for this contention could never be said to have been made plain, and the practice of securing this interregnum between the mak- ing and rooting of Rose or other cutting.- has fallen into disuse. In practice, however, it mostly occurs, and is at times of consider- able duration. For example, in not a few gardens of late, owing to the long- continued frost, many Rose or other cuttings have proba- bly been made as a matter of convenience and to forward work as much as possible when the thaw comes, and unless the cuttings are left too long out of the ground or allowed to become too dry, they seem little or none the worse for the delay. There are few more simple and surer methods of rooting Rose cuttings in quantity than their insertion in October or November. At that season it is hardly an exaggeration to affirm that every fairly ripened Rose shoot with two buds may be converted into a good Rose bush. Some enthusiasts would dispense with the second eye and say every Rose bud is already a rudimentary plant. Hut with the coldness and uncertainty of our climate, and the little heat of the earth from October to April, I would not counsel the budding our Roses in the soil during these cold moliths. For greater safety, as well as multiplying our chances of success as far as may be without undue waste of the raw material of our future Roses, it is desirable to multiply the number of buds on our Rose cuttings to six or more instead of reducing them to two or one. This would leave two or more good buds under and as many above ground. The base buds should be looked to to give us our normal roots. Any other buried buds, looked upon as reserve forces, may hi left intact until we see how the base buds have rooted. There is no evil, but, may be, great good as well as perfect safety in this course, as each sucker on own-root Roses is also a Rose of equal value to any other portion. Any of the latest de- veloped suckers of today may prove the head and crown of the Rose to morrow. Cuttings of Tea or other Roses from 0 inches to 9 in1:hes long are very handy for rooting freely and furnishing beds and bordeis afterwards. There may be modes of rooting sach under various methods of sheltering and warmth, but few yield better results tnau tl e tirst and the .simplest of them all. Trim the cuttings straight across under a bud with a clean cut, and either leave the bud intact or rub or cut it off". It is really of little moment. Either way the cutting, if firmly inserted in sandy soil to a depth of 3 inches or more, will probably grow. Should the base buds be removed, roots wiU be formed under or around it, and a Rose bush in embryo be the first product. Should the base bud be left intact, roots and a strong root bud will probably be produced simultaneously. And should the latter grow very vigorously, as it mostly does, so soon as the cutting is well rooted, the shortest cut towards a strong Rose bush in the least time often lies in cutting away the whole head of the cutting, with the excep- tion of the one root sucker. The cuttings can hardly be inserted too firmly. In rows from 1.5 inches to 18 inches apart, and 3 inches to G inches between the cuttings are convenient distances. Light sandy soil with a liberal dash of leaf-mould is perhaps the most favourable to the free rooting of Rose cuttings. After insertion and treading home, a mulch of at least 2 inches of cocoa fibre refuse is the best protection against frost. Tea Rose cuttings in addition .should have a screen of litter or Fern fronds as high as their tops. D. T. Fish. NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY. NOETnEEN AND SOUTHER}} EXHIBITORS. I HAVE carefully read Mr. Machin's article (p. 1) in your issue of the 7th inst. I cannot say it has altered any opinions which I held when writing the article which appeared in your issue of December 10. I must premise my remarks by saying that Mr. Mfichin is incorrect in stating that the northern growers and members represent 30 per cent, of the National Rose Society's roll of subscribers ; they stand at about or under 20 per cent. I took the number carefully from the list for 1892, which gave the names of some 500 members, and those of the northern subscribers came to about 90; the western subscribers, including such celebrated names as Cooling, Budd, Hill Gray, Burnside, and Baker (of Exeter), came to about 50 members, and the southerners to some 370. The subscribers to the society now figure up to over 530, and a good many names are not on our printed roll for 1892 ; about twelve of the.'e new members I know to be southerners, and I should say the figures of the members are now approximately: — Southern ... 400 Northern ... PO ^Veste^a ... jO say 75 per cent. J, "^ ,1 About ... 540 the percentage being very different to Mr. Ma- chin's expectations. I do not quite follow Mr. Machin's reasoning in speaking of his diflicullies in Rose culture for ex- hibition when he says, '■ I have only.budded a few of the early varieties (plenty of each), because I find the later varieties do not come into bloom on maidens till nearly all the chief shows are over." If by early varieties Mr. Machin means those which come into flower earliest of all (such as Viscoun- tess Folkestone, Margaret Dickson, Rubens, Edith Gifford, and others), then I should have thought it would be an advantage and assistance to him to bud very many of such varieties in order to show in the 48 class at the XJrystal Palace on the 1st (not the 2nd) July this year. Mr. Machin should not, in discussing the facilities and advantages offered to exhibitors by the National Rose Society, omit to mention the Rose meeting held in the north, which this year, in deference I believe to his wishes and invitation, is to be held in his own district and town of Work- sop. The northern or provincial meeting in 1893 will be held on July 13. I cannot tell whether Mr. MacMn was consulted about the dale, but I think it is more than probable he was ; consequently the date must have been considerfd to suit the sur- rounding Rose districts. If it be too early for northern growers, I should say it is not now too late to get the date altered to the following week. We who have Rose gardens or grow Roses in the south would not dream of giving an opinion on the proper date for the provincial show which is specially intended for our northern member>-, and as we of the south seldom can exhibit in good form after the first week in July, few of us ever attempt it. I cannot understand why the northern growers are blind to the fact that it is quite possible (we know it is a matter of certainty) that the Rose grower who exhibits from southern gardens (especially those who grow on light soil) cannot show to advantage after the early days of July. A writer in one of your contemporaries recently sta' ed that he, a grower of Roses in Essex on heavy land, could not understand the ephemeral Rose season of other southern growers; that he was able from heavy land to show and gain first prizes on June 20, to con- tinue to exhibit till and including the month of Au- gust, finishing up then with four first prizes! Yet this gentleman, who is in agreement with Mr. Machin, and shows by his own lasting power as an ex'd- bitor that dates are of no real importance to him, wishes to deprive the majority of our society of the metropolitan date which best suits them. Some months ago I analysed from the official return the results of the winning exhibits at the Crystal Palace in 1892, and found that the follow- ing counties were represented as winners on Ihe 2nd of July : Berkshire, Essex, Hereford, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Norfolk, Nottingham, North- ampton, Oxford, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, in all sixteen coun- ties. It will be noted that Hampshire, Devon- shire, Cornwall and Dorset are not mentioned. These, being the most southern counties, were in all probability then (on the 2nd of July) over their best Rose period and unable to exhibit. Twenty counties are thus accounted for. All that re- mained, then, were ten counties, and I have no doubt that some of these were represented by exhibitors, who, however, were not prize-winners. Surely prize-winning exhibitors from sixteen counties in England, the four most southerly being unrepresented, must be said to be a National representation of Rose growing ! I cannot see that the N.R.S. northern members have any fair ground for complaint against our executive, as — (1) They are in a very decided minority, and the southern members are undoubtedly entitled to a date which suits them. (2) The northernera have a provincial show speci- ally arranged for thera, and with good prizes given to them by the N.R.S. (3) The northern members have done nothing for our society which entitles them to more consideration than the metropolitan members. (4) They have shown no reason whatever that tV.ey should have two Rose exhibitions at dates to suit them alone, to the destruction or even possibility of damage to the southern growers' chances of exhibiting in their proper form. Croydon. CliAS. J. Gbahamb. The small-leaved Mock Orange (Phila- delphus microphyllus) we noted in several gar- dens last year, and as this is the planting season, we refer to it again as a shrub that should be planted with moderate freedom, being less unruly m growth than the other kinds. It is very dwarf, and a good way is to plant it on the outskirts of Ihe lawn, its llowerdaden branches touching the turf and scenting the air for many yards around. The leaves are not unlike those of the Myrtle, but smaller, and are a delightful set- off to the white flowers. It is an introduction from Mexico and is fairly hardy, but not so in the more northern dis- tricts of England ; at least, we have had com- plaints that it is too tender for complete exposure. But in all more southern districts it is quite at home, and must be kept from (hose things that are of stronger growth. Such a sweet little shrub quickly becomes over-shadowed by more robust neighbours, and it would have a sorry lime in a garden shrubbery. January U, 1893.] THE GARDEN 17 Orchard and Fruit Garden. PEAR MAJIIE LOUISE. TiiF.RK are few, if any, better-known Pears than INIarie Louise, and certainly none more generally popular. Raised in 1800 by the Abbe Duquesne and named after the consort of Napoleon, it reached this country in a com- paratively short space of time, or, according to our authorities, in 1810. From the tirst it was found to succeed well as a standard, and its merits soon became widelj' recognised, as the and mcsfc profitably clothes a high wall that forms one of the sides to a structure supporting a large reservior. The locality is by no mean.s favourable to hardy fruit culture, being on a dead level with the river Derwent, and fre- quently flooded accordingly. As far as my ex- perience goes, this excellent Pear does not require a very warm site, some of the best crop- ping trees I have had anything to do with being against a wall facing due north. In the gardens here there are trees trained against walls with south-east, south-west and north-east aspects, and although all are in good health and as pro- ductive as tho.se of most other varieties, it r Mciric Louise Pear tree in bloom. many fine trees to be seen forty years ago bore witness to this. It is one of the least fastidious varieties as to climate, and may be found and is recommended to be grown in the more northern districts, as well as in the midlands and the presumablj' more favoured southern counties. Wall trees, however, are most often met with, and under liberal treatment remarkably fine ones can be had, Jlarie Louise thriving par- ticularly well and cropping very heavily and consistently when allowed plenty of head room. If corroboration of the latter assertion is needed, one has only to pay a visit to the gar- dens at Elvaston Castle, near Derby, to see the grand tree of Marie Louise that so eftectually is from the coldest site I most frequently gather the best crops. From the cooler aspects the fruit is also of good size, clear-skinned and very superior in point of quality. Those, therefore, who are in doubt as to what to plant either against cold walls and also any of great height, say up to 20 feet high, ought not to hesitate about giving Pear Marie Louise a place. So good a variety ought also to be included in quite limited collections of either bush, pyra- mid, or standard trees. It is the freely or naturally grown pyramids and standards that give the best results, and I need hardly add that the latter should be on the Pear stock. On poor soils the growtli is scarcely vigorous cnciugh, a fairly strong loam best siiiting the variety. Unless this can bo given, the trees are apt to become stunted and tlower far too freely to be productive, there being such a thing as having too much blossom. Last season the trees generally flowered most abundantly, but the flowers being stronger than usual there were fewer failures to set owing to any inherent weakness, though severe frosts worked sad havoc among the trees. In the case of the tree figured there are no apparent signs of want of vigour, yet the blossom was most abundantly produced, the tree when photographed present- ing a most beautiful sight, and that, too, in spite of the comparative smallness of the flowers of this variety. When trees are in the happy condition shown in the engraving, something is necessary in most cases to be done towards sustaining their vigour. Where good loam is available, it pays well to add one half hundred- weight of half-inch bones to every heaped up cartload of it, and to place this in a trench well within reach of the roots. Especially are such additions to the border ncce.ssary where it is desirable that the trees should continue to grow strongly without their productiveness being im- paired. The next best thing is to bare the sur- face roots, returning the soil on to the top of a good dressing of solid manure. There are various other manurial dressings that might be substituted, but I have most faith in manure obtained from mixed farmyards. Not unfrc- quently the best flavoured fruit, if somewhat scrubby in appearance compared with that ob- tained from wall trees, is obtained from pyra- mids, standards, and espalier-trained trees, but this would be less often the case if the foimer were kept better attended to at the roots. Marie Louise keeps better than most varieties after it is rijje, the natural season extending from the middle of October to the second or third week in November. This can be im- proved upon or lengthened considerably by gathering the fruit at different or say at fort- nightly intervals, ripening that first picked in heat, and keeping some on the trees as long as they will hang. Marie Louise d'Uccle is quite distinct from the variety under notice, and though more productive is inferior in point of quality. W. Liia-LiiKN. The Blenheim' Apple. — This seems to take on a finer colour in Beikshire than in Kent. Some handsome specimens have been sent us by Mr. Hewett, of Shiplake Court Farm, which siirpiisrd us by their beauty of colour and fine quality. It is certainly a remarkable Apple for the autumn. Nothing comes quite so good from abroad for cooking in its season, and it is also a first-rate eating Apple when fresh. Our ways of keeping fruit, however, do not suit it, and it would be interesting to find out whether we could not keep the Blenheim longer fresh by puttirg it in cool, dark cellars, where the temperature is always very low and never varied, and the fruit not looked at and turned over in the old way, but simply packed in barrels and boxes from the trees, and left In the dark and cold till wanted. The Pear tree psylla.— Bulletin 44 of the Cornell University Experiment Station is devoted to the Pear tree psylla, which suddenly appeared early in 1891 in m.any widely separated portions of New York and the neighbouring ,States, and de- stroyed thousands of dollars' worth of fruit and many valuable trees. It was not a new pest here, having been imported probably as long ago as 1S;S2 from Europe. No doubt it has been slowly increasing in numbers until, under favourable opportunities, it all at once worked immense damage. This year the insect did little injuty in the orchards which it devastated last yerr, but it IcS THE GARDEN. [January U 1893. is an enemy aofainst whose attacks Pear growers ninst ever be on the alert. They should examine their orchards just when the leaves are expanding, and if the nymphs are numerous, the trees should be sprayed at once with the kerosene emulsion. A second and third spraying will be profitable if the attack is serious, especially if but little rain falls to wash off the honeydew. The destruction of the nymphs is practicable during a period of about two weeks in the middle of May, and a thorough spr.iying then will so discourage them, that little attention will be needed later in the season. Most of the damage is done before the middle of June, but spraying after this date will decrease the number of insects from which the hibernating forms are produced, and the orcliard may be saved from a severe attack the following year. Pear Marie Louise d'Ucele.— I oaunot agree TOitli J. C. Clarke's remarks on p. 54G regarding this Pear. It is a very fiue-looking l^ear, large, smooth, of beautiful colour, but quite worthless for dessert, and not one of the best for stewing, being too soft, there- fore aut to boil to a pulp if not looked after sharply. — T. Arnold. PEACHES FOR PROFIT. It is quite evident that if the markets are likely to be glutted with Grapes, such at present is not the case as regards Peaches and Nectarines, as these command as good prices as ever they did. Peaches and Nectarines are quickly spoiled, so if they should not be in the best condition when sent of!', either too ripe for safe carriage or not fit to keep for twelve or twenty-four hours after they reach the salesman's hands, they are best not sent at all. Peaches also show the ill effects of bad packing as soon as any fruit, and this, probably, is the reason why disappointment has been experi- enced by those people who may not have had such favourable returns as they expected. Of course gluts will occur with Peaches like other fruits, but I never yet had cause to complain of salesmen's returns during the months Peiches were in season, and if they were good they invariably fetched high prices. As far as I can learn, Peaches are not sent into the maikets in such quantities as for- merly, the reason probably being the disappoint- ment experienced with the returns. Taking one seison with another, I market about a hundred dozen both from under glass and from open walls. The most profitable will be found in the ear- liest and the latest, extra early varieties realising fancy prices. Fine examples of midseason fruits will also fetch a good price. It must not be thought from the remarks above made that Peach growing can be taken up with a cer- tainty of being made a paying investment. If carried out judiciously and on economic principles, and where the soil is naturally adapted for the re- quirements of the Peach, Peach growing will pay as well as any other class of fruit grown under glass. It would be an expensive proceeding for a grower for market to have to excavate and make expensive borders ; therefore, caution is needed that any structures that it is contemplated to erect are on a suitable site. We often hear of the enormous crops of Grapes growers for market are enabled to secure, and this without the aid of expensive borders, but I never yet met with an in- stance where the soil was not naturally adapted for the Vines. It is just the same with the Peach ; it this is to succeed well with a minimum of trouble at the start, the soil must be in good con- dition. I have good reason to be satisfied wiih the prices open-air Peaches realise, but for this purpose the grower would not have to rely upon enrly fruits, as at the time these became ripe there w ndd be plenty of good midseason Peaches from under glass, and vfith which outside fruits could not compete. I have often surprised people with the prices I have secured for good open-air Peaches. Even last season good fruits of Dymond, Sea Eagle, and Walburton Admirable fetched from 10s. to 1.5s. per dozen. Crimson Ga- lande and ISellegarde also sold well, the quality as well as colour being all that could be desired in a market Peach. For a market Peach there must be both size and colour, poorly coloured fruit even of fair size fniling to secure the best prices. In se- lecting the fruits I always find it pays best to well grade the fruit, even if lihere should be three sizes. The very finest will invariably secure a high price. Many men can grow Peaches to perfection, but they fail in putting them on the market in the best possible condition. Y. A. H. PEAR DOYENNE DU COMICE. To THE Editor op The Garden. Sir, — The Pear Doyenne du Comice is a valuable kind when grafted on the Quince, as then it is pro- ductive and bears '-best Pears" abundantly enough, but when grafted on the Pear stock, as our dry soils require that it should be, it is too long to wait until it comes into bearing, and then the yield is too scanty. However, I have never re- pudiated this variety as worthless. On the con- trary, have I not highly recommended it in my " Traite de culture fruitiere et commerciale," in which I have mentioned instances of good crops having been gathered from it ? At the present time we have another variety named Doyenne du Cornice Pamche, equal to the type in its fine habit of growth, and with fruit of the same size, but handsomer in colour, being of a ro.sy tint streaked with yellow and green. I need hardly add that its flavour is at least as fine and distinct as that of the type, as this is a constant feature in variegated varieties of fruit. At all events, the tree is more productive — a considera- tion which no one should lose sight of. This season I am sending out a variety of Pear named Directeur Hardy, a very vigorous-growing and pjroductive kind, bearing large-sized fruit of the same quality as the Doyenni? du Comice. This variety, which was raised as a seedling from Louise Bonne d'Avranches, well deserves the attention of those who are planting fruit trees. — Charles Baltet, Troyes. I was rather surprised that the above splendid Pear should have been looked over by Mons. C. Baltet. If I were limited to two Pears it most certainly would be Doyenne du Comice and Marie Louise. I have mentioned two because to me the two mentioned are insepar- able. If I were still furtlier limited to one, then I should be puzzled, for granting that Marie Louise is the surer cropper of the two, then I cer- tainly think the balance is brought up by Doyenne being the richer in flavour. Is it not remarkable that this excellent Pear is not grown more gsner- ally, for such is the case so far as this neighbour- hood is concerned at least ! It makes one of the finest pyramids, and, more than this, its fruit is gener- ally smooth and free from fungus, which cannot be said of the majority of our choice Pears when grown as pyramids or bushes. Its fruits are larger and perhaps better coloured when grown against a south or west wall. The good old Williams' Bon Chretien bears sjilendid crops of passable Pears on standards, pyramids, or bushes, but they are not to l)e connpared with those from a tree on a west wall. " I." rather favours the Quince as a stock for the Doyencfi, but although it is a good grower, it is by no means a rampant one. One thing should be borce in mind: it is a most profuse bud-former, and perhaps a judicious thinning of these might be done with advantage. All things considered, I think the Pear stock is the best for this Pear. — T. Arnold. Plum Coe's Golden Drop. — Too much can- not be said of the fine late Plums commended by " Dorset," page 478, la=t vol. I quite agree with him that Coe's Golden Drop is the very best Plum, early or late, in existence, and marvel much that our hybridists have not made more use of it. This is the more marvellous, as this fine Plum is some- where about a hundred years old, and we have little or no proof of its potency in the form or flavour of any modern Plum. This fine Plum and another (Coe's Late Red), also commended by " Dorset," were probably raised by Mr. Coe, of Bury St. Elmunds, on a small piece of ground a few yards square. The Golden Drop was supposed to be a hybrid between the Egg Plum or Magnum Bonum and the Green Gage, as they grew side by side in Mr. Coe's garden. If so, it retains most of the size and colour of the White Magnum Bonum packed full of the most luscious flavour of the Green Gage. It is. as " Dorset " states, invaluable as a late dessert Plum in orchard houses. It is equally or more useful hung up by the stalk when ripe in a dry room. Being a clingstone, it bears this treatment admirably, and I have often pre- served it thus till March or April. Dr. Lindley declared that he had eaten a year after gathering Golden Drop Plums that liad been wrapped in tissue or soft i^aper and kept in a dry place. — D. T. F. Peaches in New England.— After Iiis ad- dress on orchard fruits, delivered before the Massa- chusetts State Board of Agriculture a fortnight ago, Mr. J. H. Hale, who is perhaps the most suc- cessful grower of Peaches in New England, replied to a number of questions from his auditors. The off-hand answers were quite as good as the ad- ilress, and we add a few of them. Peaches should be fed with chemical fertilisers only. We apply every year all we can afford, that is, about 1200 lbs. of bones and from 400 to SOO lbs. of muriate of potash to the acre. Sulpliate of potash gives the best colour to Peaches, but cotton hull ashes is perhaps a better form of potash. Yellow- fleshed Peaches have more tender fruit-buds than other kinds. We shorten in the new wool from one- third to one-half in the spring when the fruit-buds begin to swell. We can get a good Peach crop with 90 per cent, of the buds winter-killed. After the fruit is set for a full crop we thin until there are no two Peaches within from 4 inches to I! inches of each other. This is a costly treatment, but it pays. The extras sell for six times as much per Peach as the seconds do, and they do not exhaust the tree as much. The finest fruit this year came from fourteen-year-old trees. An elevated plain is not as good for a Peach orchard as a hill-side with a sharp decline. The fruit should be fully mature. Out not mellow, when it is picked. Fruit keeping well.— I, like Mr. Groom, consider that Apples are keeping wonderfully well this season, in spite of the many complaints heard to the contrary. A great mistake is made in gather- ing the fruit too early. The weather here was sufficiently mild to admit of many sorts remaining on the trees unusually late, although a few degrees of frost do not impair the keeping quality of most sorts. Several varieties here, notably Cox's Orange Pippin, Alfriston and Mere de Menage, were sub- jected to ()° of frost while hanging on the trees. The two latter are at the present time as plump as possible. These were not gathered until October 2t. Waltham Abbey Seedling, Yorkshire Green- ing and Chatley's Kernel were allowed to hang on the trees after the leaves had fallen. Especially plump is the fruit of the first-named, considering that it is not a long keeper. In Apples, the same as in all other fruit, the worst matured and grown decay first, showing that they are not perfectly ripened. The premature decay cf such fruit should emphasise more strongly the necessiiy of a better state of cultivation. Where the trees are of a size n t too large for lifting, if there is a sus- picion of the roots being too deep or in soil not congenial to their welfare, the best plan would be to replant them, bringing the roots nearer the sur- face. It is surprising what a change in the de- velopment of the fruit and the colour of the leaves quickly takes place where the roots are laid in dif- ferent soil to that naturally employed, and which has not proved congenial to the welfare of the trees. Nothing is better for workirg a change quickly than decayed vegetable refuse, wood ashes, decayed leaves and refuse potting soil. Another point that ought not to be lost sight of is that cf planting such trees on the surface and raising around them a slight mound, which in time gradu- ally sinks down to the natural level. — E. M. Jasminum nudiflorum has been the subject of several notes in The Garden recently, and its .Tanuahy It, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 10 beauty when associated with Ivy pointed out. Before the present severe frost set in we saw in a suburban garden a wall of considerable length covered from base to the summit with the yellow flowers, making a sheet of colour— a charming winter picture. This Jasmine is very common, and, unfortunately, sometimes treated anyhow, but it pays for attention, as in the case above mentioned. Ferns. BLACK MAIDEN-HAIR SPLEENWORT. (.\srLENIUM ADIANTUM-NIGRUM.) T llAVK had several inquiries from readers of TiiK GAKtiEX iusking what is the plant called 'French Fern." The black Maiden-hair Spleen- wort is the Fern which is sold under this name in Cjvent Garden Market. It is a beau- tiful .ind handsome plant. The fronds are tri- angularly elongate, and vary from about 3 inches to some 20 inches in length. Tne colour is rich deep green, and the stems and foot- stalks are black. The fronds are evergreen, so that in the winter season they are ex- quisite adornments for mixing with a few cut flowers in rooms, and being from the outside, they are capable of lasting a very long time in the cut state. I have noted how well this Fern does in the open-air fernery if planted in suit- able soil, and I like to have a quantity of broken sandstone to mix with the loam and peat, to make the compost gritty, as in this mixture, if well drained, it succeeds best. In addition, I like to h.ive some slabs of sandstone to put in the soil, for in no way does this Fern look better than when growing upon and over this. But, well as it does when planted out in this way, it does not thrive well treated to pot culture. This Fern is widely distributed throughout the three kingdoms, as well as in the Channel Islands. There are about a dozen well established and named varieties, which are all beautiful ; but the most distinct kind is the form known as variegatum, which is prettily streaked and blotched with white, and contrasts finely with the black stems and the dark green of its pinna- ; but for good general effect, use the normal type for decorating rooms and apart- ments, which grows plentifully in parts of this country. J. J. Hymenophyllum caudiculatum is a fine species, which Ijy some is considered difficult to grow. Much of the brown and rusty ,^ppeal■ance which the plant assumes, I fear, is the result of too much heat and over-dryness. The p'ant is a native of Chili and Brazil and likes a very moist atmosphere. The temperature may fall to '.^0° or even lower, provided there i^ a very humid atmo- sphere. During the hot we.ather the temperature should never be higher than Go". Under these conditions the plant is the picture of health in Mr. Dorman's garden, and the frocds are bright and green, without any of the brown tips which are so frequently seen in this species. The fronds are from 1 foot to 15 inches long, three times divided, the segments not being so finely divided as in some kinds, and the ends of the pinnte lengthened out into tail-like points. — W. H. G. Lomarias in winter. — Lomaria gil)ln, though one of the most useful Ferns for decoration during the summer months, is not often found to be of much service during the winter, as it soon suffers if ex- posed to the cold. Although one of the first to suffer from extreme cold, Lon?aria gibba does not require a high temperature ; in fact, it does better in an intermediate bouse. The great thing to be avoided is sudden change an 1 to keep the fronds dry. Cold water dripping from the roof will be sure to discolour the fronds wherever it touch<'s them. A cold draught will also have the same effect. Usually the effect of cold on Ferns is not seen until after the temperature has again risen. Young seedlings of Lomaria may be grown on in heat, but after they are well established in ,')inch pots, they should bo gradually hardened off, and by the time the plants are large enough for decora- tion, they will have fronds of good substance. Al- though I should not recommend Lomarias for decoration in winter, yet p'ants wliich have well matured fronds in the autumn will do good service if treated as cool greenhouse Ferns. It is keep- ing the plants in a growing state when they ought to be at rest which does so much m'schief. — F. H. Pteris serrulata.— Of the numerous varieties of this Fern, there are none more useful or more elegant than tlie old form when it is well cared for and grown as it may be seen in some of our market nurseries. It has to some extent been neglected through the broader fronded varieties finding more favour, yet it will be long before it is superseded entirely. Undoubtedly it is prettier, with its long slender drooping pinna;, than the more erect-growing varieties, which have broad pinna;. To h.ave this Fern in its best form, it should be grown on in a moderate temperature and fully exposed to the light. If not allowed to get stunted, it will make a fine plant before the fertile fronds ripen their spores. This is one im- portant point, for after they begin to shed their sports the plants lose their bright fresh appear- ance, and when grown for cutting from this is of importance. If grown in a light open position, the fronds will last equally well if cut before the spore-cases begin to change colour, and they then have that light green shade which is more desir- able than the more sombre hue of the matured fronds. Older plants may be kept tidy by cutting away most of the old fronds after a set of new ones has developed. After plants have been resting a little they throw up a good number of fronds at the same time, while young plants, or those kept continually active, produce them singly. — F. H. Varieg-ated Ferns " H. P." U correct in his surmise (p. 5ilO) that the new varieties raised by Mr. May are related to Pteris Victoria:. The varieties in question were all raised from one sowing of P. Victoiia;. How it should happen that several distinct forms should be raised is a problem, more especially as several plants of each variety appeare.-!. At the time the variety P. Reginoe was named it had not fully deve- loped fronds. It h.is now in its fully-developed state all the characteristics of Pteris serrulata, and P. s. variegata would be a more appropria'e name. Besides the varieties which have been referred to, and for which first-class certificates have been awarded, there are several other intermediate forms ; in fact, I have never seen so much varia- tion in one ba'ch of seedlings as in the one in question. I quite agree with"H. P." in respect to P. Victoriic being a most desirable variegated Fern. The white marking is particularly clear and dis- tinct, and though mt so vigorous as some Ferns, it makes a very pretty plant, especially when grown on freely from spores without receiving a check. I now have a fine Ijatch of this Pteris, which does not suggest that it is a delicate variety. — A. HE.MSLEY, Edmonton. Davallias. —The Davallias are very useful at any season of the year, but may be more particu- larly recommende:! for winter use. Many of the varieties have fronds of remarkable substance, and will last for a long time when used for cutting. They should be used in place of Maiden-hair for many purposes during the winter. D. elegans, one of the most useful, makes fronds freely and is very light and elegant. I also find that variety may be raised from spores without much difficulty, and seedlings make better plants than divisions. Where a light shading is used, the Davallias may be grown in pans or baskets suspended to the roof, and will not take up much space during the summer. D. fijiensis plumosa is another fine variety for cutting from, but does not make fronds sj freely as D. elegans. There are several others which might also be recommended, but as the best Davallias have recently been referred to in the pages of The Garben, I only intended calling attention to their great value for cutting from during the winter. I may add that cut fronds should be put into water as soon as pos.>-ible after they are cut, or they are inclined to curl up. I do not mean to dip the fronds, but simply to put the stems in the water. — F. H. SHORT NOTES.— FERNS. Leueostegia parvula.— This is anotlior choice t;e!u, inore oft-en called Davallia parvula, under which iiaiuo I had the fir.st plant that ever catun to this country presented to me by Mr. Stuart Low. It hag a very slondor creeping rhizome clothed with fcrru- frinons scales, anil the fronds are very dwarf, finely divided and vivid green. This plant requires stove lieat, coming, as it does, from the Malay Island-J. — W. II. G. Dipteris Horsfieldi.— This is a magnificent new Fern which 1 recently saw growing with Mr. Sander. It is a strong growing, handsome Fern, making f'runds some 3 feet or more long on a footstalk aa long. The fronds are dichotomously forked, toothed at the edges of the lubes, very leathery in texture, deep green on the upper side, very glaucous beneath. This is a genus containiug only a few species, hat there is one, viz , D. Lobbiana, which is well worth the attention of cnllectors.— W. H. G. RMpidopteris peltata. — This is a very hand- some dwarf-growing plant. The fronds proceed from a slender crfeping rhizome and are evergreen. The fertile frond is entire andentirely covered with sori on the lower side. This is a stove plant, being a native of the West Indies. It does well in shal- low pans, in which I saw it very fine in Mr. Dor- man's garden at Sydenham. It should be potted in coarse peat, mixed with some turfy loam made sandy.— W. H. G. Llavea cordifolia.— I recently saw this Fern in a friend's garden doing remarkably well ; in fact, 1 had never se?n such a specimen of it before. As I had not seen the plant for some years, 1 began to ffar it was lost to cultivation. This plant was named by .Smith Ceratoilactylis osmundioides in 183'J, but he was not then aware that it had been named already in 181(5 Llavea by Lagasca. It is a pretty and very re- markable Fern, and it appears to be found in the neighbourhood of Oaxaca, in Mexico. The crowns are clothed with long whitish scales, and the barren fronds resemble those of the Osraunda. It ia an ever- green cool house Feru of exceptional beauty. — VV. U. G. Two winter-flowering Honeysuckles are Lonioera Standi>hi and L. fragrantissima, which are easily detected on a mild winter day by their sweet scent— like that of the common Honeysuckle of the hedgerow. They cannot be called climbers, being more bu.shes, but may be planted against a wall. Where the weather is favourable, a profusion of flowers will be produced in mid-winter. They are not things to plant freely, as they are not effec- tive ; but there are many walls in gardens, crowded with old-fashioned things, upon which space could be found for one or other of these kinds. Their fragrance is very sweet, and on the wall of the museum facing the round pond in the K lyal Gar- dens, Kew, they are well established. Iris alata is one of the most beautiful flowers of the winter season. It blooms in the depth of winter when the weather is favourable, and is a delightful Iris to grow in pols, .similar to the Violet-scented I. reticulata. When thus grown it may be had in bloom very early, and those in- terested in hardy bulbs will remember the fine group of it shown by Mr. T. S. Ware, of the Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on October 4. It is a South European species, and was introduced early in the present century, being known also as I. scorpioides. A few potfuls in the greenhouse are very welcome, the flowers large, the tube being from 3 inches to (i inches in length ; the limb is lilac-purple, and the falls of a Ijlue tone, veined with a deeper shade. Its growth is characteristic, the leaves lanceolate, and much like those of the Leek both in colour and general shape. When 20 THE GARDEN [January 14,.-1893. plnnted in the open, a sunny sheltered corner must be chosen, and in the event of bad weather protect the clumps with a hand-light. One does not very often see this beautiful Iris in gardens, and more seldom still grown in pots for the green- house. Stove and Greenhouse. ARTIFICIAL TREE STUMPS AT LYONS. Froji time immemorial horticulturists have se- cured the double advantage of setting off their plants and also producing shade effects in winter gardens by raising to certain distances from the ground broad- leaved subjects (such as Ferns, Palms, and Cycads) the stems of which were too short for the desired elevations. The device— a pleasing one enough in its way — which we employed up to the last few years, and which consisted in surrounding the prop and the plant-box or tub with a metal grating and filling up the intervening space with a compost in which could be grown Sela- ginella.s, Tradescantias, Oplismenus, Fittonias, &c., to cover and conceal the grating is, liow- ever, open to the objection that both the plant- tub and its wooden support are very liable to decay in conserjuence of their constantly moist surroundings, and also that the soil in the plant- tub, becoming channelled by frequent water- ings, is apt after soine time to be more or less parvaded with cavities, the effect of which is very detrimental to the well-being of the plant. Taking into consideration the durable ([uali- tles of cork, which have been proved by the satisfactory use that has been made of it in this respect for some time past by Orchid growers, Professor Gerard, director of the Botanic Gar- dens at Lyons, and myself thought that this material might answer well for making artificial tree stumps, the exterior of which, being formed of a substance which naturally covers the trunks of certain trees, would have a natural appearance, a feature in which all the existing ai-rangements of this kind were entirely defi- cient. For this purpose the proper kind of cork should be selected, rejecting the handsome smooth slabs from which bottle corks are cut and which are technically known as " female " cork, as this kind does not possess the furrowed exterior which the artist who wishes to imitate Nature should seek for. The proper kind to use is technically named "male" cork, and is that which is first produced on the tree. Tlie outside of this being much more furrowed and uneven than that of the other kind, it is com- monly rejected by cork-cutters for the very same reason which renders it preferable for our jiresent purpose. Cork of this kind can be procured from Spain, or, doubtless, more easily and cheaply from Algeria, from which country we have imported without any great difficulty more than 22 cwt. of "male" cork during the last three years at a cost of twenty-five francs (£1 sterling) per 220 lbs., delivered at Mar- seilles. It is sent to us in broad flat slabs and also in cylindrical rolls, the former of which are used in making the body of the stump and the latter for the branch stumps and pockets. After being immersed in hot water for a quarter of an hour the slabs of cork become as pliable as leather, and can be moulded to any form the gardener wishes. In this work, however, he should always be assisted by an artist compe- tent to suggest some pleasing and effective design. The c irk, when it cools, retains the form to which it has been moulded, and it is fastened on with a few small nails. It is probable that by adding to the hot water a few crystals of sulphate of copper the cork would be rendered still more durable, and, taking into account the high character which this chemical bears as a preservative agent, we intend to try it, hoping that it will not injuriously afi'ect the pliability of the cork nor be in any way detrimental to the plants. We give three illustrations here which, better than any long description, will indicate both the difl'erent stages of construction and the eflect which "male" cork exhibits when used for this purpose. The first figure shows the skeleton of the structure — a jiiece of a tree- trunk firmly fixed in the ground and supporting a broad tuli, in which will be planted some such subject as a Latania borbonica (Livistona chi- nensis, R.B.), as shown in the second figure, in which both stump and tub are entirely con- cealed by the covering of cork which has been attached, in the first place, to the tul) and then to a number of rafters which have l)een dis- po.sed so as to give a sufficient width to the The lirst stage : The trunk of a tree and a tub. lower part of the structure. The third illus- tration shows the completed artificial tree- stump furnished and embellished with various epiphytal plants, fine-leaved Begonias, Ferns, Aroids, Pepper-worts, Bromeliads, ifec. The varieties of plants and the modes in which they may be arranged in these ornamental structures are without number. Of course, Or- chids will form some of the most elegant and effective subjects. Mosses, Selaginellas and Grasses, such as Oplismenus imbecillis and its variegated variety, may also be employed to great advantage. La.stly, I would specially re- commend that some of the fine graceful twiners should be allowed to grow pendent from the extremities of the branch-stumps. Climbing plants are everywhere to be met with in warm and temperate glasshouses, and the only diffi- culty is in making a selection where the number of eligible subjects is so large. As concerns the structure itself, it will at least be acknowledged that the transformation is of such a kind that its artificial character is not perce]jtible — the very result that was aimed at ! — E. Devill.\t, in Eevue Horticvle. TJroskinnera spectabilis. — This native of Mexico is a very pretty flowering plant that ought not to be allowed to drop out of cultivation, tliough such appears likely to be the case, for it is now quite rare. It belongs to the order ScrophulariaceEe, and forms a plant of a half shrubby character clothed with oblong-shaped leaves, which are each about 3 inches to i inches long and covered with whitish hairs. The flowers, which are borne in terminal spikes, bear a good deal of resemblance to those of a Pentstemon, their colour being deep mauve on the outside and white within. The in- dividual blooms are about Ih inches in length and three-quarters of an inch across the mouth. It is by no means a difficult plant to grow, provided the temperature of an intermediate house be given it. Cuttings strike readily in the spring, and a com- post of loam, leaf-mould and sand will suit the plant well. It was introduced from Mexico in 1856.— H. P. Strobilanthes isopbyllus.— In a warm green- house or in a structure kept at an intermediate temperature this is a very pretty winter- Howering plant, and one that given anything like favourable treatment can be depended upon to bloom freely for two or three months at the dull period of the year. It is a bushy growing, but somewhat up- right-habited plant, with lanceolate leaves of a very deep green colour and a great profusion of lavender-mauve-coloured blossoms. True, they quickly drop, but a succession is kept up for some considerable time. It is increased by cuttings of the young shoots during the spring months, and if these ai-e grown on freely they will form good flowering plants by the winter. Throughout the summer they should be grown quite cool. The plant in question is also known by the generic name of Goldfussia. It has been knjwn in this country for nearly fifty years. — H. P. PROPAGATING CALADIUMS. At the present day Caladiums are decidedly popular, and as the demand for them seems to he on the increase, a few words as to their propaga- tion may not be out of place. Some cidtivators allow the tubers to remain in the pots they have grown in, while otiiers turn them out and store them in sand. Where the pots have been allowed to remain undisturbed and there are large clamps of any particular variety, it will be generally found on shaking off the soil that several tubers are present. The small ones mny then be potted singly and the larger ones so treated or put two or three together in a pot, according to the purpose for which the plants are required. Should there not be small tubers enough for propagating, some of the larger and more irregular-shaped ones can often be cut up into several pieces, each with a good crown, from whence the future growth will make its appearance. If these tubers are cut clean, dusted over with a little powdered charcoal, and allowed to dry for a few hours, they may be potted and treated the same as t ubers that have not been thus mutilated. While there is no diffi- culty in increasing Caladiums when one has a good stock, the ca^e is different when there is but a single tuber perhaps no larger than the top of one's finger to commence with. In that case the rough-and-ready method above enumerated cannot be can led out, greater care and propagating appli- ances being necessary for success. A close pro- pagating case in the stove where there is a gentle bottom-heat will be just the place for the increase of these choicer Caladiums. I have tried various methods, but that which I prefer is to pot each tuber singly in a small pot, using for the purpose light sandy compost. It plunged in a gentle heat they will soon start into growth, when be'ore the first leaf is expanded the plant is turned out of the pot and the soil shaken from the roots, the light nature of the compost rendering this easy. Then it will be seen that as a rule the leaf has its origin on a little protuberance about the centre of the tuber, while a few roots are already putting in an appearance close to the base of the leaf. With a sharp knife, this leaf, with a small portion of the tuber to form a base and its attendant roots, can be taken off, leaving the bulk of the original tuber untouched. The separated portion must be I Jan- LAKY U, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 21 at once potted, using: for the purpose a light sandy compost, and if the leaf is pretty well advanced, a small stick, to which it must be tied, will render all safe. As the Cai.adium grows quickly, care must be taken that the tie is not too tight ; other- wise the young foliage may be permanently injured. Directly they are potted these young shoots must lie replunged in the close projiagating case, when they will become nicely established in about a week, and can then be hardened off. The remain- ing— that is, the major portion of the", tuber — may be again repotted in light sandy compost, and also plunged in a little bottom-heat. As the central crown has been removed some of the hitherto latent bu'^s will start into growth, even a small tuber producing often two, three, or even more. When suthciently advanced these may be taken off as above detailed and treated e.tactly as those first produced, but as the propagating process is not often carried beyond this second crop, what re- mains of the original tuber should be allowed to remain attached to the strongest shoot. As these young Caladiums quickly become established they must be hardened off and shifted on into larger pots as required. This method is by no means the only one followed for the increase of Caladiums, though I prefer it to any other. By some the upper part of the tuber is not covered with soil, which is open to this objection that the roots do not start so freely as on those th.at are covered, while if laid in Sphagnum, as is sometimes done, the young roots are then very brittle and liable to be injured. Though the time for these operations may vary somewhat according to circumstances, the latter part of January is a very suitable season to get all the tubers potted and place them under conditions favourable to starting into growth. T. Rhododendron jasminillorum. — This is es- pecially interesting from the fact that it is one of the original spi'cies from which Messrs. Veitcli have created their magnificent group of hybrid varieties. Apart from the interest attached to it on that score, it is a really beautiful little flower- ing shrub for the warm greenhouse, and one that will often flower during the winter months. It forms a small rauch-bianched bush, clothed with neat roundish leaves, while each shoot is termi- nated by a cluster of pure white Jasmine-like flowers. Its season of blooming is by no means limited to the winter, as it both grows and flowers nearly throughout the year. This Rhododendron, which is a native of Mount Ophir, in Malacca, was introduced into this country in 1849. — T. Pavonia Wioti A few years ago this plant was met with far more frequently than it is at the present day, and in August, 1SK.% a coloured plate of it was given in The Garden. It is allied to the Abutilons, but its nearest relative is the Brazilian Gtcthea strictiflora; in fact, by some authorities a couple of the Pavonias, viz., Wioti and Makoyana, are included in the genus Gcethea. P. Wioti is an upright-growing shrub, somewhat sparingly furnished with foliage; while the flowers, which are borne in a terminal corymb, are very curious and pretty. The most conspicuous part of the inflorescence is furnished by the outer calyx, which is large, of a bright reddish pink colour and split up into narrow segments. The petals are of a dull purple tint, while t he bl ue anthers are very con- spicuous crowded together at the contracted mouth of the corolla. A good strong corymb will produce as many as a dozen flowers, and as they do not open all at once, a succession is kept up for some little time. In this species the leaves are very distinctly serrated, but in P. Makoyana they are only slightly toothed, which furnishes one of the means of iden- tification, the other points of difference being that both flowers and foliage are very much darker in colour ; while the bright-coloured outer calyx is not cut up into linear segments, as in P. Wioti. The flowers, too, are principally produced from the axils of the leaves on the upper part of the stem. The flowering season of these Pavonias does notapjiear to be limited to any x'articular period of the year, but they are more useful during the dull days of winter, and if needed they can then easily be had in flower. Like many of their allies, they are apt to run up tall and naked at the base, so that the better way for winter flowering is to strike the cuttings in the sprirg and grow them on freely ; when in pots 5 inclies in- 1! inches in diameter, they will form neat flowering plants. A fairly good soil of not too light a nature will suit them well. Cut- tings are very easily struck at any time during the growing season. — H. P. PLANTS WITH VARIEGATED FOLIAGE. The great variety and various shades of colour in foliage will make up as bright and effective a group and be more enduring than when flowering plants are used. I do not mean to depreciate the value of flowering plants for decoration, yet in making a I would particularly recommend that allied plants should be grouped together — for instance. Bego- nias of various shades arranged together with a good background of tall green-leaved plants, and an edging of Isolepis or other suitable material. A few nice leaved plants may come between these, and say a group of Fuchsias or Pelargoniums. Of course, this system of arrangement cannot always be followed, yet it may be done to a great extent, and by making a feature of some particular class of plants and using only such other material as will add to rather than detract from the effect, a much finerdisplaymaybe made. When fine-foliagcd plants are used it is n)t necessary to make quite so much distinction ; for instance, Crotonsand Dracaenas go well together, especially when arranged with an undergrowth of Ferns and a few tall Palms; varie- gated Cyperus, Dieftenbachias, and a number of other variegated plants may be used in the same group and will bar. monise together. Within the last few years fine- foliaged plants seem to have been more appreciated. The London florists use them very largely for all choice work not only as plants, but when cut. Besides the choice indoor plants, many hardy subjects provide useful material. F. H. Acacia lineata.— For pot cul- ture in the shape of little bushes this Acacia is a veiy desirable one, as it will not only flower freely in a small state, but it also blooms earlier than many members of the genus. It is rather an upright- growing freely - branched species, whose slender shoots are clothed with narrow leaves, and plentifully studded with little orange-coloured ball-like clusters of blossoms. If required to be kept in a small state it may be cut back after flowering, and then placed in a growing tem- perature to encourage it to break freely.— H. P. Treatment of Schizantlius in winter (//. C. j1/).— You did well to remove the plants from the frame before Christmas, or perhaps they would have been nipped by the sharp frost. You should keep them near to the glass in the green- house, but do not attempt to give them heat. The plant should have ample root room, and be potted in a mixture of about equal parts of turfy loam, good leaf-mould, ard rotten manure, the whole made fairly sandy. Treated thus and n< t allowed to become drawn, they will produce a wonderful show of bloom in spring. — W. H. G. Besting of Bouvardias.— Some display I prefer to keep to flne-foliaged plants if a people often ^^d %^y";?"" V° f!!;„\"|ffhe pKnlt good select ion of well-coloured material is at hand, cuttings to root, but ' l"j'_i« «"„^«'=°:;?l'>f .'^^n'^^^';;^ Flowering plants and green foliage go well to- gether, but variegated foliage and flowers never seem to me to be quite in harmony. In large groups a few tall white Lilies may be used in the background, or perhaps a few good sprays of Odontoglossums or other light-coloured Orchids may be used here and there in the foreground. _ In groups at flower shows it is no uncommon thing to see Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, and other showy flowering plants grouped among beautiful Crotons, Dracienas, and other bright-leaved plants, the effect being that the shades of colour do not har- monise and one .spoils the other. In very large groups where a belt of neutral colour can be v-nf^ J . The second stage : The tiunk of the tree covered with m de cork. CUtling.S LO lOJi, uu.. .!,»., . , . ^ '. ,, the cuttings are taken from not being sufhcienfly rested. As the season will soon be here for pi o- pa'^ating, care should be taken that the plants fcr this purpose have a thorough rest. 1 he plants will rest well in a temperature of 45°, and water should be entirelv withheld. If the plants have any scale upon them, and after they are rested preparatory to placing in heat, look them over carefully and wash well with an insecticide and sponge If the stock plants are well cleanse'', there will not be nearly the trouble afterwards.— A Y Three Begonias. -P. Wilson sends three Be- groups where a belt of neutral colour can be ' gonias for names. No 1 >^Begoniam.croptera an frought between flowers and coloured foliage, ^ I Eastern plant, having been introduced/romBorr^ fine &ect may be produced, but what I most ob ect | by Messrs Low, of P.^P'""' ^" '^^f „ 'T,^' ^ " „ to is an indiscriminate mixing up of all cl.asses of j with long leaves which are '^^^^^^"'^^^llZl plants as is frequently seen not only at flower ! side, paler beneath; the tt^^^^f'l^ ^."^^^ '"™f " ' ^^ fhows but Jvbo in conservatories. For the latter terminal head, and are paper-white with r- le 22 THE GARDEN. [Januauy It, 1893, yellow stamens. It succeeds well in small pots. No. 2 is the plant that was so well-known in our gardens thirly years ago under the name of B. Griftithi. It is a compact growing plant with large obliquely-cordate leaves ; the colour is deep green, having some distance within the margin a complete zone of greenish white ; the underside is red ; the flowers, large and numerous, are white on the in- .side. The plant is found in Northern India. No. i! is B. glandulifera, a small growing stemless plant from Trinidad, with large bright green leaves. It bears a branched panicle of rather small pure white flowers. This forms a handsome specimen, and is well deserving attention from the amateur. — W. NEW STOA'E AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS OF 1892. In reviewing these productions after the close of another year, it must be borne in mind that the majority of those which are strictly new have not as yet been placed in commerce. Thus in some cases it is quite as possible to underestimate their special value as it is to place too much confidence in their future usefulness. Some classes of plants — Crotons and Dracaenas, to wit, from amongst stove fine-foliaged plants — have become so numer- ous as to leave far less room for any striking novelty to impress itself upon the public at large. In some instances it will take several years before the real merit or value of a plant is known suffi- ciently to cause a great demand for it. It would, therefore, be premature to condemn any plant in which there are some sigrs at least of improve- ment until it has had a fair trial, and that under varying conditions. Daring the spring season there were several noteworthy exhibits of seedling Amaryllis, which show that fnither improvements have been capable in this giand family of bulbous plants. Of these, note should be made of the following, which obtained certificates when shown, viz., Mars, a rich deep red of good substance ; Eclipse, ground colour white, with crimson veins, the finest of its colour yet seen ; Silver Queen, a beautiful pale variety with red markings ; Crim- son King, a rich deep crimson self of fine form ; Firebrand, flowers veined with rich scarlet and edged white ; Charles Penny, ciimson-scarlet, with broad petals; Sjlvia, a distinct cross with A. re- ticulata, having the foliage of the latter, the flowers a blight rosy crimson, veined with white, with a broader margin of the same colour. Other kinds were also shown, proving that the standard is more than sustiiined. Duricg the same period a few at least of very promising additions were made to the Hoses. These, having 1 een shown from under glass, can very well 1 e included in this list. Of these, note should be made of Hybrid Tea Lady Henry Grosvenor, a delicate blush-pink, the blossoms large, the habit dwarf and sturdy. Another Hybrid Tea called White Lady was also certificated. In size it approaches that of Her Majesty ; in the colour there is a slight trace of pale pink or blush. In Tea Rose Corinna we have a promising addition to garden or pot Roses, the growth very free ; also the flowers, which are most beautiful in the bud stage, the colour a shade of salmon-pink. Another J'ea called Waban, a sport from Catherine Mcrmet, has flowers several shades darker than that well-known kind. Two new va- rieties with much of the character of La France are to be found in D.inmark, in which the colour is much darker, whilst in Caroline Testout the colour is paler, the silvery shading more hand- some and the pink much lighter. Of other flowers coming under the definition of florists' flowers, attention should be directed to Canna Alphonse Bouvier, the habit dwarf the flowers crimson and of large size. In Pelargonium (decorative section) Arete, which is a sport from Volonte Nationale ; the colour of this latter and weU-known variety is far deeper in the sport ; in this case a bright cerise, with the most profuse flowermg character. In Auricula Golden Drop the lovers and growers of this class of plant will find an acquisition ; the flowers are doable and of a pale lemon shade, lasting well in gooi condition. The now popular Clivias (Imantophyllums) have a farther addition in Mrs. P. C. Glyn, the flowers large with broad petals, borne in a large truss ; the colour a bright orange with light centre. As a forcing plant (being shown in February), Lilac President Grevy, a double variety, as shown al- most white, is a further addition to a popular class of plants for forcing. Two new Chinese Primulas, Pink Queen and Peach Blossom, are both beautiful varieties with finely fringed flowers, the colours in both cases being soft and distinct ; the-e were shown at the January meeting of 18'.'2. During the same period, i.e., prior to the Temple show, the following first-class certificates were awarded; To Bertolonia Comte de Kerchove and B. argyroneura, both lovely varieties of these handsome dwarf stove plants, the former being the darker kind, olive-green and rosy pink predominating, whilst in the other the colouring was a pale green suffused with silver. In Ela^is melanocicca we have an old Palm, re-introducei to notice, a fine hothouse variety. From the Burford Lodge collection of Aroids came Anthurium Andreanum sanguineum, a very superior form with deep blood-red spathes. Two new, but totally distinct Bladder-worts were shown at one of the April meetings — Utricularia Humboldti, vsith flowers la'ger than l'. montana and of a pale lavender-blue shade, the spikes long, the foliage broad, and I', longifolia, which has short spikes and narrow foliage, the flowers being a lovely pale mauve in colour. In foliage plants Grevillea robusta elegantissima is a distinctly handsome vaiiety, far more elegant even than tlie type. Sfiraia Thunbergi bears some resemblance to S. ast Iboides, but i< more graceful in habit. Another Aroid (Aglaor.ema costatum) is a marked addition to the dwarf decorative stove fine-foliaged plants (see p. 4, Jan. 7, 1S93). Ca'adium Souvenir de Paro is quite a miniature bicolor, being as dwarf as C. argyrites and compact. Tillandsia Moensi and T. M assangeana superba, two very beautiful Bromeliads which should be as plentiful as T. splendens, both being fine additions to their c'ass. Dracaena CouUingi is another hybrid with much longer foliage than D. terminalis alba, but with the same markings. Lotus"peliorrhynchus (the Bird's- foot Trefoil) should make a beautiful basket plant ; it has a long pendulous growth and small red flowers. In Paodanus pacificus was shown a noble, robust-growing form of Screw Pine with very broad stout foliage, bright green in colour. The foregoing were the chief exhibits prior to the Temple show in May. At that gatlierin^ there were several distinctly handsome phtnts shown to which certificates were awardeel. CAMELLIAS. At this season, when there is not quite such a pres- sure of work amongst plants in general, it is a good time to turn one's attention to Camellias. Perchance they have not had for some months more attention than has been absolutely necessary in the way of watering and syringing. Some clean- ing may be found needful, more particularly if there be any scale or other insects upon them. Where this is the case, it had better receive im- mediate attention. The plants should be kept well moistened with the syringe in advance of the clean- ing by means of sponges for the leaves and small stiBish brushes for the wood. White scale is the worst insect pest upon the Camellia, not only dis- figuring the foliage, but Ijeing also the hardest of all to eradicate. For this an extra strong solution will be found necessary, say one-fourth stronger than the standard advised for use, two excellent insecticides being Veitch's Chelsea blight compo- sition and Bentley's soluble paraffin oil. When using these beyond the prescribed strength, it will be safer to spray the plants lightly saon after sponging to prevent injury to the leaves. Another capital method to adopt is that of using the in- secticide quite hot, say from 85° to 11)0°. At this temperature it will be found more eS'ectual, but the difficulty arises as to how it is to be kept warm enough. This may be overcome by means of a spirit kettle, frequently adding fresh water and liquid. It may be necessary here to allude to one fact as regards insecticides in general. It is that of not omitting to well shake the bottle or tin before pouring any of it out, so that it is thoroughly well incor- porated. The white scale and other kinds too often cluster close around the flower-buds, from which they will have to be moved with a pointed stick. Where any plants are badly infested it will pay to do the work well, even at a cost of time and labour. In the case of plants growing in borders, there is the subject of top-dressing to be considered ; this may well be done at this season, using good soil only. In my own case I find good fibrous loam and peat with some spent Mushroom- bed manure and road-side scrapings a suitable mixture This is applied when it is all fairly well dry, so that it can be pressed down firmly all over the surface, for I do not believe in keeping the top in a loose state; the moistuie escapes from it more freely, whilst the roots do not take to it so kindly. Before applying it, however, the surface of the border shouki be lookeei over to remove any sour soil. In the case of pot plants, where there is room the same attention should be given, but it is not advisable to disturb the surface roots to do it. If any pot plants are in need of a shift, this neces- sary work from time to lime having been post- poned, it may also be df^ne now without any fear of bad results. Where the balls are already full large and cannot be exceefied, they must be reduced ; in doing this I prefer to slice ofi the outer portions of the ball rattier than adopt the more tedious process of pricking out the soil with a stick. It can be cut away sufficiently with a sharp instrument, such as an old carving knife or a piece of an old scythe. Tlrus treated tl e old roots will break out afresh anel make plenty of young fibre in the new soil in due course ; whereas, by the other process the loose roots are pressed down closely beside the okf ball in the act of ramming down the fresh soil ; this cannot be done without injury to them. The bottoms of the balls should be sufficiently reduceel to allow of a fair top- dressing as a finish. If from three-quarters of an inch to 1 inch of fresh soil can be added all round, it will give the plants fresh food for a good few years to come. The soil I would recommend is peat and loam in equal parts with a moderate use of bone- meal or finely crushed bones, which in this case are preferable to any manure, as they provide food in prospective rather than in the more immediate future. In any case where there is the slightest suspicion of dryness at the roots it is uruc'i better to soak the balls well before potting; one then knows more about how to treat the plants after- wards, care, of course, being more necessary in the case of newly-potted plants. Where plants which are growing in borders are becoming exhausted at the roots more radical means need to be adopted. I have found that one good way of doing this in the case of plants 12 feet or more in height was not to remove or lift the plants at all, but to take away all the soil at a distance from the plants up to within about 1 foot or so of the stem, thus leaving a ball in each case of about 2 feet in diameter. This was done down to the crocks or brick rubWe consti- tuting the drainage, which was also taken out and relaid afresh after all the finer soil was cleared away. In doing this each plant stood in its posi- tion safely enough, not being undermined. The filling up again was an easy matter, being done as firmly as possible, using the soil as in the case of potting, but rougher in each case, with roadside scrapings mixed with it. The plants took to this fresh soil without any check to them ; the new soil was of course made higher than the balls of the plants, so as to direct the water towards the roots. In my case I always prefer to syringe my Camellias the winter through ; the plants appreciate this, I find, whilst it preserves the leaves quite clean and glossy-looking, no cleaning being necessary, as insects are a rarity. This syringing keeps a moist atmosphere, the position being a dry one, too near by far to the boiler and pipes, which it is com- pulsory to keep pnrtially warm for other reasons Jan OAR Y It, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 23 The little waroith and a dry atmosphere would have a tendency to bud-dropping, which is thus to a large extent avoided by syringing daily, even when" dull or cold. Being within the radius of fogs and suioke, it is all the more necessary to keep to the syringing whilst the buds are expanding, even from the embryo stage upwar O h o > S.0 January It, 1893.] THE GARDEN. •Z3 winter, and if possible spare plants kept in the cold frame in case of accidents. C. ABIETINA. — A unique and charming species from the Transylvanian Alps. It somewhat re- sembles the well-known C. patul.i both in the form and colour of its (lowers, but it is a perennial instead of an annual, and on this account will be found a most useful addition to tlie rock garden. The leaves are rather narrow with toothed edges, of a striking, pale yellowish green, the rosettes dense and attractive even in the absence of the curiously- tinted flowers. The flower-stems, slender and about a foot high, bear abundance of lovely reddish-violet fiowers with a greyish-white throat. It thrives best in a sunny spot, and may be readily increased by division. It blooms all through the summer months. C Allioki.^AI houghrepra;eIlyint:o3uceJ into this country in quantity, and at times grown suc- cessfully, this may be looked upon as a compara- tively rate species in gardens at the present time. It is the loveliest of all the alpine Bellflowers, and has baffled some of our best growers. It is said to require full exposure to the sun, and a soil composed of peat, learn and sand with pieces of flint. This soil should be firmly stuffed into the chinks between May and June, and sometimes again in late autumn, the blooms being arranged in erect racemes, bell- shapeil, pendent, and thickly bearded. Light rich soil suits it best, and it should be fully exposed to the sun during summer. It forms a long or tap root, and prefers deep to shallow soil. C. C.ESPITOSA.— The true plant is very dis- tinct from that usually grown in gardens as sucb, which is a mere form of C. pusilla under which species it will be noted. It has a dense tufted habit of growth with somewhat oval-lanceo- late root leaves; those on the .stems which are nu- merous are narrow, linear, and always dark green. The flowers, which are produced in July, are very distinct, being cylindrical rather than bell-shaped, somewhat contracted near the mouth, and truncate. They are deep violet-purple with numerous promi- nent ridges running their whole length. It is on whole a very distinct and showy species, thriving well in a light rich soil in sunny spots on the rockery. It is a native of Carniola, &c., and may be increased by division or seeds. C. CARN'ICA is a species very much in the way of C. pusilla, from which it differs by its much longer narrower leaves and larger deeper shaded flowers. Campanula garganica. Engraved for The Gabden from a photograph sent by Miss Wolley Dod, Edge Hall, Malpas. rock or large boulders, and here this charming Bell- flower ;may be expected to thrive. It increases, however, rapidly by runners, which should never by any means be checked. So long as they can travel in congenial soil the plant will thrive, but as soon as this is exhausted, the plant will soon wear out. It forms dense tufts an inch or so high, the leaves narrow and blunt. The flowers are large, bell-shaped, violet-blue, opening in July and early August. It is a native of Piedinont, &;c , and may be increased by cuttings. C. ALPISA is a curious dwarf species rarely seen in cultivation, although by no means the leas'- ornamental of the alpine species. It is a native of the limestone rocks in the Tyrol and Carpathians, and the so 1 should be well mixed with old mortar rubbish. It is very impatient of moisture, especially in winter, and if not planted in a vertical position it should be covered with glass during rainy weather in winter. It rarely exceeds 2 ins. or 3 ins. in height; the stem and are leaves somewhat downy, the flowers somewhat large, of a deep blue colour. It flowers in April and May, and is most readily increased from seeds. C. BAiiBATA is the well-known hairy alpine BeU- flower so common on ali the Swiss passes. It is plentiful in all the pasture regions of the Alps, and is readily distinguished by the long projecting hairs of the corolla. It flowers on our rockeries in It thrives on an eastern exposure on the rockery, and likes a gritty sandy soil. It flowers in May and .June, and is a native of Transylvania, kc. C. CKNisiA. — This is one of the most beautiful of the truly a'pine species, not, as its name would imply, confined to Mount Cenis, but pretty general throughout the Alps wherever slaty rocks are pre- valent. It is usually found in sandy places by the edge of the glacial torrents wherever the ground presents a level surface, and is invariably accom- panied by such rare plants as Juncus alpinus, Gen- tiana tenella, &c. C. cenisia is peculiarly adapted for the rookery, where it should be grown in a peaty soil, with which granite chips and fragments of slate have been freely mixed. It should be fully exposed to the sun's rays and protected from ex- cessive moisture in winter. It forms dense tufts of small hairy leaves surmounted by numerous lilac-purple flowers, which continue from June to August. It is readily increased by division. C. ExciSA.— One of the most curious and inte- resting of the alpine Bellflowers, and one of the easiest to cultivate. It is sparingly distributed in a wild state, there being only three localities in Switzerland where it is found in any quantity, one of the best being the Simplon pass at nearly .8000 feet above sea level. It is found chiefly in the low dry store walls skirling the road, where it may he seen bursting out of every crevice, the wiry s'ems laden with their curious tubular, bell-shaped flowers, between each of the lobes of which will be found a small hole resembling a punched tram- ticket. We have establishet. A fjame similar to that for Carrots is needed, or for a small family a three-light frame could be divided between the two. There are now some very early dwarf-topped Turnip varielies, which are better for een, Vol. XLIL , p. 408, as a late form with a touch of rubrum blood in it. It is a dwarf plant, about 2 feet high (pot included) ; three flowers are out, two are over, and one bud is unopened. It came into flower just before Christmas Day ; it bears a fine symmetrical flower with pale centre, and very pleasing light blush-rose-coloured petals, mar- gined with white, and a white lip ; the central green rays are deeply coloured and very trans- lucent. ThLs is the latest form of L. speciosum which I have noticed, and it is specially valu- able for flowering at this late season. The va- riety nanum, described liy me in the same paper, I saw in flower during December. It bears a highly coloured bud and flower broad- petalled ; it has a very dwarf symmetrical habit, and makes an excellent pot plant for late flowering. The variety cruentum was over about the middle of December. These three varieties will carry on under glass the flowering of the speciosum family during the months of November, December, and .January, Lilium formosanum, a variety of the longi- florum group, is also a most valuable Lily for indoor culture. It is described by me in my paper on this group in The Garden, Vol. XL., p. 442. A plant of this Lily was put under January U, 1S9;5.] THE GARDEN. 29 glass about this time last year. On April 2G it was in Hower. A tine plant with a single stem 40 inches high bore about six tlowora of fine sul)stance 0 inches long, with a perianth expanse of 0 inches. Aftor flowering it was (still untlisturbed in the pot) turuftl out into the garden in a south aspect and well watered. It soon shot again with three strong stems, and on Sept. 20 showed ten tiower-ljuds, which ex- panded under glass in November and Decem- ber, beside smaller side growths. One bulb therefrom has produced in one season about sixteen flowers, and certainly three good-sized bulbs with several smaller ones will be found on repotting. < )ne of the prettiest sights I have ever seen was early in (October last, when a number of LUium Takesima were in flower under glass. Thus protected, the flowers have FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. Not much work is possible in the flower garden so early in the year unless the weatlier prove ex- ceptionally mild, but anything that can be done may be piislie 1 forward. The priming of all coni- fer;c and evergreen shrubs that occup y prominent positions either by the side of vifalks o in mixed borders, and that back up the taller herbaceous tiowers and flowering deciduous shrubs, can be done at once. This work must be entrusted to a thoroughly competent workman and be performed with care and jurlgment. A special point is to make this an annual business, as if left for a couple of seasons the plants are rendered stilf and formal by the amount of cutting necessary to keep them within bounds. Dot plants of the dwarf and bushy conifera; are very nice in large beds, and can be re- tained in such positions for many years. The space between them can be summer-bedded, or, S;y 'Lhe liual effect : The trunk of the tree covered with pi int.". (See p. 20.] quite a beautiful rosy tinge outside the petals, b3tter si ill, filled in with some nice herbaceous instead of the usual faint chocolate tint, and p'ants in variety. Thus, if the little specimen coni- being well grown and of good size and sub- I ^''''s ^■''^ ^""^^ ^ f^^' °'' ^ ^^^^ apart, half way be- stance e.xcited in me a »reat admiration and i '''^'^" them might come nice little clumps of rose- love for this beautiful and stately late variety ( P'"^ ^y^^"^™"^ flmbundum plenum Mont Blanc pLtd trif"'^^"" '^T ' ^tV" ^r"^ ^ or'eTenrr^rFuch^i^s, Ke^t ol^^t' bef S pleased this sumriier m flowernig Ldiura elegans devoted to some dwarfer plant as a groundwork, of WUson-, one of the finest of the Thunbergi- ^hich the best of the Violas or Pinks may be cited anum group, of erect habit, late flowering, with as examples. Any work of this kind that may be large apncot-coloured cupped blooms. I have contemplated could be put in hand at once, weather not seen this Lily for nearly twenty years. j permitting. Edgings can also be made good, and Lilium Colchesteri, or odorum, makes an ex- i dwarf hardy plants that are used for the purpose cellent pot plant ; its habit is somewhat dwarf, can also beutili-el for occcasional clumps along and it throws under glass three to six very "i<^ front of herbaceous borders. Chamomile, large symmetrical cream- coloured flowers, which Thrift, the dwarf Veronicas and Sedums, the varie- contrast very vividly with the britjht chocolate- S^^'^'^ Thyme and Ajuga repens are among the tinted anthers. Out of doors tliis plant is often f"'""^ available for the purpose. It is a good plan spoilt by the attacks of insect enemies. '° run round the herbaceous borders early in the ' cuciin»,o. ygjj^j. (.g freshen up the memory respecting any Ale.vaxdek W.^llace, M D. matters that were decided on during the previous flowering season. Thus there was a special note in favour of an increased stock of the white Snap- dragon, a really good thing that was flowering all through the season and was very useful in a (Uit state. Cuttings may be put in towards the end of January, and if shifted on as soon as struck will make nice plants for turning out in April. The white ryrcthrum above mentioned (Mont Blanc) is another very useful plant ; tho.se who already have a stock will do well to increase it tiy division. Three Starworts that were specially noted— acris, astirea, and panicubjtus blandus — must certainly be increased to the exclusion of varieties of less merit. Acris would make a grand bed associated with summer - flowering Chrysanthemums with variegated Ribbon Grass, or as a groundwork to large clumps of Fuchsia gracilis. The Spirsas most acceptable for cutting, the lightest and most feathery, were palinata alba and astilboides If not already done, crowns can be carefully divided and replanted at once. A hint as to S. astilboides may not be out of place : it does not take kindly to the herbaceous border. I find it does much better in a cool moist spot under a north-west wall. Autumn-planted stuff to be treated as annuals, especially border Carnations, are looking remark- ably well, this season's losses being few and far between. From the many named sorts now in cul- tivation and from the thou.sands of seedlings an- nually planted in many gardens %ve get splendid flowers, but the constitution of the plants is not always up to the mark, and no sort, however good the flower may be, is worth perpetuating for bor- der work if it is of thin, weedy, weakly habit. I look upon Mrs. Reynolds Hole, Raljy Castle and Mme. Roland in their respective colours as magni- ficent border Carnations, fulfilling all requirements. Those who are compelled to give up the old crim- son Clove on account of the disease would do well to give Mme. Roland a trial. It is very similar in colour, of splendid constitution, very free and al- together a very valuable sort. When touching on shrubs earlier in these notes I omitted to mention that it is advisable when a spell of sharp weather sets in to see that protection is afforded to anything that may require it. That graceful and very ornamental Grass (Arundo con- spicua), for instance, may pass unharmed ihrough several seasons, to be very severely crippled, if not killed, after an exceplionally hard winter. A stout stake should be driven down as near the centre of the plant as possible, and the foliage be gathered up and tied to the same. It forms a bundle of " extinguisher " shape, not very elegant in appear- ance, but the plant is tliereljy preserved through the most trying weather — sufficient compensation for the short season of ugliness. Half-hardy plants on walls, as Aloysias, and in the open, as the Kucalypti, will also want matting over if they are to remain outside. Other frosty weather work may be the mulching of herbaceous borders (good rotten manure and leaf -soil in equal parts will answer the purpose well) and the preparation of labels large and small. Where they are likely to be required, stakes or small irons (the latter are best, as they do not rot in the ground or are liable to be scuffed up and carried away) should be used for clumps of bulbs, and in Lict all bulbous plants. These latter are sometimes planted in other sites than Imiia fidf herbaceous beds, and if they are late in starting, they may, if not marked, hi injured to a considerable extent if the remainder of the bed or border about them is to be planted before they show above ground. E. Buiikell. Claremont. A GROWER of Carnations near Nashville, Ten- nessee, says the American Florist, sets his plants in the open ground in baskets about 4 inches in diameter made from common wire fencing with a 2-inch mesh. The baskets are made by cutting the fencing into strips about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide, bringing the ends together and folding one end in. Small phints are set out in these baskets in the spring, where they remain in the open ground all summer, and in the autumn the basket is lifted with the plant and transferred to the greenhouse 30 THE GARDEN. [January U, 1893. bench. The plant thus has the advantage of being bedded out constantly, and is always transplanted with a good ball of soil. THE CARNATION AND PICOTEE. We are now preparing the compost for the Carna- tions and Picotees, to be ready and in good con- dition for the plants about the end of February or early in March, which is the best time to place them in the pots in which they are to flower. There are many new growers of Carnations and Picotees who are thirsting for information, and even old growers think but little of their plants when they are frozen up in the frames. At that time nothing can be done for them ; it is the season of rest, and the plants do not take any harm if tliey are well established, but severe frosts may be succeeded by mild weather, and it is rather astonishing to see how the green-fly will appear whenever the weather is mild. One would think that exposing the plants to from 10° to 20° of frost several nights and days in succession would destroy this parasite, but it is not so. While severe frosts last we keep the glass lights over the frames, but do not use mats or any kind of covering. I have seen Carnations killed in frames during severe frosts, but never when they have been well established and have been brought up hardy. As soon as our Carnation layers are established after repotting, we pull the lights off the frames every day and all day long if the weather is fa\ourable, the plants thus becoming quite hardy and able to endure bad weather when it comes. On the ether hand, if the lights are shut down close at night and but little air is admitted in the daytime, the plants not only become weakly, but they are much more liable to the attacks of green-fly. The only use I make of the glass lights for Carnations in winter is to protect them from drenching rains or drying frost winds ; even in cold winds air is admitted by lilting the lights on the side opposite to that from which the wind is blow- ing. As stated, they do not require any attention in fiosiy weather ; but in continued mild weather it is necessary to look over the plants ; perhaps twice during the winter will be enough. The sur- face of the potting soil needs stirring up ; decayed leaves should be removed with a pair of fharp- pointed scissors, and green-fly be brushed off. When the time for repotting the plants arrives, they should be in a healthy growing condition quite free from insect pests. Some of these plants also come in useful to make up blank spaces in the beds out of doors, for out of some hundreds it is unlikely that all will pass through the winter in good condi- tion. Somearebadly rooted and may succumb to the vicissitudes of our uncertain winters ; others may be killed by the wireworm, a most deadly enemy, but from whatever cause it is well to have a few surplus plants ready to take the place of those that mny have failed. Plant them out without disturbing the roots further than may be neces- sary by turning them out of the pots; press the soil firmly about them, planting rather deeper than they were before. If there is a large collection needing repotting the work should be gone about in a systematic manner. Clean flower-pots should be in readiness and also clean potsherds. We use three sizes of flower-pots, 7 inch, 8-inch, and 9-inch. Two plants are put into one flower-pot. Put about 2 inches of drainage in the largest-sized pots, not so great depth of it in the smaller sizes. A thin lajer of fibre from which the clay particles have been shaken should be placed over the drain- age. I have used a thin layer of Moss when this could not readily be obtained, for if the finer particles of the potting soil mix with the drainage, the egress of water is arrested and the plants do not succeed so well. Repot the plants rather firmly, and place them under the shelter of glass lights. Sometimes this is not available ; in that case it is as well to repot the plants later and place them out of doors at once. Tree or winter-flowering Carnations require quite different treatment from that described above. As I write these lines we are preparing a small bed of fermenting material in one of the pits, heated to keep the temperature up to about 50° or 55°. A very high bottom-heat is not needed ; it might do harm by causing the cuttings or slips to damp ofif, but over the hotbed is placed a light and low glass frame. The cutting-pots are plunged in a surface layer of cocoa fibre refuse, and the glass frame by preventing evaporation preserves the cuttings in a plump condition until they have formed roots. If a frame such as I have described is not available, place over the cutting-pots a square or two of glass, just enough to cover them. The glass may rest upon the ends of the label*, which should stand higlier o.it oE the pots than the cuttings. The glass becomes damp, and re- quires to be daily wiped with a dry cloth. The smaller side growths slipped off form roots more quickly than the main tliicker ones. It inserted in line sandy soil th^y do not take very long to form roots, and when this occurs take them out of the close place in which they have been, and they will gather strength in the freer air of the house. Do not delay potting off the small plants. We plant each one separately in a 25-innh pot, growing them on for a little while in the hothouse, and gradually inuring them to a green- house temperature. Some may say, why grow such a hardy plant as the Carnation in a forcing house during any part of its existence ? The reason is plain enough to those who have any knowledge of the method by which a succession of flowers is maintained all the year round or even for part of the year. I am putting in Carnation cuttings now, and will continue to propagate the plants until March. By this means I will have a succession of flowering plants from tlie time the out-of-door Carnations are over until they come in again next season. It is also a good plan to plant a few of the old p'ants out of doors in May. They produce a large number of fine flowers in a favourable position against a wall. I am not sure it is neces- sary to use the qualifying word " favourable," for I well remember even in Scotland to have seen nice flowers produced from some plants trained to a north wall. From May to September all the perpetual flowering Carnations do much better out of doors in a sunny open position than they do under gla=s. J. Douii LAi-. BASAL CANKER IN DAFFODILS. I AM not sure that I can even afford a hint that will be new on this subject, but there are two theories of the cause of the above disease. The first theory is that certain of the Daffodils are tenderer than others, and these, as a matter of fact, are the ones to make their growth earlier. The fre.-h poin's of their foliage become seriously nipped by our late frosts ; so much so, that though they seem to be making a vigorous start, ithey die off or turn brown in considerable numbers from the date of such injury. Last year I took up several specimens so affected, and I observed at the time that the bulbs were furnished with plenty of roots, which, as we know, are developed well both as regards quantity and length by the time that the green points show above the surface. But when examined the roots were not then in a healthy state. It seemed almrst as if had I dog up the roots a little earlier I might have found them healthy. This suggested to my mind that the roots had begun to go wrong contempora- neously with the frost-bitten and yellow tops. They were of a sickly yellow-brown colour, the points brown or black, just as we may observe young vigorous roots to behave with hundreds of other things which, in reference to their leaves and growing points, have suffered some sudden check. As these Daffodils never again in the season present so healthy an aspect as those which have not been so blighted, I have been supposing that might be the starting point of the basal canker disease. Certain other facts, if they do not positively afford proof on the point, at least show that there may possibly be something tend- ing in that direction. For instance, our Daffodil growers in warmer climates, as in the Scilly Lies and south of Ireland, where ihey are not so much afilicted with late frosts, experience little or i;o- thing in the way of basal rot. The earlier kinds, as prllidus pra;cox, Ard-Righ and such-like, are those which suffer most ; and others — hybrids — with presumably the blood of tenderer species in them, also suffer greatly. I have had a striking instance of collected bulbs, sent from a much warmer climate than this, which had no trace of disease about them, and which, when planted early in the autumn, made a promising show as regards sprouts and roots. All in the early spring turned brown at their tops and ultimately rotted away, so that at the prssent time, of the hundred or more bulbs, I question whether there is one alive. It may be said that this case of a tender variety can have little or nothing to do with the basal rot as found in well-known hardy kinds. I, however, think otherwise. There may but be the chance, but I think it is reasonable to suppose that our earlier hardy sorts may possess a trace of the blood of these wild or natural varieties of warmer habitats, be they themselves .species or other- wise. If, then, in this climate tender and very early sorts do, as a matter of fact, sometimes receive their de.ith blow after having made a good start, as regards a fall complement of root'^, I think it is not difficult to find out how the other symptoms or results occur. For instance, if after the tops have well seen the daylight and before they are stricken, the leaves shrinking will act as conductors of wet d ;>wn to the bulbs, carrying with it possibly something of a fungoid character from the decaying foliage. This might account for the dropsical character of bulbs affected in their first year. I ought perhaps here to say that, inasmuch as I am speaking on the commencement of the disease, I have had in mind all the time bulbs which, so far as could be seen, were perfectly healthy, taking as the strongest proof of such healthiness bulbs distinctly firm all round the base, without any dark spots near the base, with the root ring well defined, and the space inside the waited ring well filled out and free from cracks. I take it that the rank smell of newly-dug diseased bulbs, their being infested with mites, and those with the more fleshy tunics eaten off around the shoulders or collar of the bulbs, are all the results of the process above de- scribed. Another fact worth notice is that Daffodils the most liable to basal canker have repeatedly been proved to do so much better, and I might almost say to remain exempt from the di.sease, when grown amidst the roots of shrubs. Such a situa- tion certainly implies a drier soil and a warmer or more protected condition. This may not prove much in favour of the above theory, but we cer- tainly come at some very important facts when of the same batch of bulbs planted at the same time, in the same quality of soil, by the same hands, wo have some affected with cinker and others free. There is another fact of which I hardly need re- mind Daffodil growers, and that is, that after a certain amount of root development, if the roots become injured in a wholesale way, no new roots will push in the same season, and the chances are greatly against the bulb doing otherwise than de- caying; and do we not know that the commonest form of decay that we meet with when digging up the bulbs in July is that of bnssl rot more or less developed, and generally most in the wettest situations .' The object of these remarks is to suggest that Daffodil growers should be on the look out for yellow and flabby sprouts from this time onwards, and that as soon as they are seen, that some of the bulbs should be dug up to possibly verify the fact that good roots have existed. Others should be left having the same symptoms and in the same place, and the results watched with a view to learning whether in midsummer they will show a development of basal rot as wc at present know it. All this, however, should follow with bulbs known to have been clean and free from the slightest touch of the disease, for it is obvious that the experiment would be useless were the bulbs of doubtful sound- ne-s when planted With regard to my second theory of the cause of basal rot, I have not so completely made observa- .TAN-UAnv 11, 189;5.] THE GARDEN. 31 tions as in the former, at present there being plenty of r.um for do'.ibt as to wli-;tlier certain phenomena are part of symp'oms of the disease itself or merely after results of organic decay. J. Wood. NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS. The double blue Hepatica. — This, under special conditions, is already showing colour on flower-st.ilks an incli to 2 inches long. For a great number of years this kin 1 has been considered difficult to cultivate. I can imagine that it might bs so in some gardens where, for ins^tance, the land is of a hot, dry, or calcareous character, but I am certain that with care it may be grown to per- fection. As a matter of fact it is a very difficult plant to kill in land of a somewhat free, but moist character, and if once you get the rhizomes well furnished with the long, stringy, and glandular roots, the plants go ahead at a very rapid rate. So much so indeed, that they miy with advantage be divided every third or fourth year. The only thing you need to do then will be to divide the roots in late summer, allowing each division a share of the length of rhizome as well as fibre, planting immediately before the glands on the roots dry up. The latter precaution is obviously one reqoiring little or no care, and yet if in sum- mer you leave the roots exposed for an hour the well-doing of the plants will be seriously retarded, when all might have been prevented by covering the roots for the brief space of time they were out of the ground with a moist cloth. Tropasolum polyphyllum. — This is certainly a species that may be benefited by a little care at the present season. In very severe weather the peculiar half-tuberous and half-rhizomatose roots are liable to be killei by frost ; then there is the fact that the--e roots, which hive the habit of lengthening rapidly, often work their way to near the surface; and still farther, established plants push into very eirly growth, so that in many in- stances at Christmas the blue-green and pink- tinted sprouts are visible. The help hinted at may be in the form of a thick mulching of cocoa-nut fibre, preferably with a sprinkling of sand in it. It need not be removed later on, but left to decay. The plant is partial to a very dry situation, as im- plied by light soil and a sunny aspect ; hence its great usefulness for the higher parts of sunny rockeries or for training over stones in land natu- rally sandy. It is, however, in the former style that it is seen to most advantage; its long, trailing stems seem to gain vigour by resting on the ground, and the way in which the leaves and flowers face to the skyatT ^rdi it the chance of dis- playing its beauties much better than could be ex- pected were its shoots trained upwards. Megasea Stracheyi.— At the present time the prominent flower-buds, all but hidden in the ample foliage, are showing signs of bursting when we have a few fine bright days and mild weather. Once the bud scales split, the condensed cluster of buds is liable to injury by wet and frost. So deli- cate is the colour of these Howers, that if they are in the least soiled they are all but unfit to look upon, and it is now that this species should be afforded some care in the way of protecting the buds, when the result might be expected to be clusters of delicate flowers of singular beauty in early spring ; whereas, left alone, the plants may go on increasing in size year by year, but the flowers would be ragged, dirty and useless. Dianthus deltoides.— Why this is not more used in gardens I do not know. Certain it is, how- ever, that it is not so common as a wild plant as on that score to preclude its cultivation, neither has it any peculi.'ir wants. On the other hind, it forms a beautiful green cushion in the winter. It begins to flower in early summer, continuing to the end, not merely with a few straggling blooms, but in profuse ma.sses, and so bright is the colour, that I question if many could name halfa-dozen other rock plants to equ-il it for colour-effect and duration of same. With me it is a fairly good perennial, but as a bienn'al the rerults nre better. Wuodville, Kirligtall, Yorhx. J. Wood. Chrysanthemums. CllltYSANrHEMUMS Foil MAKKET. Ix reply to '• A. E." (p. 14), I grow a good many Chrysanthemums for cutting or sale in pots. If " A.E." looks at the dates of the Chrysanthemum shows, which range from November 1 to Novem- ber :!0, according to the early or late parts of the kingdom, he will have to avoid this period, for during the exhibition season there are very many surplus blooms that do not come up to the stan- dard or are not required for exhibition that are sent into market. Last November I saw beauti- ful exhibition blooms offered at Id. each, and any- one who has the least experience will know that they could not be grown for that, yet there was great dillicully in getting any offer at all for them. The kinds I grow largely are either very early or very late flowering ones, and for the earliest crop I have not yet found a better kind than Mme. Desgrange and its yellow sport. They are excel- lent as pot plants, and very free flowering when planted out. In the south of England they may be had in full bloom in August. I keep a quantity of old plants through the winter in cold frames and plant them out in April, but do not pinch them at all. Then I have young plants struck from cut- tings and pinched once ; these give a good succes- sion of bloom, and in seasons when early frosts cut off Dahlias and other tender flowers the Mme. Desgrange sells well ; in fact it gives such a long season of bloom, that the plants are almost certain to be profitable at some period of their flowering. These are followed by Stcur Melanie, Elaine, &c., which keep us supplied until October is at an end. During November I only have a limited quantity of the exhibition varieties, and concentrate my attention on kinds that are either naturally very late or that can be made to bloom after the ordi- nary season by late pinching, keeping in very cool quarters during autumn, and other details of cul- ture. The varieties 1 grow most largely are : ir/nYc— Ethel, Snowflake, Snowdrop, Mme. Mash- ant. Yellow — Gloriosum and Mrs. Jones. Dnri: crimson — Cullingfordi and Crimson Velvet. A good many others are suitable for late work, but these are old reliable sorts, of which I usually have good bloom at least to the middle of January. The greatest demand is at Christmas, and if one can clear out the houses then, they can be prepared for other crops. Late blooms are certainly more re- munerative than the finest midseason ones. — James Groom, Goxport. "A. E." will find the under-mentioned varieties good for the double purpose of marketing and conservatory decoration. I have placed them somewhat in their order of flowering as a slight guide, also added the colour of each. A'ery much depends, however, what colour "takes" best at various times in the market, and what are pre- ferred in a private establishment. Japanese, owing to being general favourites, merit a prior notice. Mme. Des,?ran?e, -wliltc ; Mrs. Hawkins, yellow ; G. Wermig, pale yellow : La Vier^e, creamy white; Lady Selborue, white: Elaine, white; W. Holmes, crimson, tipped g'^tld ; Avalanche, white ; Source d'Or, oraujte and gold ; L'Afri^aine, deep crimson ; Peter the Gr.'at, lemon ; Suriflower, golderr yellow; Stan- stead White, white ; Mrs. G. Carey, white ; M. E. A. Carrierp, blush, changing to white ; Ethel, white ; arrd L. Canning, white, Rejlexed. — CuUiogfordi, brilliant crimson ; Jule Lagrav&re, dark crimson-red ; Elsie, pale canary yel- low. Tvriiyved. — Mrs. G. Rurrdle, white ; IMrs. Dixon, yellow ; G. Glenny, primrose ; Jardin des Piantes, orange-yellow ; Princess Teck, blush-white ; Mrs. Xr-rman Davis, yellow; Lord Eversley, pure white; Miss Marechans, white. PoHiporrs. — Sieur Melanie, white ; Snowdrop, white; Primrose League, primrose ; Golden Gem, yellow. Single rnriffins. — .Jane, white ; Souvenir de Lon- dres, crlTn=on-red ; America, blush, changing to white ; Guernsey Sunset, bronzy yellow. — E. M. Qualities in varieties to be sought for this purpose are freedom in flowering, decided colours and pretty form, dwarfness of growth, and blooming at a particular time. For September, " A. E.'' (page 11) will not find a white to surpass the well-known Mme. C. Desgrange. There is each year a ready sale for well-grown flowers of this, and also the yellow forms, Mrs. Burrell and Mrs. Hawkins. A high-coloured companion to these has yet to be raised. Towards the end of that month Souvenir de M. Menier, a dark crimson, should be useful. La Vierge is a most excellent white. During the month of October there is a greater choice. Bouquet des Dames, Elaine, and Lady Selborne supply first-rate whites ; Phit;bus, a lovely yellow ; Wm. Holmes, a dark red, not likely soon to be beaten. Felix Cassagneau should be tried. It is very free, and the form of flower and colour, an amber shade, particularly taking. James Salter is a rose-tinted kind. In November we have Mile. Laoroix, Florence I'ercy, both exceedingly elegant ; Source d'Or, bronze shade, a most popular sort ; La Nymphe, rose ; Edouard Audiguier and Cullingfordi, dark crim- sons ; Mme. de Sevin, purple, tinted rose ; Hamlet and Triomphe du Nord, pretty shades of salmon- tinted red ; Val d'Andorre, dark orange ; Elsie, a pretty lemon, tinted white ; Fair Maid of Guernsey, rather tall, but excellent pure white ; Viviand Morel, mauve ; Col. W. B. Smith, light terra-cotta, and White Beauty of Exmouth are among the new kinds which appear to possess qualities that will make them useful market varieties. Mr. C. E. Shea, the yellow sport from Mile. Lacroi.x, sup- plies that colour. For very late work, whites seem most in request ; indeed, I cannot call to mind a useful dark red one well in bloom at Christm.as, and we must tu'n to other plants (Poinsettias, for instance) to provide colour in winter-time. L. Canning is a first-rate pure white ; so is Ladj Lawrence ; its primrose sport, Kate Mursell, should be useful, too. Virginale (small Anemone) is an- other grand white for late bloom. Golden Gem is a good yellow. Princess of Teck, a late incurved, is much grown for market, and equally good is another white incurved, Miss Marechaux. — H, S. Chrysantlieniuin Beauty of Exmouth v Florence Davis. — In The Garden for the 3rd last I notice an article by Mr, W. Iggulden on " too-much-alike Chrysanthemums," a portion of which I must take exception to. Mr. Iggulden says " Beauty of Exmouth and Florence Davis must be bracketed together as being too much alike." I am aware that when I fir.st placed blooms of Beauty of Exmouth before the floral committee a member of that committee did say he considered it similar to Florence Davis. At the November meet- ing of the N.C.S. I exhibited blooms of these two varieties side by side for comparison, and I also did the same at various other important exhibi- tions, and in no once instance did any person sug- gest that they were at all alike. I would point out where the two dilTer; Florence Davis has dark foliage, Beauty of Exmouth has light. The blooms of the latter are altogether more compact and of a distinct and superior form. The florets of Florence Davis vary greatly in the same bloom, some being broad, others toothed, and many are thread-like. In Beauty of Exmouth they are very even and of one width. It is true a terminal bloom of Florence Davis will sometimes come with even petals, but the blooms in any case are not so com- prct or elegant. The colour, if such can be said of white, varies greatly. Florence Davis is a cold white, tinted green, the outer florets oftentimes stained pink. Beauty of Exmouth is of an ivory whiteness and never stained with pink. — W. J. GODFREy. As stated on p. 548, the mode of cultivation and other circum-tances do interfere with the development of many kinds, but what I there stated regarding the manner in which both the sorts named unfolded their florets was exactly as I found them. I also stated that with the ex- ception of terminal buds Florence Davis invariably THE GARDEN. [January 14, 1893. displays a green centre. Since writing that I have sent a bloom of this variety to the editor developed from a terminal which was distinctly green ; in fact, quite as much so as many which were deve- loped from crown buds. Along with this I sent a bloom of Beauty of Exmouth obtained likewise from a terminal bud ; this was, as Mr. IgguWen states, much whiter than I previously noted. This bears out mv opinion that cultural conditions do alter considerably the state of most varieties. The blooms I sent were not large, but such as one would expect to have from terminal buds. Even at this stage they were suiBcient to demonstrate the de- cided distinctness of the two varieties. — E. Moly- NECX. *j* The blooms sent quite bear out the remarks above made. — Ed. Chrysanthemum liUcrece.— I grew this va- riety tinly one season, and that four years since ; it did not come up to my expectations, nor did it promise to be of much service, therefore was dis- carded. It is a very sturdy grower, full -sized blooms developing on plants from 2 feet to 3 feet high, the foliage being dense. The blooms from crown-buds unfold very slowly, the florets being narrow and incurving rather closely. When the flowers are fay three parts expanded the florets at the end incurve in a wave-like manner. When fully developed the tips of the petals curl inwardly. When the blooms are opening they have quite as much green in them as Florence Davis has (here the similarity to that variety ends in my opinion). This green colour gradually passes away, leaving the blooms of a somewhat dirty-white colour. I have not grown this variety on the terminal-bud princi- ple, therefore am unable to say how it behaves under that treatment. In habit of growth it was decidedly distinct from Florence Davis. — E. Moly- NEUX. Chrysanthemums at York.—Seldom are plants seen in better condition than were those staged. The Aneinone, Japanese, and incurved sec- tions were extremely well represented. Seldom do we see the first represented al^ all, but on this occasion a surprise in this respect was in store for the visitors. Sceur Doroth^e Souille was fully 3 feet in diameter and smothered in flowers, its deli- cate pink tinge of colouring standing out most conspicuously. The plants of Mile. Laoroix, Mrs. Gutch, Mme. J. Laing, and Annie Clibran, which won for Mr. Everard the premier award and also the silver medal of the Gardeners' Marjazine for the exhibit which displayed the greatest cultural merit, were examples of successful culture, being freely flowered, handsomely clothed with foliage, and not stitlly trained. The same exhibitor was successful also in the incurved division, having capitally grown plants of the small-flowered sec- tion. In all cases the foliage on Mr. Everard's p'ants was of a superior character. — E. M. Chrysanthemum Leon Frache. — Another year's trial has proved this Japane.se to be a capi- tal variety for giving late blooms. The colour of the blooms, when the plants are grown on what is known as the large-flower system, is silvery blus-h suffused with rose, but in the case of the smaller flowers opening at the end of December, they are devoid of the rose tint — in fact, many are nearly white. The plants are best grown with one stem until the first natural break takes place, when four shoots may be retained, and instead of allowing these to develop crown blooms, remove this bud and allow every shoot to develop as many flowers as form.— E. M. Too - much - alike Chrysanthemums. — I think a careful perusal of the las^t issued catalogue of the National Chrysanthemum Society— the cen- tenary one - will show that they bracket those sorts that are doubtful. The supplement contains no bracketing that I can see. Beyond what they have done in the issue noted above it will be diflicult for anyone to point out varieties that are found to be absolutely identical. I differ from Mr. Iggul- den where he says " why not let plain John Lam- bert stand," simply because it is not a distinct flower, therefore has no right to a new name. Will Mr. Iggulden say why we should let plain John Lambert stand ? I consider nurserymen are much to blame for cataloging these doubtful varieties as distinct. Catalogues containing such doubtful va- rieties do frustrate the efforts of the N.C.S. because they are much more widely circulated than is the official catalogue of this body. I note the cata- logue committee does not include the name of any nurseryman, but I presume the work of the cata- logue committee comes before the general com- mittee for approval. — Observee. Trees and Shrubs. THE CLARET-COLOURED VINE. This pretty Vine, which is not nearly enough used in our gardens, we saw in Mrs. Earle's garden, The Woodlands, Cobham, trained to The claret-coloured Viue. EugraveJ fur The Garoen from a plant growing at The Wood- lands, Cobbam. a single stake, as .shown in our cut. This Vine, or one very like it, is very commonly grown in the fields in Touraine and other parts of France for colouring wine, and there- fore cannot be difficult to obtain in quantity if nurserymen so wish it. It should be planted occasional!}' in groups on dry banks, as well as against the house and trellises. Beech trees. — In the p.irk at Hackwood there are large numbers of beautiful Be?ch trees, smooth, round, and as even almost as ships' masts, but of course very large. Not a few seem to be from 30 feet to 40 feet high ere any break occurs. These trees look as if they would stand yet a couple or more of centuiies if left alone. They have been well thinned, and hence, perhaps, their robust, healthy appearance. But on an elevated part of the park, nearly within a sort of paddock, there is one of the finest stemmed and largest headed Beech trees I have f ec n. It is really a noble .specimen, the stem 4 feet from the ground being some 20 feet to 27 feet round, whilst the noble head has a perfect diameter of !)0 feet and 270 feet in circum- ference. In any record of the noble trees of the kingdom this one should be included. At 10 feet in height the main trunk sends out a dozen huge branches, the head forming literally a forest of growth. — D. Holly berries. — There is, no doubt, a very great difference Ijetween various HoUy berries, as "J. M." suggests. Here we have, among hundreds of trees, one whose fruit the birds will not touch even after all the others are stripped and there is a dearth of food. Whether this is a matter of flavour or not I cannot say, as a well-known orni- thologist once told me that birds of the thrush and blackbird type have very little or no taste. This I could not dispute, though I am sure the ex- perience of most gardeners would lead to doubts about it. The tree of which I write carries many of its berries over to the next year, so that it is no uncommon thing to see coloured fruit of two crops on it at one and the same time.— J. C. T., Llrcrinere Pari;. Digging among shrubs. — Referring to the note on digging among shrubs (page 531), allow me to state that in some gardens at Vienna it is the practice to turn over the soil of the shrubberies every autumn in order to bury the leaves. In the gardens at Laxenburg we never used to dig among shrubs ; the fallen leaves are left undisturbed on the ground, only the margins of the plantation being raked out in spring-time. Many wild plants. Anemone, Viola, Scilla, Corydalis, Allium, Pul- monaria. Arum maculatum. Primula acaulis. Tulips, Sec, grow in such dense masses, that in the early spring 1 he leaves of la.st autumn are quite covered. Of course during summer many of the spring flowers are past, but the leaves are then half-decayed, so Ihatthey are not an eye-sore. Our winters being very cold, sometimes without snow, and the summers very hot are our reasons for leav- ing the leaves on the ground. — Louis KitopATson, Inijyerial Gardens, Prater, Vienna, Mistletoe. — It would seem as if the Mistletoe was rarely seen on the Oak. Until I saw it the other day at Hackwood Park, the growth of this parasite on the Oak had not before been seen by me. Mr. Bowerman showed me the other day at Hackwood Park a large cluster of Mistletoe, and one only of some ten or twelve years' growth upon an aged and wealherbeaten Oak tree. It would beveiy interesting to learn in how many places this p.arasite is found on the Oak. As in so many other districts, the Mistletoe is found abunrlamly on the L'me at Hackwood, also on the Whitetl.orn, the Apple, and moderately on the Elm. Thus in one place ro less than five d verse trees bear Mistletoe. How many other kinds of trees bear this parasite !—D. Shrubbery management. — In many gardens it is time the way these are managed, or misman- aged, was altered. It is a common fault at first to plant thickly for immediate effect, but instead of annually going over the shrubbery when necessary and removing a plant here and there to other suit- able positions, they aie allowed to grow into a mafs, and in a few years what was once an attractive pxrt of the garden possesses no feature of interest, because not one single shrub or tree remains that is not spoilt by overcrowding. In the first place the planting is veiy often done wrong. What is wrong is the dotting here and there of flowering or fine-foliaged plants singly instead of planting the same kinds in a mass of three, five or more, accord- ing to their size. If half-a-dozen plants of Golden Queen Holly were bought, how much better these would look if planted in a mass, say on a slopirg bank, with at least 5 feet of space between erch if the plants are of a fair size. A carpeting of Ber- beris Aqnifolium under the Hollies would improve their appearance, at the same time covering the soil as well. The bronzy tints of the Berberis in winter form an excellent setting to the gold of the Hollies. The same method holds good in small shrubberies as in larger spaces. Take again de- ciduous flowering subjects — Pyrus, Spirscas or Deulzias. The same remarks apply equally here. January 14,1893.] THE GARDEN. 33 It is wise to plant the tall-growing subjects at the back of the boniers, whether they be narrow or wide, but it is not absolutely necessary to so arranse the trees that a stiff .-loping bank witliout any relief need be secured. Over a batch of low- growing subjects, dwarf Retinosporas, for instance, or St. John's Worf, a clump of standard double or single-flowering Thorns, or the double Cherry may be grown. All should be so arranged as to give a reasonable chance to the weakly as well as the strong. We have a wealth of subjects, either flowering or with ornamental foliage, available for this part of the garden if such are propfrly arranged to give the finest effect. — Observkr. SHOUT NOTES. — TREES AND SHRUBS. The cutting of Laurels.— I grow the.se largely for hedges, screens, aud for covering banks and bare places under tall forest trees where no other sbrulis will succeed. I annually go over ail with the pruning knife. I cut the sides of the hedges during the early part of December, the cuttings coming in for Christ- mas decoration. I find it a good plon to defer cutting the tops of the liedges, which are mostly flat until February or JIareh, as where the growth is luxu- riant, as in my case, the leaves then exposed by the cutting are often rendered brown and unsightly if severe frost and snow come. — E. American Hickory. — How seldom do we see this tree growing in private gardens ; it is indeed worthy of more attention. Planted where it can hive space to develop thoroughly, it is a fine object when its massive leaves assume that golden colour which they do all nf a sudden in the autumn This tree I find very dithcult to move, it makes so few fibrous ro^ts. A few years since I had to move one of these trees. This was done as carefully as possible in the autumn, and instead of commencing to grow in the spring it remained dormant for a whole year and grew the next.— E. M. The Horse Chestnut. — We often see this fine old tree plentiful enough in a large state, but the fact ought not to be lost sight of that young ones should also be planted to succeed the aged ones. Whilst still young the growth is much finer and the trees make good headway even in poor soil. Stray plants often spring up in shrubberies from self-sown seed ; these may be looked after and turned to good account when large enough. The scarlet variety deserves to be planted more than it is ; it makes a fine specimen, and is of slower growth, as a rule, than the ordinary kind. By the leaves of the trees it is easy enough to distin- guish the one from the other even whilst still of small size. The common light kind has the buds very sticky, as all are aware, but in the scailet variety they are quite free from this, being per- fectly smooth. In moving young trees care should always be taken not to injure the stems; if this is not done and wounds occur, it will take some time for them to htal over again. — G. Notes of the Week. Crocus Imperati.— The first blooms of this little gem showed ou a sunny hank a day or two before Christmas, but the cold and mostly suidess weather has temporarily checked those following. A day or two of mild weather would bring them out thickly. Even in my heavy clay soil this has increased very rapidly and is always in bloom at the new year. — G. PiM, LWihn. Daffodils, early.— These are already to be seen in the florists' shops in London, so that the season may be said to have fairly commenced with the new year. The common yellow (double) and another variety which much resembles Golden Spur seem to be most plentiful at present. With these there are also the Paper-white (large- flowered) and Soleil d'Or Narcissi, the former ap- pearing to be very plentiful. With a preejominance of white flowers, the yellow Daffodils afford a pleasing contrast, and will no doubt be soon sought after by those who know how well they retain their freshness when cut, whilst they are also comparatively cheap. There will no doubt be in the future a still greater demand for these useful Howers, thanks to the extended season a'so, which, from the beginning of the year until May. will continue to give us an immense variety of u-eful decorative material in a cut state. Cut Roses in Cove at Garden. - These are now to be seen in the Avenue in good numbers. The most pleasing are small yellow or butfcolourcd buds, very fresh looking and useful also in sprays and coat flowers. Others consist of those of a variety, looking much like Reine Marie Henriette, and some pink buds of another kind. One pleasing feature was that of the quite long stems to be seen in one window, the flowers being lightly arranged in rather tall vases. By the appearance of the blooms they would last well. Gunnera manicata. — This seems to do re- markably well in Cornwall, a large specimen growing at Trelis-ick, Truro, having been desciibed in these columns some time ago. I recently came across another giant of this kind in the gardens of Mr. R. L. Lake at Trevarrick, St. Austell. The leaves of this specimen were, when measured, quite 8 feet across. I noticed a running stream close by and the roots of the plant must have been in actual contact with the water, this, no doubt, accounting for the gigantic proportions. — F. W. Meybu, Exeter. Cut Orchids in florists' shops.— Just now in London these are not over-plentiful. Possibly they are being held in reserve, where possible, for the next fortnight, but it struck me that the fogs of late have been responsible for some of the deficiency. Calanthes are scarcely to be seen ; neitherareOdontoglossumsnor Oncidiums, but Cy- pripediums are fairly plentiful; so are Lyc.-iste Skinneri and Dendrobium nobile. Here and there are also to be seen spikes of Zygopetalum Mackayi and AngriECum sesquipedale, the latter looking rather yellow. — A. Anthurium Warocqueanum.— I think you will be interested, and your readers also in the plant (photos by mail) of an Anthurium Warocque- anum, which was exhibited this year, on Nov. 25, at our annual show. It was in a 15 inch pot and had three noble leaves, the dimensions of each respec- tively, taken and recorded before a committee, being 3 feet t; inches by Vi\ inches, 3 feet 10 inches by LS inches, and 3 feet 5 inches by HJ inches. It was grown by Mr, R. F. Parkinson, the young plant having been imported from England. — J. W. Edg- HILL, Sec. Varhadoes llort. Soc. Apple Margil. — Amongst Apples th's holds a high position. It belongs to the Ribston class and is not unlike that kind, except in shape, and in which respect it is very distinct, being much more pointed at the top. It keeps well with me, and is of a high flavour like the Ribston, but more aro- matic. Some people call it a small Ribston. The tree is well adapted for situations where strong growers cannot be grown and for espalier cultiva- tion. With me it is very free-bearing, so much so that a bush tree cropped so heavily for several years that it got into a stunted state. Some three years ago I deluged it three or four times with manure water in the summer with the best results, and the tree has improved very much.— F. A. C. White flowers in Covent Garden.— These are now to be seen in profusion in the Central Avenue. During a stroll through it this week we noted that white Callas were very fine in quality for the season. These still appear to hold their own for wreaths, crosses, and other funereal em- blems. Lilies of the Valley are also plentiful, the spikes well developed and the bells of good size. The pale colour of the stems, however, denotes h-nrd forcing, but they are beautiful all the same. White Lilac is to be seen in fairly good quality, whilst Roman Hyacinths appear to be past their best in this respect, the colour not so pure as earlier in the winter. The white Freesias are now coming in useful, and will take the place of Bou- vardias in that colour. Eucharis are very plentiful to all appearance and of good size, but white Camellias do not seem to be so abundant. For quantity with very good quality, the latest of the white Japanese Chrysanthemums still hold their own. A few P.-.ncratiunis are to be seen here and there, but it is not their season. White Azaleas and Cyclamens a'e both fresh and good. We did not notice any Christmas Roses, which is rather singular considering how profusely they flower and with what little expense they may be grown, whilst they last in good condition a long time when cut. The Mexican Orange Flower (Choisya ter- nata). -1 quite agree with the remarks of your coi respondent " T." in your last issue (p. (i), that Choisya ternata is not so tender as many people suppose. Messrs. Robert Veitch and Son, Exeter, hive a hedge of this beautiful Mexican Orange Flower at their Exminster nurseries, which are much exposed, and therefore mostly devoted to the growing of forest trees. It never suffers, but flowers most profusely. I have sometimes found small, fresh transplanted examples suffer from very cutting winds, but they soon recovered. A few years ago I noticed Choisya ternata doing well out of doors even as far north as York, and it can therefore scarcely be called a tender plant. — F. W. M., Dnhlin. Noticing in the last two or three numbers of Tnii GARDEN some allusions to this pretty shrub, I venture to enclose for your inspection a photo of a fine specimen growing at Mount Usher, Co. Wicklow, against an out-house. The photo was taken about five years a£0, and the plant has grown considerably since, but I am unable to state its present dimensions. A small plant here (near Dublin) has been out for some years against a wall and has done well, while at Glasnevin there is one plant, if not more, in the open shrubbery. — Greenwood Pim. *^^* The photo shows a fine bush clothing a high wall and running along its top as a Clematis might. —Ed. A January-flowering shrib of great interest is Hamamelis arborea. It grows about 8 feet high, as a rule, in this country, but is taller in its native country, which is Japan. It is not a shrub or small tree that one would plant largely, but in good gardens a few specimens are interest- ing when in bloom on a mild day in January, when the flowers can expand unhindered by severe frosts. It delights in an open sunny spot and a good soil, and when in bloom the golden flowers are remark- ably bright in the weak sunshine as they stud the leafless branches. The florets are twisted and deep golden, in rich contrast to the crimson calyces. After the flowers appear the large Hazel- like leaves A bed of it is very attractive, as the shrub by itself is not of much account. Visitois to the Royal Gardens, Kew, on a mild winter's day when there have been no frosts to retard the flowers, should not forget this Hamamelis, which is there planted with excellent effect as a standard in a bed covered with some carpeting plant as the crimson-berried Gaultheria procum- bens. This Hamamelis is the best of the family far surpassing in beauty any of the other species. Bolbophyllum comosum. — At present there are but very few representatives of this Orchid in cultivation, this species being one of the latest additions to the genus. It is certainly the prettiest Bolbophyllum discovered for many years, and is in some respects quite distinct from all the other known kinds. It was found two or three years ago on the Shan Hills, in Eastern Burmah, by General Collett, who is also the discoverer of the pretty and remarkable Cirrhopetalum Collettianum. At the present season it is devoid of leaves, but is flowering very freely. At Kew there is a plant now carrying several spikes, these being each from 4 inches to n inches high. The scape itself is quite erect, but the raceme, on which the flowers are densely packed, is curved over and pendent for about 3 inches. In this space several scores of flowers are clustered. As in most or all Bolbo- phyllums the petals and lip are insignificant, and it IS the sepals alone which practically constitute the flower. They are about half an inch long and milky wjiite, this species being the only 6ne amongst 34 THE GARDEN. [January 14, 1893. cultivated Bolbophyllums in which the flowers are of this colour. The beauty of the raceme is also added to by numerous short hairs on the sepals. On the whole, the species is one well worthy of cultivation, and might, if introduced in sufficient quantity, do a good deal towards making the genus to which it belongs more favourably known amongst Orchid growers than it is at present. Hardy Cyclamens in Cornwall.— Last Sep- tember I visited the grounds of the late Mr. Tyer- raan, at Tregony, near Grampound. Mr. Tyerman, who died a few years ago, bad been a most en- thusiastic gardener all his life. Everyone now knows Tyerman's Groundsel (Senecio pulcher), of which I saw what 1 believe to be the original plant at Tregony. What struck me most on the occasion of my visit, however, wat a large piece of ground devoted to the different varieties of hardy Cycla- mens. In order to provide the nece-sary shade, a very large number of young Pear trees had been planted, in many cases not more Ihan 3 feet apart. Nothing had been touched for several years, and the trees were forming an entangled thicket when 1 saw them ; but the Cyclamens beneath them were a sight 1 shall never forget. They had evidently taken advantage of their being left alone. The whole piece of land (20 perches or more) was simply a sheet of bloom— and such flowers. I never saw larger or better flowers of hardy Cyclamens than those growing in this neglected wilderness. Some of the corms I noticed were of enormous size, measuring G inches to 12 inches in diameter. I drew the following conclusions : Hardy Cycla- luens to do well should be grown underneath de- ciduous trees, and after planting should not be dis- turbed.—F. W. M., Exeter. Wreaths and other floral offerings.— We f aw to-day some very superior and tasteful arrange- ments of these in Covent Garden. In the making up of these far less formality and overcrowding were apparent than used to be the case on the whole, although in one instance we noted that the old system of packing the flowers together was still adhered to. The most beautiful wreath was one in which the flowers only occupied about one half of the distance around it, the other portion con- sisting of the bronzy foliage of Mahonia aquifolia, dotted amongst which were a few brightly coloured leaves of Croton Baronne James de Rothschild. The flowers consisted of Callas, white Lilac, and Chrysanthemums, Eucharis, and Frcesias. Another tasteful arrangement was in the form of a horse's collar. Lilies of the Valley being used effectively over a groundwork of larger flowers. Small crosses with a groundwork of grey Moss and a few flowers in the centre were very effective ; one of these bad mainly buff-coloured Roses upon it, these looking very suitable; another of the same kind had chiefly a few blossoms of Eucharis tastefully ar- ranged. One beautifully arranged anchor was to be seen, upon which some considerable amount of time had been spent. A few bouquets were note- worthy ; one with a white groundwork over which had been dotted a few buff-coloured Rose-buds was the best in point of arrangement. Fruit in Covent Garden.— The quality of the fruit to be seen in the Central Avenue leaves nothing to be desired considering the season of the year. St. Michael's Pines are not over-large, but look well ripened. Grapes, which consist mainly of Gros Colman, are fairly good, not first-rate in colour ; better will be seen no doubt in a few weeks when there is a greater demand. Pears consist chiefly of a few very fine samples of Easter Beurr(!, whilst of Apples the best are Cos's Orange and Newtown Pippin. Some good samples of Cape Apricots were to be noted, the fruit of average size, fresh looking, but rather pale in colour, as one might e.xpect considering they would be packed long before they were ripe. Bananas were good and plentiful; these some of the fruiterers now buy whilst still in the green state and ripen them in a warm room themselves. Some very superior samples of Oranges were to be seen, the best being the Maltese Blood and the Jaffa Orange, whilst the Tangierines were also of good quality. Limes from Naples looked very fresh in one instance. Stewing Pears do not appear to be at all plentiful, the English crop at least having been in most cases last year a short one. In a few weeks we shall no doubt see more of the Jersey productions in this line. — B. Epidendrum ciliare var. latifolium. — Whilst the genus Epidendrum does not possess a horticultural value of anything like the same pro- portion that its 400 species, numerically con- sidered, bear to the Orchid family as a whole, it includes at the same time a few species of first- class merit and a good many which fall only a little short of that degree. E. ciliare and its va- riety latifolium may be safely classed amongst the latter, not so much for the colour attractions of their flowers as for their curious structure and their fragrance. Two or three plants of the variety mentioned are now in flower at Kew. The scape is about a foot long and carries four to si.x flowers. The sepals and petals, whilst being nearly 3 inches long, are only about one-eighth of an iuchin width and they taper to a fine point. The lip has a very scorpion-like aspect, being divided into three lobes, the centre one of which is 2 inches long, very narrow and pointed, the side oces being shorter and fringed on the outer side only, thus resembling the numerous legs of some insects. The colour of the flower varies from greenish yel- low to creamy white, and is always of a pleasing shade. The species is a native of tropical South America and may be grown in a moderately cool or intermediate house. — B. Societies and Exhibitions. UNITED HORTICULTURAL BENEFIT AND PROVIDENT SOCIETY. At the quarterly meeting held on Monday last in the Caledonian Hotel, W.C., several new members were elected ; at each monthly meeting for some time past there has been a large access-ion of fresh members, the year just ended being one of the best on record. It may, in fact, be considered the most successful year the society has had, speaking col- lectively, in the very encouraging increase in mem- bership and the extremely satisfactory state of the funds, more monev having been invested by the treasurer than in any previous year. The sick fund has not been called upon nearly so much as last year, whilst the death-rate has been extremely low. The auditors appointed are Messrs. Dixon, Gunner, and Puzey — three gentleman well known for their professional abilities in this direction. The annual meeting will be held on the second Monday in March. One of the most beneficial aspects of this society, as contrasted with benefit societies in general, has just been put to a practical test. It was that of a member who joined its ranks now several years back, but who, through force of cir- cumstances, could not continue his subscription, consequently falling into arrears he ceased to be a benefit member, his account in the books being closed. In other benefit societies he would have forfeited his claim to any future assistance. Not so in the United, for a provision is made in its rules, ft'herebylapsed benefit members can, upon attaining the age of sixty, give notice of withdrawal of the balance standing to their credit at the time their accounts were closed. This is a most praiseworthy and prominent feature in the rule?, and one which requires to be better known than it is. Instance after instance could be given, by the thousand if needful, of members in other societies who, after having subscribed for several years, have been known to stop their payment for some reason or another. Sickness it could not well be of the member himself, but it might be of his family, or through being out of work, whereby he could not keep up his payments through straitened circum- stances ; hence he loses all claim whatever upon the society. To say the least, this is a decided in- justice to a man who, from no fault of his own, is deprived of the benefits he so much needs when old age comes on. To meet such cases, the rules of the United are duly framed. The member who ceases to contribute has only to keep his last annual balance sheet, which states the amount of money standing to his credit, and then at the age of sixty it is paid to him. Under this rule there are now one or two cases where £20 will have to be paid on application by old members when they reach their sixtieth birthday. The Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Insti- tution.— The annual meeting of this old established society, it should be noted, will be held on Tuesday next at Simpson's, 101, Strand, W.C., when it is hoped there will be a good attendance of its sup- porters. Subscribers who have not yet sent in their voting papers should lose no time in doing so, for this early remittance greatly facilitates the process of counting the votes by the scrutineers. The voting on this occasion will undoubtedly be heavy, there being so many second and third year applicants who have already a goodly number of votes to their credit. Intending subscribers who have thus far postponed their good intentions should be reminded that if their subscription be at once sent to the secretary, 50, Parliament Street, W.C, they will be thus enabled to vote at the forthcoming election of pensioners. The meeting it should be observed, is on the afternoon of the first committee meeting of the R.H.S. this year ; thus the facility will be afforded to subscribers of being able to attend both without any great incon- venience before returning home. The annual friendly dinner takes place the same evening at Simpson's at 6 o'clock, when Mr. H. Seymour Foster, M.P., will preside. THE FROST IN MARKET GARDENS. The frost that set in at Christmas, and has con- tinued with great severity up to the present date, found all the markets and shops abundantly supplied with both green vegetables and roots. Now that stocks are exhausted, the work of getting fresh supplies is a diflScult one, for in the absence of snow the intense frost has penetrated deeply, and those that had not taken the pre- caution to cover Celery, Artichokes, Parsnips, and other roots that are best freshly lifted are now lamenting the probable loss of a good many things that a covering of litter would have saved. The hard surface has, however, been fully utilised for getting manure on to the land, and where such heavy dressings as are supplied by market growers have to be moved, the work is materially lightened by such a bare hard frost as we have lately had. The following crops now need atten- tion, viz. : — Aktichokes (Globe) need protection with leaves or litter packed round the crowns, for although they are hardy enough to withstand several degrees of frost, it is very hazardous to let them go entirely unprotected, or the most vigorous crowns that would yield the first and finest heads would be the first to suffer. Artichokes (Jerusalem) are perfectly hardy and keep best in the soil, but some covering should be placed over the beds, after the stalks have been cut down to 1 foot from the soil, for convenience of lifting the roots during frosty weather. Asparagus beds are now being coated with rotten manure or seaweed; a good deal of the latter is collected in the bays and creeks. From a comparison of the eiiects of each I can confidently say that seaweed is a most valuable manure, not only feeding and strengthening the crop it is applied to, but also keeping slugs and other pests away. Beans of the early Broad kinds where not al- ready sown will be got in directly the frost breaks. The longpod varieties are the first to be sown, fol- lowed by the Windsor varieties in February. Broccoli at present looks safe ; the open field crops seldom suffer, even when garden crops are much damaged, the reason doubtless being that they get their growth more hardened by firmer soil and fuller exposure at all periods of growth. Januauy 14, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 35 Cauuflowees. — Very tine heads of Autumn Giant are still obtainable from plants lifted before the frost set in and placed in pits or frames and covered with litter or mats. Autumn-sown plants under hand-glasses or in frames have been closely covered for some days, but assion as mild weather prevails they will be gradually exposed to the light. Peas. — For these the soil is being well manured, and directly the frost breaks, ploughing and sow- ing will be puslied on. American and English Wonder and William Hurst, dwarf wrinkled I'eas, are greatly in request for market. Rhubarb and Seakale are being put into the Mushroom or forcing houses in qu.antity, and the first crop is being marketed. Mushrooms are now coming in more plentifully, and realise good prices. Pits and frames are being emptied of all the old material and refilled with ftrmtnting ma- nure, trod firmly to give a gentle listing heat. A good many are being planted with Early Potatoes, the sets of which have been sprouted in single layers. Sharpe's Victor and Ashleaf Kidney or Mona's Pride are the sorts mostly used, as they neol but little space. After the sets are p'anted and drills tilled in, a little of Wood's Early Scarlet Kadish seed is spriikled over the surface, and a crop fit for bunching before the Potatoes need all the spree is obtained. Orcharus and fruit UAitDENS are being at- tende i to, and any trees that are at all affected with American blight, scale, or any other { arasit.es can be brushed over with paraffin oil and soft soap worked up into a lather. Fruit bushes, especially Gooseberries, need careful watching to keep birds from picking out the buds. In the neighbourhood of towns, the sparrows are the worst enemies to buds that we have. J. Groom. Gosj/ort. Public Gardens. Home Park, Hampton Court. -The King- ston-on-Thames Town Council have appointed a deputation to act in conjunction with Sir Kichard Temple, M.P., and Sir F. D. Di.-con-Hartland, M.P., and several neighbouiing local authorities, to represent to the First Commissioner of Works the advisability of opening Home Park, Hampton Court, for the use of the public. Open spaces — At the monthly meeting of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, K,3, Lan- caster Gate, W., Lord Dorchester, vice-chairman, presiding, it was announced that Archbishop Vaughan hadcocsented to become a vice-chairman in place of the late Cardinal Manning, and that the Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury had joined the association as life members. The in- come of the association for ls;i2 was stated to have been £2900, against fCjuTG in 1801, the large defi- ciency being only partly due to the fact that in 1891 £3000 was received in response to a special appeal. A letter was read from the garden com- mittee of Soho Square stating that the owners and occupiers declined, by a majority of fifteen, to accept the offer of Mr. Blackwell, recently made through the association, to provide £5000 for the laying out and maintenance of the square as a public garden, if transferred to the local authority for this purpose. In a letter to Lord Meath, Mr. Passmore Edwards agreed to provide the associa- tion with the £1200 it required for the laying out of Woolwich Churchyard. The District Itailway Company wrote that it had no intention of selling "Buffalo Bill's" site. Earl's Court, and suggestions were made as to the possibility of obtaining other land for a much-needed open space in this locality. The owners named £0000 as a price for the Cross Bones disused burial-ground, Red Cross Street, which the association desires to acquire and lay out, if funds are forthcoming, and letters were read from the Wandsworth Board and tlie Bafer- sea Vestry declining to contribute £1000 each towards the purchase of five acres, formerly part of Wandsworth Common, and now in danger of being built on. A grant of £50 was made towards the laying out of tlie ailditional piece lately added to Acton Recreation Ground, as it was felt that the a?socialion should recognise the exceptional efforts made by the local boaid to provide adequate open space for the inhabitants of this very poor and r.ipidly growing nciglibnurhood. It was stated that the association l.;id lieen represented at a crowded public meeting in favour of the acqui-ition of Alexandra Park and P.alace, the most impor- tant scheme at present on hand ; and progress was reported with regard to the Hilly Fields scheme and tlie laying out of Bishopsgatc Church- yard, Poplar Churchyard, Goldsmith Square, Dun- can Terr.ice, N., and tree planting at Stamford Hill, N. It was agreed to give seats for High Street, Tottenham, N., and to apply to the New River Company for permi-sion to lay out a piece of vacant land in Canonbury. India-rubber rings for hot-water pipes. —I send a joint taken from between a wrought- iron boiler and the casting forming the socket of the return pipe which nearly caused the loss of a houseful of plants during the late severe weather. The casting was boited to the boiler with a flange in the usual way, and the joint on the outside was of hard cement, but an india-rubber ring h.id been used inside thi^. The ring gradually expanded under the action of the heat until the aperture left for the flow of the water has been reduced to about one-fourth of its original area. The joint on the flow-pipe has behaved in a similar way. These two constrictions in the area of the waterway so checked the flow of the water, that it was with the greatest difliculty that the frost could be kept out of the house, which formerly could be easily kept about 4.s° or 50°. The closing of the opening has been gradual, taking three years to reach its present stage, and it was thought to be that the flow of water had been checked by a deposit of lime in the mouth of the pipe from the hard water some- times used to make up the waste, and it was only on opening the pipes to remove this that the true cause of the failure w.as discovered. 1 may add that the boiler was fitted up three years ago. Others may have been troubled in a similar man- ner, and the publication of this failure may help some of your readers to remedy this defect before it is too late.— An A.mateur. The Royal Horticultural Society.— Lectures for the current year will be as under: March 14, " Some Effects of Growing Plants under Glass of A'arious Colours," the Rev. Prof. Henslow, M.A. March 28, " Flowers of the Riviera," Mons. Henri de Vilmorin. April 11, "Orchid Life in Guiana," Mr. Everard F. im Thurn. Apiil 2.5, " How to Solve Chemical Questions concerning the Soil without Chemistry," Prof. Cheshire. May 9, " Fritillarias," Mr. D. Morris, M.A. June Ij, " Hardy Rhododendrons and Azaleas," Sir J. T. D. Llewelyn, Bart. July 25, " Alpine Houses and their Inhabitants," Mr. H. Selfe Leonard. August 8, "Cannas," Mr. J. G. Baker, F.L.S. September 12, " Garden Phloxes and Pentstemons," Mr. J. Douglas. September 20, " Causes of Failure in Eucharis Culture, " Mr. W. Iggulden. October 10, " Pears," Mr. W. Crump. October 24, " Onions," Mr. A. Dean. November 14, " Chrysanthemums," Mr. R. Parker. November 28, " Late-keeping Grapes," Mr. T. Crasp. Sir John Lubbock has been invited to lecture on June 20. The weather in 'West Herts.— Since De- cember 21 both the days and nights have remained throughout unseasonably cold. Duiing these three weeks the exposed thermometer has on seven nights registered frciii 21^ to 2i;° of frost. The temperature of the soil at the depth of 1 foot has now for nine days continued persistently below 32°, and on the 5th inst. stood 2° below the freezing point. At 2 feet deep the ground is now colder than at any time during the present winter. On the morning of the 7th my garden w.as covered with snow to the depth of between 3 inches and 4 inches, but at the time of writing snow is only to be seen in places, having been melted by the rain which fell two days afterwards. Unfortunately, in this district it was only when the weather had mo- derated that sutticient snow came to afford pro- tection to the ground and low-growing vegetation. -E. M., licrlikam-ital. METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER KErr AT INVBBIE GARDENS, KNOYDART, INVBB- NESS-SHIRE, N.B. . 1 a For year 1S112. verage iiimum egrees. veruge t bulb, egrees. ^d OS -°3'S III a&-a ^|3 •^a« -:^« •^•5- 2- 0 c-* ir"^ January . . 41-11 32 "22 so 24 38-2-i 11-90 2-30 7 44 -on 31-10 3518 38-00 4-41 -70 12 March .... 44"25 1 211-lS 33-28 30-22 2-13 -50 April May 54-08 34-1 S SiiOa <0-15 3-0-2 •43 16 56-08 40-20 45-11 49-03 6-45 •84 10 59-15 40-03 4<)-0ll 63-14 3-93 1-05 14 .July Iirl7 , 45-/5 62 02 60-12 5 38 •80 16 August .... 02-04 47-18 63-1!) I 60 01 6-78 -87 7 September. 60 00 43-03 48-23 1 60 12 13-04 2-20 October . . 49-15 35-08 40-03 42-18 7 -Si 108 47-27 : 311 04 43-07 40-02 8 48 2-02 11 December . 39-12 , 31-18 30-01 3S-11 6-25 1-02 12 Total rainfall for 12 months 79-78 J. HuaeiNS. BAINFALL IN 1892. January . February March April . . May . . June . July . . August . September October . November December Inches. 2-GO 1-79 1-21) 1-22 2 '54 2-2.3 231 2-56 3 n 3-G2 2-28 . 1-72 27'48 No. of days on wliich rain felL . . 19 . . 18 . . 10 . . 9 . . 15 . . 18 . . 15 . . 16 . . 18 . . 21 . . 18 . . 13 193 Although there have been three dajs more than in 1891, the rainfall has been G16 (or something like 750 tons) less per acre. The total weight of rain for the year, at a rough calculation, is some- thing over 2780 tons per acre. We have experienced a very late, sunless, cold season, which inTariably means insipid, flavourless fruit, light crops, light corn, and poor washy herbage. C. A. Pearse. OteUy, Ellcsmcre, Sahp. ■Wanted, the name of a Pssony.— A dozen years ago I saw at one of the Loudon flower shows a Pa'ony whh long, narrow, twisted petals turning ill. It was double and large. 1 cannot now give the colour, but it was not a Eelf. I have never seen a Paiony answering to this description in the various catalogues, and should feel much obliged if anyone would tell me what it is likely to be.— W. W. The longest Cucumber. — Soine fifteen or eighteen years ago, Mr. Meredith when at the Vine- yard, Garston, Liverpool, grew some very long Cu- cumbers of the Sooly Qua variety. I remember feeing one there C feet 7 inches long, 1 think it was. The same fruit hung in his shop in St. John a Market, Liverpool, for a long time, and was a Bouroe of much attraction. It must be remembered that this'variety is grown simply on account of its size ; as an edible kind it is useless. I remember seeing a brace of Tender and True at an exhibition at South- port. These each measured 2 feet 3 inches long.— E. M. Tho English Flower Carien- — D"'gn, Vkirs and Fla/ifs. Tliinl Hittion, i-f,i.«'t, irilk many netD Htustratioiu London: J. Murrai/, and throuyh all bootsetleri. 36 THE GARDEK. [Jan-u^ey 1 4, 1893. Woods and Forests. QUALITIES OF TIMBER. Our ideas of the value of timber for various purposes are formed from its weight, its tough- ness, durability, or its hardness. Where the ligneous structure is dense and the tissues are closely compressed, the wood is heavy ; where there is a watery sap, which evaporates quickly, the wood shrinks considerably and afterwards decays rapidly when exposed. Thus all sea.soned timber becomes lighter in proportion to this eva- poration, some kinds losing much less than others both in bulk and weight. Oak and Pine shrink but little, and that slowly ; Elm, on account of its glutinous sap, continues to shrink for a great number of years, while both the Poplar and the Willow shrink and season very rapidly. Where the sap becomes con- creted in the cellular membranes, as in the case of matured Oak, or is fi.\ed by its resinous qualities, as in the Pine, the timber attains a high value. The hardness of timber depends upon the closeness of its woody structure, while its toughness is due to the strength of the longitudinal fibres and the elasticity of the intermediate cellular matter. The durability of timber exposed to much wear or friction is proportioned to the size, strength, and com- pactness of its fibre. Most of the hard and durable wood used for manufacturing purposes is the produce of small and com]3aratively slow-growing trees, such as the Yew, Box, and Ebony. It is found that Norwegian Hop poles of small diameter, but of from forty to fifty years' growth, are much more lasting than those of tlie Ash, Sweet Chestnut, Maple, and Oak, which are used for the same purposes, and which — though of larger size — are the growth of from nine to thirteen years only. The dura- bility of timber is not wholly dependent upon the fibres of the wood, but is partly owing to the quality of the sap, which in some trees is of a highly preservative nature ; thus, the < )ak has an astringent or tanning principle, as well as a ferruginous quality in its juices, and it is from a combination of these qualities that its durability in exposed situations is obtained. The quality of Oak timber is never better than when the tree is grown in a good loam or loamy clay, resting uj^on a subsoil of blue clay, from which it obtains the oxide of iron with which the wood becomes impregnated. In the case of the true English Oak, it has been observed that the fast -grown tree attains the greatest strength of fibre, and its timber is on that account the most durable in situations where it is exposed to rough wear, as in gate- posts and in spurs to posts and fencing. The general superior strength of Fa.st-iirowing trees is due to the wider in- tervals between their concentric circles, or to the wood having fewer cells in comparison with the size of it. By comparing the structure of a hard wood, such as the Locust Tree, with the soft wood of Fir, Lime, and Horse Chest- nut, it will be seen that the former has its cells confined chiefly to annual rings, or else scattered in groups of irregular figures, so that the solid fibre exists in considerable masses, giving strength, toughness, and durability, while the cells of the softer woods are scattered pretty regularly through the whole mass. To form a just estimate of the value of timber for a special purpose, it becomes neces- sary to consider its rate of growth at all ajjes, and not to be misled by observations made at one stage of its existence. Again, by trans- erring any tree to a much better than its native soil, its rate of growth may be so much accelerated as to lessen very considerably the value of the timber. The comparative rate of growth of trees varies considerably at diflferent stages of their existence. During the first ten years the Locust Tree grows twice as fast as the Oak, after which the latter takes the lead and maintains it to the end. For the first ten or twelve years of its life the Silver Fir grows but slowly, and is far outstripped by the Larch and Spruce ; b'-t it soon dis- tances all competitors, and by the time it reaches its fortieth year it surpasses them both in height and circumference. It may be ob- served that in the Pine and Fir tribes the cellular members forming the exterior part of each year's growth are possessed of greater strength and durability than the intermediate portion, as may lie seen by the ribbed appear- ance of an old and well-worn deal floor. The soundness of timber may be ascer- tained by placing the ear close to one end of the log while another person delivers a suc- cession of smart blows with a hammer or mallet upon the opposite end, when the con- tinuance of the vibrations will indicate to an experienced ear even the degree of soundness. If only a dull thud meets the ear, the listener may be certain that unsoundness exists. X. The Black Poplar (Populus nigra).— This well-known' tree is found in almost every part of the United Kingdom. It is a rapid growing tree, and in a rich fresh soil frequently rivals the Oak in size. The bark is ash-grey, but upon the branches and young trees it is of a light yellowish tint. The leaf-buds are sharp-pointed, thick and glutinous, and emit a strong balsamic odour when bruised. The Black and White Poplars are also admirably adapted for nurse trees to young plantations and shrubberies, especially in the vicinity of towrs. The Black Poplar is well adapted for planting in damp boggy soils, and it thrives exceedingly well upon the banks of rivers and lakes. The wood is sofr, tough and difficult to .'^plit. The larger roots are beautifully veined, and in some places are ii?ed for inlaid work.— J. Thinning plantations. — The thinning of plantations should in all cases be proportioned to the exposure, and should be lightes-t upon the margins which are in the direction of the prevail- ing winds of the district. Where the thinning has hitherto been neglected, it should be gradual and extended over several years, otherwise the sudden exposure may cause permanent injury. The less the crowns are isolated until the trees have at- tained their height the better for the future crop, as by too much opening out, the growth in height is suddenly arrested. Besides, at this stage of their growth the small diameter of the bole in proportion to its height renders the tree the more liable to grow crooked. As a rule, in rearing Oak groves, it may be said that if properly planted at first, thinning may with advantage be carriec^ out every ten years, until they are seventy years old, and after that time, every fifteen or twenty years, according to soil and situation. Thinning is always an operation requiring both practical knowledge of the trees and skill in the execution. When made in the right place and at the proper time, keeping solely in view the benefit to the remaining crop, we not only obtain abetter vegetation, but a superior lignification of the wood itself. In thin- ning plantations where little or no underwood is grown, the preservation of a complete canopy should be kept in view, as by this means the trees are all equally drawn up. But in coppice with standards, where the underwood is perhaps the most remunerative crop, not more than one-third the wooded area should be covered by standard trees, and these should in no case be allowed to form branches low down. Where the underwood is of a kind which springs up rapidly, the growth of side branches upon the standards will be re- strained ; but in other oases they should be pruned back the second year after the fall. It is but sel- dom that much attention is paid to the growths from stools from the period of one cutting until the next, and the result too frequently is a thick growth of small-sized and very inferior wood. But were such stools gone over systematically about the second year after the fall, and cleared of all but the strongest shoots, the produce at the time of the next cutting would become much more valuable. — B. Saving a tree damaged by rabbits —In your next issue I should be glad if you would say whether there is any mode of saving a tree whose bark has been very badly damaged by rabbits, I do not know that it has been entirely eaten round, as it has been covered by the gardener with some kind of mixture which he has plastered on. This, however, I fear, must sooner or later lie washed off, and then the result will be bad. There must be some way whereby the lives of valuable trees have been saved under similar circumstances. It is a Tulip tree about seven years old.— J. WiLSOS. WOODLAND NOTES. Evergreens in the woodland. — There are so many bright green-foliaged trees that succeed perfectly when canopied by the high branches of our forest monarchs, that there need be no excuse for the deciduous woodland being cold, bare and uninteresting. Very few specimens are required even in a large wood or plantation, for a few well- placed specimens around the margins will have an almost magical effect in transforming the bleak and lifeless woodland into a place of life and beauty. But the placing ever so well and arlistic- ally of specimens, be they single or in clumps, arounel the woods is not sufficient, that being too formal a method of dealing with vast forests and plantations of deciduous trees. What is wanted are a few clumps of the Evergreens dotted about towards the centre of the wood. In planting, too, do not forget to use sorBe discretion in laying out the clumps. The cost will not by so doing be one penny more, but the pleasure afforded when we are minus formality and stiffness can hardly be over-raled. A fine old wood of Oaks, Beeches, rugged Birches and welted Planes I would not despise, but even these are made beau- tiful by the finishing touch of a few clumps of Evergreens. A big old Holly, clothed to the ground with its handseme foliage, is a bright gem for the Lichen-covered Oak stem to rise from amongst, and no one can dery that the contrast is at all out of harmrny. The Holly too, has, the happy knack of showing off to good ad- vantage when surrounded by tall monarchs of the forest ; indeed there it is found in far better form often than when subjected to cold winds and burning suns at intervals. The trees and .shrubs that will succeed beneath the shade ard drip of trees are many. A. D. WuBSTER. "The Garden" Monthly Pavts.—ThU journal U pub- lished in neatly bound Montkly Parti. I/t tkii form the coloured plates are best preserved, and it is most suit I'tte for reference previous to the issue of the half-yearly volumes. Price ]«. 6d. ; post free, Is. fld. Complete set of "I'nm** of T'ln Garden from its cr>m-iunc nient to end oj 1 '91, fo -ty vols., price, clo'Ji, £.29 8s. "Gardening Illustrated" Monthly Parts. — This journal is published in matly bound Monthly Parti, m which form it is most suitable for reference vrevioui to the issue of the yearly volumes. PHce 5d.; post free, 8d. "Farm and Honia" Monthly Part?.— 7\ii jiurnolis published in neatly houxd Monthly Part^, in which fonn it la most suitTL^le for reference previous to t\t issue of t\t yeiriy volumes. Price 5d. ; post free, Sd. •* Hardy Flowers." — Giving descriptions of upwards 0 thirteen hundred of the most ornamental species, with directi m» for their arrangement, culture, 4cc. fifth and Popular Bdition. \s.: post free. Is. 3rf "The Garden Annual" fT i893.-Contains Jb l>a- betical Lists of all Branches of the Horticultural Trade. The Lists 'f Gardens and Coinitry Seats (containing over 9000) have been very carefully and e.ri> n lively revised, and are admitte<* to be th£ most complete enr pah'ished. Price \s. : tv post. is. fj. All of our readers icho are interested in the improvement of cottage homes are invited to htlp vs to male Coitage Gar- dening known. It is published at the very lowest prire to meet the wants of those for whom it is intended, and copies will be sent feyr distribution, free, by the publishers, Messrs. Casseli and Cmipany, La Belle Sauvage, Ludgate hill, B.C. THE GARDEN. 37 Ho. 1105. SATURDAY, J, nuary 21, 1893. Vol. XUII. "This is an Art Which does mend Nature : change it rather ; but The Art itself is Nature."— fiAa^€«p«a«. Trees and Shrubs. HARDY AZALEAS. In The G.\ri)EX of Janu.iry 7 brief reference 18 made to the l)eautiful new hardy Azalea named 'Mrs. Anthony Waterer, which represents a splendid example of tlie Knaphill race. The beautiful bush of it at the last Temple show of the Royal Horticultural Society, when, as stated by "T.," it received the award of a first-class certificate, was one of the best things in the show, and interesting as testifying to the good work accomplished by Mr. Waterer in the im- provement of this class of hardy shrub. Al- though of great beauty, the hardy Azalea is too seldom seen in English gardens, but perhaps by exhibiting large bushes of the finest types at the more important exhibitions it will make greater headway in popularity than it has done in the past. It is not from the want of varied attractions, as pointed out on more than one occasion in The Gakiien, the shrubs being effective in the scenery and producing a pro- fusion of bloom of brilliant, yet varied colour- ing, the sweet, powerful fragrance scenting the air for many yards around. During the past few years ]\Ir. Waterer has been raising up the remarkable race that one sees at Knaphill, and the variety Mrs. Anthony Waterer is one of the latest triumphs in the hybridisation of the hardy Azalea. We get the tier-like arrangement of the branches to perfection, the flowers of splendid form and of the purest white, save for a tinge of yellow in the centre of the upper segments. Such a beautiful variety might be grown for cutting, and its fragrant white flowers would no doubt be in large demand. There is a great future for the hardy " Knaphill " Azaleas, as we believe it is proposed to call them, and by hybridisation the season is being greatly lengthened, as we remember in the middle of J uly last year Mr. Waterer showed a bunch of flowering late-blooming types, even then not fully expanded. The Azaleas are not tender, living unharmed through the severest winters, but it is wise not to expose the bushes t03 much, as late frjsts sometimes intlict injury on the heavy masses of flowers. If the variety Mrs. Anthony Waterer is a model of its kind, the same fine character in the flowers there dis- played runs throughout the newer seedlings, which are very different from the old types, the flowers of which were more like those of a magni- ficent Honeysuckle. We get in the newer ac- quisitions broad, robust seguients, that stand up boldly, the upper ones slightly thrown back as if to show up the colouring, whilst a great advance is manifest as regards size, a few we measured being over 3 inches across, and in one instance fully 4 inches. Hand-in-hand with this great improvement in the form and size of the flowers is a greater range of colours, varying from the richest crimson to the purest white, through shades of salmon, yellow, orange, carmine — a galaxy of brilliant and refined tones, a perfect blaza of resplendent colour ti) fill the garden with beauty. This great result has been ac- complished by steady work, perseverance, and a firm resolution to reach a certain ideal in the mind's eye of the hybridist. We know what has been done with the Rhododendron, and the same transformation is going on with the hardy Azalea, the selecting and trial of chosen varie- ties out of thousands of neglected seedlings being pushed forward to obtain still greater per- fection in leaf, flower, and colours than has hitherto been accomplished. There are few gayer pictures to be seen than during the flowering of the hardy Azaleas at Knaphill, the bushes spreading over many feet of the rich loamy soil, displaying perfect mounds of blossom, the deep orange and yellow varieties being perhaps the most conspicu- ous not only for size of bloom, but also for in- tensity of colour. Several years elapse before it can be known whether a variety is fit to re- tain, and comparatively few are worthy of a per- manent place. It is not usual for varieties to receive a name, but such a variety as Mrs. Anthony Waterer deserves distinction. Years ago it was a common practice, as may be seen from the pages of Loudon, but it is not to be recommended unless the variety is of special excellence. Splendid effects may be gained by planting judiciously these beautiful shrubs, and they provide gay colouring at two seasons of the year — in June when the flowers are produced, and in the autumn when the leafage dies off with ruddy colours, crimson and brown min- gling and forming a striking picture. The hardy Azaleas may be grouped with happy effect on the outskirts of the lawn, forming bold masses, and in the woodland, as at Kew, they may be planted freely. A large bush of such a variety as Mrs. Anthony Waterer, backed with trees or late shrubs, would create a distinct and at- tractive feature, the leafage of the trees bring- out the purity of the fragrant Azalea mg flowers. Under such conditions the hardy Azalea is very telling, and in ordinary loarn, well drained, it will succeed ; but the posi- tion should be moist, cool and not exposed to the cold cutting winds of spring. Many Eng- lish gardens, even if not of great dimensions, can provide these simple conditions, and they gain much by free, bold groups of these charm- ing shrubs, which have been brought by skilful hybridisation and careful selection to a high state of perfection. some leaves, the Nepaulese Barberry forms a very striking feature, whose beauty is still further en- hanced when crowned with a profusiun of goUlen yellow blossoms. Its usual season of blooming is during the early months of the year, and at that time the brightly coloured blossoms are especially valuable, while they also possess an agreeable fra- grance. Being alnaost hardy this Barberry is very u.setul for planting in structures where the heatmg accommodation is somewhat limited. While several North American forms of the Ash Barberry are among our most beautiful evergreen flowering shrubs, the hardiest of the Old World species is B. japonica, which in the open ground is the earliest of all the Barberries to untold its blossoms. This species is a slurily growing plant with stout erect sparely-branched stems, clothed with leathery, dark green pinnate leaves, which on a flourishmg specimen will be often nearly, if not quite a couple of feet long. The blossoms, which are borne in erect spikes just overtopping the foliage, are of a pale lemon-yellow, and in mild winters often open soon after Christmas. The rich purple-coloured berries of this Barberry are also later on a very nolice- .able feature. This species is not alw.ays met with in a flourishing condition, as in dry, sandy soils the leaves lose a good deal of their richness of colouring upon which much of their attraction de- pends. Fairly good soil that is not dried up during the .summer will suit this Barberry best, while it is also fond of a little shade.— H. V. Grafted Lilacs.— Recently the attention of our reailers has been cilled to the serious inconvenience of grafting Lilacs on Privets. Collections of this excel- lent plant bought in France often did no good in our eardons, owing to this practice. Mefsrs. Leinoiae, of Nancy, now multiply them almost entirely by cuttings, so that we may hope some day to see the many interest- ing Lilacs of France well grown in our gardens. We believe tliat many tine plants have di.saypearcd from private collections owing to the pernicious practice of indiscriminate grafting.— Fit'/(i. Single Kerria japonica.— This Kerria U not often seen i i private gardens ; in fact, there are but few who are acquainted with it. I never met with it before I came to this place and found a good plant growing in a shrub bed in the pleasure grounds. This plant was given the owner of this garden by the late Sir A. Trevelyan, Bart., of Nettlecombe Court, near Taunton, who was a devoted lover of hardy plants and shrubs, and fiad a beau- tiful garden that ccnfained many rare and choice things. When in this garden some three years ago I saw several fine plants of this Kerria. The plant here is of good size. It grows some- what slowly and is fairly compact, needing but little pruning.— F. A. C , I'orde Ahhei/, Chard. Berljeris nepalensis. — This grand and stately member of the Ash Barberries (Mahonia) is hardv in the more favoured districts of England, while in many others it will pass through most winters iviih little or no injury, tut if the foliage is at all seared a good deal of its beauty is lost. When plantel out in a cool conservatory with ample space allowed for the full development of its hand- Ferns. TASSELLED FERNS. Many people object to the crested Ferns, but I cannot see why they should do so. The ta.sselled kinds, which are indigenous to our own islands, are more numerous than the exotic kinds, and I saw a nice collection of the crested British kinds last sea-son. I will here men- tion some of the best kinds that have crestF. I do not, however, quite agree with T. A. Jenkins, who writes to me saying, " No other varieties are worth a place in the fernery." In the first place I will notice the Lady Ferns, of which there are many magnificent forms. What could have been Mr. Moore's feelings when he first found the variety multifidum near the famous spot, the Seven Churches, in the County Wicklow? Only one clump of it, however, was then found, I was told. It has been found in other places in Ireland since, and also both m Scotland and England. There are many forms of it, all of which arc beautiful, including Elwwrthi, Vernoniie cristatum, glomeratum acrocladon, the many forms of Frizelli, meseni bryanthemoides,corymbiferum,andthewonderfu Scotch form Victoria}. Lastreas, again, yield a goodly number of fine varieties. Amongst these is Filix-mas cristata, which no person having a fernery should omit ; F.-m. grandiceps, pseudo-mas ramosissima, ramo-cristata, poly- dactyla, and many others of this section. L. dilatata produces some very elegant tasselled kinds, amongst which may be noted folioso- digitata, cristata gracilis, and polydactyla. The sweet hay-scented species aflbrds one variety well deserving of a place, viz , L. lemula cris- tata, a charming addition to any collection of these plants. Being an evergreen plant, it is all the more attractive. Turning from these to their near allies, the Polystichums, we find that, although there are only about three species which are natives, we have a large num- ber of crested forms and other varieties. As these are more or less evergreen, they make splendid additions to the cold house or other such-like place for winter decoration. Amongst the tasselled forms are P. augulare grandiceps, a fine large crested form, having the pinna' as 38 THE GARDEN. [January 21, 1893. well as the points of the fronds crested. P. an- gulare acrocladon is another plant of great beauty, having the points of the much-divided fronds ail crested, but the pinnse are not las- selled. P. a. Thompsonianum is another fine plant, having the points of the fronds heavily crested. P. a. cristatum in all of its forms is also beautiful ; so also is P. a. aculeatnm acro- cladon, a truly beautiful Fern, the top being much-branched and forming an immense large crest, while the points of all the pinnas are neatly tufted. Then we have another fine form in corymbiferum. Of the Hart's-tongue Fern the crested forms are almost endless, but amongst the best must be named ramo-crista- tum, a grand form, grandicejjs, and cristatum. Another curious kind is oapitatum, with heavy terminal crests. Other very beautiful forms are Coolingi, Malcomsoni, and sagittato-cris- tatiim, all heavily crested. I must not forget to mention the common Polypody, P. vulgare, of which there are a few tasselled kinds, includ- ing grandiceps, a beautiful plant, cristatvmi, and bitido-cristatum. Ne.xt comes the Hard Fern (Lomaria Spicant), with hard, persistent, and evergreen fronds, which make it desirable as a pot plant. To have these plants grow well they should be potted into good leaf-mould, to which have been added a little peat, loam, and sand. The plant wants good drainage and plenty of soft water. In L. Spicant glomerata we have a densely crested f'lrm, in Aitkeni- ana a much-branched frond, and in ramo- cristata a form much branched at the apex, each branch bearing a good-sized crest ; multo- furcata, flabellata, polydactyla, and .serrata rigida are also pretty. The two crested forms of the Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis cristata and ramo-cristata, are also worthy of a place n any (.•oUection. Wm. Hugh Gower. Notes of the Week. Adiantum Legrandi.— Although not by any means a new Fern, yet it is far from being com- mon, being admirably adapted for button-hole flowers. It is best described as a close and dense- growing A. gracillimum. It is not adapted for growing into large specimens, and not being a strong grower it does not increase rapidly, but sufficiently so to keep up a fair stock.— A. Y. Chrysanthemum W. H. Lincoln— My reason for calling attention to this Chrysanthemum at this season is to note what an excellent kind it is for late blooming. I have now plants (the middle of January) in excellent flower. These were grown on a bush plant which was not disbudded, the result being that the terminal buds are open at this date. The flowers do not, however, open in sprays, but singly ; but their size amply compen- sates for any deficiency in this respect. — A. The Claret Vine.— A rod from a plant on the outside, introduced into an unheated shady fernery here, yearly produces clusters of fruit which from their almost jet-black colour and covering of a dense bloom in combination with the superbly hued fading foliage are very ornamental. The berries are small, not larger than Peas, with a juice of almost inky blackness, yet when quite ripe they are not to be despised for the table by those whose palates incline towards a pleasant tartness Amongst hardy plants there is not perhaps one to be found with such gorgeous autumn foliage not excepting the Virginian Creeper, but the addition of fruit clusters, which it does not appear to yield in the open air, contributes greatly to its attractive- ness,—J. M., Charmoiith, JJorset. Begonia Gloire de Sceaux.— A grand group of the above variety at the meeting of the E H S showed how valuable it is at this season' The group was charming on account of the beautiful metallic foliage, in addition to the rich deep rose- coloured blooms. Mr. Jennings is to be congratu- lated on such well-grown plants. It was de- servedly awarded a first-class certificate, and it is to be wondered at that no certificate had been previously awarded, as the variety is not new. This Begonia is not suitable for the London district, as the fogs cause the blooms to drop wholesale, and without great care the foliage also, so that it is necessary to warn intending cultivators not to expect good results near a town. With pure air and good culture the above variety is one of the best for winter-flowering, growing and blooming freely. Pernettyas at Oakwood.— Pernettyas fruited especially well with us last year, and have been greatly admired by visitors to the garden at Oak- wood. The birds have now eaten some of the berries, and the hard frosts have injured others, but we can still pick handsome bunches from the lower parts of the bushes. The plants came originally from Mr. Davis, of Hillsborough, County Down, the plants shown by him in the Drill Hall having tempted me to order a complete collection. We find them grow best in a mixture of vegetable soil and loam in rather damp situations, and fruit best in sunny places. There are so many shades of colour ranging from white to deepest crimson, that they help the garden in the duller time of year, and come in useful for church decoration both at the harvest festival and at Christmas. — G. F. Wilson. Carnation Celia.- In Thk Garden (page S) " High Peak " writes that he cannot find Celia Carnation in any of the catalogues he has looked through. Messrs. Veitch sent out this fine border Carnation, and it may be found in their list of varieties. I am glad to know Saccharissa is so good for autumn flowering, and that it is sweet. IMde of Penshurst is almost, if not quite, scent- less. Being of good constitution, the colour much in demand, and also late flowering, one cannot do without it. I looked over a large collection of fine new varieties last season (French seedHngs), but was much disappointed to find in nearly every one that I was especially taken with that perfume one expects to find in the Carnations was almost if not quite absent. There are many beautiful Carnations now, none of them, as far as I am aware, with the delicious perfume of the old Clove. Hybiidisers should try aad perpetuate that deli- cious odour in the new varieties that are con- tinually being raised and put before the public, — W. Allan, (rvnton Park Gardens. Fremontia californica,— I am disappointed that only a single letter on the subject of Fremon- tia californica has appeared in your pages, and that merely telling us how difficult it is to grow. The difficulties we knew before, and it my memory serves me right they have been mentioned before in The Garden, But has no skilful nurseryman yet surmounted these difficulties? Has anyone even tiied? We all know plants of which the cultivation has afterwards become easy that on their first introduction to this country have puz- zled gardeners, I would mention as one the Bou- gainvillea. Fremontia californica is so grand and beautiful a shrub, that it will wellrepay all the care and trouble that can possibly be spent upin it. I attribute the neglect of it as much to the fact that very few have ever seen it in flower, as to the difficul- ties attending its propagation. It would be interest- ing to know if it is cultivated in California or else- where in North America, or anywhere on the con- tinent of Europe, I only know of two places where it really succeeds in England ; one in the Isle of Wight, the other in Cheshire- both, be it observed, near the sea. -W. Wickham. Acacia longifolia.— Flowering as this Acacia does in pots 8 inches or 10 inches in diameter, it may be included in the comparatively small num- ber of species which repay cultivation in small houses where room cannot be afforded for the more satisfactory plan of planting them out. Al- though it is not perhaps so beautiful when in I flower as Acacia armata or A, pulchella, it pos- sesses the great advantage of blooming some months earlier and at a time when the furnishing of the conservatory with flowering plants is not a very easy matter. It is at the same time a very handsome plant, and produces its cylindrical heads of flower in great abundance if properly grown and ripened off in autumn. Each head of blossom is 1-J inches long and bright yellow. The oblong phyllodes (leaves) are deep green and about 4 inches in length, with prominent longitudinal nerves, A most important point in the cultivation of this and other Australian Acacias is to tho- roughly ripen off the growths in autumn ; if the plants can be plunged out of doors from June up to September this practice should be adopted, and with specimens planted indoors every means should be taken to give them plenty of light and air. Acacias like to be kept moist at the roots at all seasons, — B. Dendrobium Farmeri. — Although this species is, as a rule, to be seen in bloom during the months of April and May, we have noticed it in flower dur- ing the past week at Kew. The section of Den- drobium to which it belongs — that, namely, which also includes D. thyrsiflorum, D, chrysotoxum, and D, densiflorum— is remarkable for the soft and delicate colour of the flowers, and the species under notice is no exception to the rule. Like the other species mentioned, it bears its blossoms in long pendulous racemes from near the top of its square, four-angled stems. Each flower is Ij inches across, the sepals and petals of a pale straw colour tinged with delicate rose. The lip being of a soft golden yellow makes a pretty con- trast, its delicacy of colour being still more im- proved by the pubescence on the upper surface. The value of several members of this group is lessened on account of the short duration of the flowers, those of D. densiflorum, for instance, last- ing only four or five days. D. Farmeri remains in beauty, however, at least twice as long as that. The species is spread over a wide area in its wild state; from Moulmein it reaches northward to the Himalayas. It was brought into cultivation In 1847, having, like so many other of the older Den- drobiums, been sent to England from the Botanic Garden at Calcutta. Dendrobium Linawianutn. — Of the several well-m,irked groups constituting the genus Den- drobium there is none of so much value and im- portance from a purely horticultural standpoint as that to which D. nobile belongs, and is, indeed, the principal member, D, Linawianura is not only of the same group, but also bears a close resemblance to some of the best varieties of D, nobile. It is one of the oldest of exotic Orchids, having been intro- duced as long ago as 1824, but for some reason or other it is not now common. It has erect stems, as in D. nobile, and they are of about the same height but flatter and show distinct angles ; the leaves are also similar in size and shape and remain two seasons on the stems. The flowers are produced from the upper nodes in twos and threes, and in- dividually measure about 2 inches across. The se- pals and petals are white at the lower half, chang- ing towards the apex into a bright rosy-purple. The same arrangement of colour occurs on the lip, which is, however, marked in addition with two spots of purple in front. We have found this spe- cies to thrive under the same conditions as D, no- bile, which means giving it abundance of heat and moisture during the growing period, gradually reducing these when the stems have reached their full size, until finally the plants are suspended near the glass in a dry light bouse with an average temperature of about 50° in winter. As the flower- buds show up the plants are returned to rather moister and warmer conditions. The species is a native of China and Japan, the credit of its first introduction to this country belonging to the Royal Horticultural Society. It has been in flower since the new year. Messrs. Williams mention a variety called majus with flowers 4 inches across. The English Flower Garden. — Design, Views and Plants. T/'ird ed/tion, refined, tritk many new Illustrations London: J. Murray^ and through all booksellers^ January 21, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 39 Flower Garden. TALL-G ROWING WINDFLO WERS. A^TiiNi:sT tlie humlreds of hardy flowers grown in gardens, few genera are more popular tlian the Windrtowers. They are pretty evenly dis- tributed in temperate regions all over the world, and from the tiny vernal Windflower (A. vernalis) of our high Alps to the gigantic A. Fannini, recently introduced from Natal, where it blossoms from September to Decem- ber, we have almost every gradation in height, habit, size and colour of flowers. From the dazzling A. fulgens, through the magnificent and varied shades in A. coronaria, to the insig- nificant A. jiennsylvanica we have yellow, purple, blue, Ac, all of them with a distin- guishing character. The new A. F;innini lias large, white, fragrant flowers, "> inches in dia- meter, its leaves, when full size, measuring from 1 foot to 2 feet in diameter. It is said to have stood our winter in the open air, but we are not aware of its having flowered outside yet. It is, however, likely to prove a useful flower- ing ])lant in the cool conservatory, where it •should be i)lanted out in a light place and plenty of room allowed for development. Windflowers, as a rule, prefer deep rich soil, li"ht and gritty for the running kinds, and rather on the moist side for those from the high alpine pastures. If avoidable, they .should never be disturbed. The majority of them are readily propagated by roct division and by seeds, which they ripen freely in most seasons. These should be sown as soon as gathered, when they will quickly germinate, and a season thereby be saved. The following notes refer only to the tall-growing species known to us in culti- vation : — Alpine Windfloweb (A. alpina), although one of the very commonest species in alpine districts, being found on almost every mountain in Southern Europe, is by no means so plentiful in gardens as one would suppose. This may in a measure be accounted for by its slow growth, its dislike to being disturbed, and the probability of its being what we call a short-lived plant. It is a variable species, and has a large and complicated synonymy, so many botanists having named the merest varieties and classed them as species. The most distinct vaiiety known to us is one called sul- phurea, A. alpina var. apiifolia of the botanists. The flowers in this plant are pale lemon or sulphur. It makes a charming border plant, beautiful in flower and also in seed, the bunches of long feathery tails being very effective in autumn. The type grows from 1 foot to 2 feet in height, forming long strong roots which require a deep soil well drained, and with a quantity of old mortar mixed with it. The flowers are white, pale purplish outside, distinct and showy. The leaves of both are deeply cut. Fern-like, and effective when grouped. It flowers Id April and May. The Japan Wihdfloweb (A. japonica) is de- cidedly the finest of the tall-growing Anemones yet introduced, and one of our best autumn-flowering hardy plants. It is a native of damp woods on a mountain called Kifune, in the neighbourhood of Miaho, Japan, and was first introduced into England by Fortune. It has lately been found in Burmah, however, and may have a still wider distribution than was supposed. If disturbed, the Japan Wind- flower takes a long time to become e.stablished again, two or even more years being required to overcome interference unless very carefully handled. Our plan, which we think a good one, is to establish offsets in shallow bo.xes, and plant out the whole without breaking the sdII. The white variety alba or Honorine Jobert is particularly handsome and easily managed ; the great secret seems to be to prepare at first a good deep bed of rich heavy soil and to leave the plants alone. A. j. var. hybrida or elegans [is said to be a cross between A. japonica and A. vitifolia, a nearly allied Himalayan species. We have no means of either disputing or verifying this statement, but from our knowledge of A. vitifolia we would doubt very much its being one of the parents ; the pi'oba- bilities are, as in the case of Honorine Jobert, that it is a break, or iiport, or else a seedling. When fully established, and showing signs of degenera- tion, supply the needful in the shape of a heavy top-dressing, and this left on the ground all through the summer will be found beneficial. A. NARCi.ssiFLORA, of which the cut on p. 43 re- presents the flowering stem, is a charming hardy species distributed in the Alps of Central and South Europe, Western Asia, Siberia, North-west America, Windflowers goes, one of the worthiest of a place in the flower border or rockery. It is found at an elevation of 10,0011 feet to 12,000 feet above sea level, and is quite hardy enough to withstand all the vicissitudes of our severest winters. It is not at all particular apparently either as to soil or situation, and flowers witli a profusion only sur- passeil by the Jaiianese species. It usually blooms in June and July, coming in between the earlier and later forms, continuing in flower until suc- ceeded by A. japonica. In partially shady posi- tions it grows higher than in the open, varying from li feet to 3 feet, and bearing an abundance of flowers quite equal to any of the other species. It has been confounded with A. obtusiloba, a spe- cies with golden yellow flowers, not, so far as we know, in cultivation at present. In A. polyanthes the stems and leaves are densely silky, the latter five to seven-lobed, about 4 inches in dia- meter, and having long petioles. The flowers are about 2 inches across, many in an umbel, white or tinged purplish on outside and very showy. It is increased either by seeds or division. The seeds sown when gathered give no trouble. A. RivtJLABis. — This is a well- known garden plant and a good second to polyanthes and others of the tall-growing section (f Wind- flowers. It is perhaps one of the easiest to manage, making an excel- lent border plant and not being at all particular as to situation. The roots do not run so much as in some of the other species, and it is there- fore not so troublesome to keep in its place. The rootstalk is stout, the lower leaves three times divided, the segments lobed and evenly serrated. It generally grows from 2 feet to 3 feet in height, bearing flattened heads of many flowers, star-shaped, 1 inch to 2 inches in diameter, white and often purplish tinted outside. It flowers in summer, and is perhaps the commonest Windflower of the temperate Himalayas. Increased by seeds and division. The Snowdrop Windflower (A. sylvestris) is not, strictly speaking, a tall-growing species, and should hardly be included here were it not for its charming free-flowering habit, its woolly seed heads in early autumn, and its adaptability to the wild or natural portions of the gar- den. It should be naturalised in quantities both in our woods and shrubberies, where, if the ground is free from strong weeds, it will soon establifh itself and form large groups, under which condition it is always seen to best advantage. It flowers in May and June, the blooms being followed by the woolly seed- heads, which hang loosely together for a long time. The flowers are large, white, and in the bud state and also in the Himalayas. It is by no means a drooping and somewhat resembling Snowdrops, common plant in gardens, although a very useful j hence the common name. It is easily propagated and showy species. It is one of the freest flower- ' by offsets, which may be planted as desired when ing in the group, each stem carrying (see cut) a i taken off. It is a native of Central Europe and large head of fine delicate white flowers in a set- Siberia, and should be in every collection, ting of bright green leaves, and making in itself A. viroiniana.— An American speciesofnomcan quite a charming bouquet. It does well in the ] beauty, but unruly in habit, and only fitted for the ordinary border, requiring a sunny .spot and rich I shrubbery border or the woodland, where it can hght soil. It makes a fine display in early sum- '• run at will and take care of itself. The flowers, mer when doing well. It is said to be allied to A. i which are pure white, are produced all through the polyanthes by intermediate forms, none of which summer. Its nearally, A. pennsylvanica, is a weed are known to us in cultivation at present. A. nar- that never ought to find a place in the garden. Also cissiflora rarely exceeds a foot in height ; the a native of North America, leaves are palnately five-parted, and the divisions A. VFTIFOLIA.— Arareand beautiful species from AnemuUf rivularis. Engraved fur The Gakiii-,.n fium a ph.jtograph sent by Miss Wolley Dod, Edge Hall, Malpas. deeply cut into narrow linear lobes. It deserves a place in choice collections. A. POLYANTHES. — This is one of the most charm- ing and, so far as our knowledge of Himalayan Nepaul, where it is said to be one of the commonest of native fiowers. It is one of the reputed parents of A. japonica var. hybrida, and although much resembling A. j iponica, it is readily recognised from 40 THE GARDEN. [Januart 21, 1893. that species and flj (vers much earlier. It thrives best in a somewhat shady spot, or where the soil is stiff and rich it will do well in the open. It gets damaged in severe winters and should be pro- tested when the weather is at all severe. It grows from I foot to S feet in height ; the lower leaves are from 5 inches to 8 inches in diameter and deeply five-lobed. They are smooth above, bnt densely covered with a thick tomentum beneath. The flowers are borne in decomposed flattened pani- cles, pure while, and about 2 inches in diameter. It may be increased by division or seeds. D. THE LILIES OP CHINA AND THIBET. In a note addre.ssed to the International Bo- tanical and Horticultural Congress, which was held at St. Petersliurg in the year 1884, Mr. H. J. Elwes, one of the monographers of the genus Lilium, mentioned only ten species of this genus (and three of these doubtfully) as being indigenous to the Chinese territory and Thibet. He added, however, that it was pro- bable that other new species would be dis- covered in other parts of these regions, and especially in the mountainous districts of Western China. Since that time, which is not so very far back, the progress of events has fully justified Mr. Elwes' anticipations, so that at the present date, counting only the species which have been received at the herbarium of the Museum at Paris, we can reckon up twenty- four species of Lilies as belonging to the flora of China and its Thibetan frontier, and of which fourteen species have only been met with in the provinces of Yun-uan and Su- tjhuen — that is to say, in the localities which Mr. Elwes had indicated as likely to aft'ord fresh accessions of hitherto undiscovered species. It must be admitted, moreover, that the number of species here quoted is by no means a final or exhaustive total, as it is only the number which has resulted from the collections made by three Fi-ench missionaries (MM. Ar- raand David, J. Delavay, and M. Farges), who could only search for plants in a few places. We may now, therefore, affirm that the moun- tain ranges of China must be considered as the great central native home of the genus Lilium, which in this respect is analogous to many other genera, of which in Europe we have only a more or less feeble reflection — for ex ample, Ligularia, Leontopodium, and Rhodo- dendron, or even Piimula, Gentiana, (fee. The study of the species of the genus Lilium (of tlie Chinese and Japanese species, at least) has been rendered very difficult by the multi- plicity of the forms under which they are found in cultivation. In fact, contrary to what is usually the order, namely, that the wild forms of plants are described first, that is, before the species have been in any way modified by the gardener's operations, we find that many Lilies have been described for the first time from cultivated .specimens. These Lilies have, for the most part, really come from the countries of which they are said to be natives, but their introducers found nearly all of them in the gardens of those countries, where they had become more or less modified in form, the Chinese and Japanese gardeners being, as we all know, past masters in the art of transforming plants. Hence it has resulted that horticul- tural publications abound with magnificent figures of Lilies, which we can hardly term exaijgerated when we compare tiiem with the cultivated subjects from which they were taken, but which too often mislead the bo- tanist who endeavours to identify these illus- trations of highly improved forms with the humbler wild types of the same species. I may here remark that in these cultivated sub- jects the form of the perianth is usually altered, and to such a degree, that it is almost impossible to recognise a Lilium japonicum, for example, when one sees this plant as it is figured in our horticultural journals or even in Mr. Elwes' monograph. The group-classifi- cation of the epeoies of Lilies being based upon the characteristic form of the perianth of each species, serious difficulties arise when one has to compare a cultivated form with its wild type or what is considered to be such ; and the diffi- culties are still further increased by the cir- cumstance that the straight or re volute direc- tion of the divisions of the perianth is fully established at a late period only, and usually after the fertilisation of the flower. With the object of, as far as possible, getting free from this double source of perplexity, I have souglit for other characteristics whereby tlie examination and comparison of any two Lilies might be eSected in a more practical way and with greater precision. I think I have dis- covered several characteristics of this nature which, it is rather surprising to consider, have not hitherto attracted attention. Thus the filaments of the stamens, which are glabrous in the greater number of the species, are in some others furnished with papillose hairs, and this is indeed the only characteristic whereby it is possible to accurately distinguish Lilium Browni from L. longiflorum. The nectariferous furrow likewise furnishes reliable points of distinction in the case of certain species which in other respects arc very much alike. Thus this furrow may be reduced to a very .slight depression at the midrib of the petal, which, however, always exhibits the peculiar viscous secretion in its lower part, and of this form of the furrow ex- cellent examples may be seen in the species of the Cardiocrinum section, and also in L. spe- ciosuni. In some other species the nectari- ferous furrow is margined on each side by a thin plate-like process, which is more or less prominent and either entire or fimbriated. Sometimes this plate-like process is reduced to a slight thickening of the margin of the furrow entirely covered with papilhe. Some of these peculiarities have already been described by Mr. Baker, but he has never dwelt upon the u.se that might bo made of them for purposes of classification. It will be readily understood that these dis- tinctive features, which can be examined and noted without any difficulty, taken in combina- tion with some other points of diflference, enable anyone to distinguish difl'erent species from one another with much greater ease and exact- ness than is aflforded by the method of forming a judgment from the more or less spreading or more or less involute trend of the divisions of the perianth. It is to be hoped that the characteristics which are noted from the smooth or hairy sur- face of the filaments of the stamens, and also those which are exhibited by the nectariferous furrow, will prove to be the means of reveal- ing the true origin of some cultivated forms, which is at present rather doubtful ; and this consideration has induced me to draw up ohe following synoptical table, which, although it only refers to the Chinese .species in the her- barium of the Museum, might be very easily extended so as to include all the known species of Lilies : — Section I. — Cakdioceinum. Leaves heart-shaped, nectariferous furro.v broad, bare and glabrous. A. Inflorescence centripetal, the lower flowers opening first. 1. ilium cordifoliiim (Thunb.). — Lower leaves clustered together in a whorl at the distance of from 8 inches to 12 inches from the bottom of the stem. L. ffii/antcuiii (Wall.). — All the leaves disposed in a scattered manner from the bottom to the top of the stem. B. Inflorescence centrifugal, the upper flowers opening first. L. mirahile. — A new species. Section II. — Eulibium. Leaves linear or lanceolate, and narrowed at the base. A. Bulb thick, ovoid, formed of numerous fleshy scales which are closely imbricated. a. Perianth very large sized, narrowly tubular — at least in the lower half. L. lonijitlorum (Thunb.). — Nectariferous furrow and filaments of the stamens glabrous. L. Bi-orrni (Brown). — Nectariferous farrow and filaments of the stamens bearing short papillose hairs. A. Perianth regularly cup-shaped from top to bottom ; divisions straightly perpendicular to the base of the perianth or inclining outwards at the upper part only. t Flowers white or with a slight purplish tinge on the outside of the segments. a. Filaments of the stamens and nectari- ferous furrow covered with small papillose hairs, L. formosum. — A new species. Flower very large. p. Filaments of the stamens and nectariferous furrow entirely glabrous. L. ini/riopfii/lhim. — Anew species. Flowers very large, and leaves very numerous on the stems. L. tjunnanense. — A new species. Flowers ave- raging li inches in length. Leaves not numerous, f f Flowers of a cochineal or wine-lees red col- our, and almost always spotted with brown or black, a. Style much longer than the ovary. L. Velacayi. — A new species. Nectariferous furrow bare and gl.abrous. ji. Siyle of the same length as the ovary or barely exceeding it. L. ciiiicolor (Salisb., var, pulchellum). — Nectari- ferous furrow margined with a p.apiUose plate-like process. c. Perianth having the divisions completely revolute — at least, when the bloom is nearly over. t Divisions of the perianth having large-sized papilla; scattered over their interior sur- face. L. sjcciosum (Thunb). — Nectariferous furrow bare and glabrous. ft" Divisions of the perianth without any large sized papillce on their interior sur- face. a. Nectariferous furrow margined with a papil- lose plate-like process. * Flowers white, spotted with brown or with vinous-red. X. Dtichartrei (Franch.) — Stem leafless in the lower part and quite smooth, or having a few scat- tered papilltc. L. pap i infer II III. — Anew species. Stem leafless in the lower part and covered with small papillai. L. lanhmi/ense. — A new species. Stem covered with le.aves from the base up. ** Flowers yellow spotted with brown. L. Daridi (Duchartre). — Divisions of the peri- anth woolly on the veinings of the outside, and having only two scales on the inside. L. Fan/csi. — A new species. Divisions of the perianth glabrous on the outside, and having from four to si.K scales on the inside at the base. *''* Flowers orange-red or bright orange. 1. Leaves narrowly-linear. L. siitcliiieneiisi'.—k new species. Perianth marked with larg.e black spots. L. ti'iiiiifiiliiiiii (Fisch.). — Perianth without spots or only slightly dotted. JAXUAnr 2], 1893.] THE GARDEN. 41 I' 2. Leaves lanceolate or lanceolate-linear. X. liijrinum (Gawl.). — Stem woolly and buUii- ferous. L. pxciido thjiiinim ^Ca^r.)• — Stem glabrous, not bulbiferous. /3 Nec'ariferous furrow glabrous and bare. L. talicnse. — A new spfcies. Flowers purplish, spotted with brown. L. ochraceum. — Anew species. Flowers yellow, without spots. B. Bulb narrow, oblorg, formed of lanceolate- shaped scales, which are not very numerous. L. oxhjH'tnlum (Baker). — Divisions of the peri- anth spreading. Stem bearing from one to two flowers. c. Rhizome bearing very small bulbils, each of which consists of a .^carious ten-sided envelope in which are enclosed from four to si.x thick (leshy scales. L. Tliomjysonianvm (Lindl.). — Divisions of the perianth bfll-sbaped. Stem bearing many flowers. I Desciuptioks op the Foregoikg Species. /.ifiii?n cort/ifolium (Thun ) (L. giganteum, Franch.). — A Chinese species, found in the province of Kiang-si in mountain ravines near Kiu-kiang. In my "Planla^ Davidiana: " I had thought it possible to refer this Kiu-kiang lA'iy to the L. giganteum of Wallich, but not, however, without some reserve, and described it as an intermediate form between the two species, as it exhibits the large dimensions both of plant and flower which are s'en in L. giganteum along with the same arrange- ment of the leaves which is found in L. cordi- folium. It is described in a note of M. David, its collector, as " a liliaceous p'ant, growing Gk feet high, with leaves arranged in a whorl at the distance of 1 foot from the ground.'" As this arrangement of the leaves constitutes the only characteristic which at present enables us to dis- ting uish L. cordifolium from L. giganteum, we must set down the Chinese Lily as coming very close to the Japan species, at the same time that we maintain L. giganteum to be a distinct specific type. X. giganteKm (Wall.).— A native of China and found in the province of Yun-nan in forests on Mount Maeul-chan, at an altitude of 2500 mfetres ; also on Mount Lopin-chan above Lan-kong ; also in the province of Hu-peh, on mountains around Ichang ; also on the mountains of Moupine, in Eastern Thibet, on the frontiers of Su-tchuen. A tall-growing species which comes very near the L. cordifolium of Thunberg, being distinguished from the latter only by the different arrangement of the leaves on the stem. In L. cordifolium the stem is bare in its lower part for the space of about 1 foot, at the upper part of which there is a whorl-like arrangement of leaves, those on the rest of the stem upwards being disposed alternately and hav- ing a somewhat heart-shaped base ; while in L. giganteum all the leaves are placed alternately from the top to the bottom of the stem. Other characteristics which have been mentioned as dis- tinctive ones in the case of the-e two species are not very constant. M. David, for instance, says that in the L. giganteum found at Moupine the lower leaves are of a bronzy colour or spotted with red, so that this feature cannot be peculiar to L. cordifolium, as the descriptions of the latter state. Also, the number of the flowers, their erect or drooping inclination, the dimensions of the peri- anth and the height of the stem are now found to be by no means cons'ant in wild specimens. Mr. Baker says that the seed-capsules of the two spe- cies are identical, but the valves of the capsule of L. cordifolium have in the middle of their dorsal surface a veining, or at least the rudiments of a veining, which never occurs with the capsule of L. giganteum. In connection with this I may remark that in the figure of the capsule of L. cordifolium, which is given by Siebold and Zuccarini, the thick- ness of this midrib of the valves is exaggerated in a very singular manner, so that it has quite the appearance of a keel, which is not correct. L. niirahlle. — A new species from the district of Tchen-keou-tin, in the province of Su-tchuen, China. This i-^, I think, the only species of Lily in which the inflorescence is centrifugal, that is, in wliicli the upper flowers are the first to expand. It is a very elegant kind with flowers of large size, seven to fifteen in number, placed very close to- gether, narrowly tubular, the divisions of the perianth eventually assuming an inclination at right angles to the tube. Stem nearly 4 feet high. Leaves arranged similarly to those of L. gigan- teum. L. lo)iijijl::riim (Tlumb.).— Found at Tamsui, in the i-land of Formosa ; also in the Loochoo Islands, and these are the only localities from which I have seen specimens of the plant in a wild state. The specimens which come from tie continent of China are all referable to Lilium Browni. L. longiflorum is largely cullisated in every part of Japan, and is figured in almost all the nalive descriptions of (he plants of that country, but at the same time a foreign origin is assigned to it, and from what Savatier was able to ascertain about it, it appears that the nalive horticuUui-ists and botanists have a tradilion that this species was imported by some famous warrior from certain small islands lying very much south of Kiu-siu, which agrees very well with what we know of its native habitat. In L. longiflorum the perianth is entirely white on the exterior, or sometimes slightly tinged with a greenish hue. Its lower half or third [art forms a narrow cylindrical tube, while all the upper part is more or less inclined outwards or even slightly reflected. The nectariferous furrow and the fila- ments of the stamens and also the style are per- fectly glabrous in every part, tn specimens of the wild plant the perianth is seldom more than about 5 inches long, and its divisions are often very little deflected; all the stem in the upper two-thirds of its length is covered with narrow, linear-lanceolate, closely-set leaves, the lower ones of which are longer and more narrowed at the b.ise, the upper ones becoming abruptly shorter and being somewhat broader comparatively. The characteristics of the leaves and the length of the perianth vary much in cultivated specimens, and this diversity has given rise to numerous specific n.imes, the best known of which are L. eximium. Court; L. Takesima, Hort. ; L. Yama-juri, Sieb. L. Harris! (Hort.) is ahso probably another form of L. longiflorum, but I have not had an opportunity of examining either the nectariferous furrow or the stamens of the flower of this Lily. L. JlrotvniiV. E. Brown) (L. longifloium, Franch., PlanlK David. (nonThunb.) ; L. japonicum, forma, Baker). — A Chinese species found in the island of Chusan ; also on the hilU around Kiu-kiang, in the province of Kiang-si ; also in the district of Tchen- keou-tin, in the eastern part of the province of Su-tchuen ; also in the neighbourhood of Ichang, in the province of Hu-peh. L. Browni exactly resembles L, longiflorum, but its flowers are larger, being from G inches to 8 inches long in wild speci- mens, and the divisions of the perianth are tinged with violet on the exterior. The most reliable distinctive characteristic of L. Browni is the pre- sence of a more or less dense down of small papil- lose hairs en -the margin of the nectariferous furrow, and on the filaments of the stamens, and frequently on the style. It is rather strange that this peculiar feature is not noticed in any of the descriptions of this Lily, except that in the short description of it in the " Flore des Serres " there is some uncertainty expressed as to whether the filaments of the stamens are not " f-lightly papil- lose," but the descriVier (M. Ch. Lemaire) goes no further than this. Mr. Baker refers L. Browni to L. japonicum, basing his judgment on the form of the flower, but the shspe of the perianth of L. Browni, which is exactly the same as that of the perianth of L. longiflorum, does not appear to warrant such a reference, if we take as the typical L. jap'jnicum the plant which was distributed under this name (and rightly so, as I think) by M. Maximowicz, and which is found in the wild state on the mountains of Senano. This Lily of Senano (which is very well figured in the Japanese work on native plants named " So-Mokou dzous- setz," vol. v., page 74, under the name of "Tamoto juri" — white Lily) is very clearly characterised by its lanceolate and distinctly stalked leaves, and especially by the 0|)en cujj-shapcd form of the lierianth, which resembles that of L. elegans, Thunb. (L. Thunbergianum, Schull), but is of the purest white colour. It is certain that if L. Ja- ponicum, as it is figured in the Jlotanlral Mm/a- ziiir, t. 15111, in the " Floro des Serres," pi. STO- UT? (L. odorum), and in the Monograph of Mr. Elwes, tab. 13 (L. Kraiueri), is identical with the Lily of Senano, which very probably represents the type of Tliunberg, it must bo admitted that no other species of the genus Lilium has been altered in form to such a icmarkable degree by cultivation. I should rather be inclined to think that Thunberg's .species is still confined to her- bariums, and that the Lily which was long since introduced into Europe under the name of L. japonicum is an entirely different species, which at the time of its introduction had previously l)een modified by the clever Japanese gardeners from some wild type not yet known to us. L. formosinii. — A new species, found on the mountains of Tchen-keou-lin, in tlie eastern part of the province of Sii-tchuen, China. One of the finest species of the genus. Stem about :! feet high ; leaves lanceolate, stalked like those of L. japoni- cum, Thunb. (non hort.) ; flowers white, broadly campanulate, opened out like those of L. elegans (Thunb.),borneercct,onetotwoin number. Nectari- ferous furrow, filaments of the stamens and style pubescent, as in L. Browni. . X. Diyriijihijlhim. — A new species, found amongst bushes in stony places on the Mo-so-yn Mountain, in the province of Yun-nan, China. A superb Lily resembling L. Wallichianum, Schult. (non Wight), in its numerous linear leaves, but differing from that species in the characteristics of the rhizome, and also in bearing its flowers erect and in the opened-out form of the perianth. Stem from 'A\ feet to over G feet high. Flowers white, usually two in number, erect, on short foot-stalks. L. yunnanense. — A new species, found in mea- dows and on the hills of Tapin-tze, in the province of Yun-nan, China. Stem from 1 foot to 2 feet high, slender. Flowers solitary or, rarely, two or three, white or slightly tinged with purple on the exterior, resembling the flowers of L. japonicum (Thunb.), but smaller. Leaves like those of L. elegans (Thunb.). L.Delarayi. — A new species, found on rocky hills above the lake of Lan-kong, in the province of Yun-nan, China ; also on the calcareous declivities of Kou-toui ; also in the pastures on the Yang-in- chan Mountain ; also amongst bushes at Houang- li-pin, above Tapin-tze. Stem frjra 1 foot to 2 feet high, slender. Flowers solitary, r.arely two or three, like those of L. candidum in form, but having the divisions of the peiianth more recurved, of a reddish brown colour very much resembling that of the flowers of Fritilla'ia Mele.agris and almost similarly marked with dark spots. L. eoiirolor (Salisb.) — Found in the mountain forests of Gehol, in Northern China. The variety pulchellum (Baker) occurs on the Sy-lin-chan Moun- tain, west of Pekin, in Northern Cliina. In all the wild specimens in the herbarium of I he Museum at Paris the divisions of the perianth are marked rather plentifully with dark spots. The variety Buschianum is probably only a more robust-growing form of the plant. L. spec'insnm (Thunb.). — Found on the mountains around Kiu-kiang, in the province of Kiang-si, China, the only locality from which the herbarium of the Museum at Paris has received .specimens of the wild plant. From lime immemorial this Lily has been cultivateel in Japan, but no collector appears to have ever met with it outside of gardens in that country. Some authorities arc of the opinion that the unspotted, pure white-flowered form (L. Broussarti, Morr.) miiht be the typical form of L. speciosum ; but, in opposition to this opinion, it may be stated that in the specimens found growing on the mountains near Kiu-kiang the perianth is covered with deep purple spots. L. Duchtirtrci, Franch. PI. David. (L. speciosum, Thunb.; var. gracilior parvifolia, Duchartre). — Foimd in Eastern Thibet, on the low mountains of Moupine; also on the mountains around Ta-tsien- k 42 THE GARDEN. [Jan-l-art L'l, 1893. loii, in the province of Sii-tchuen, China; also in woods at Kou-toui, above Mo-so-yn, in the province o£ Yun-nan. Flowers white, dotted with purple ; divisions of the perianth obtuse, spreading broadly and curved backwards, but not revolute as in the other species of the Martagon group. Nectarifer- ous furrow margined by a thin plate-like process which is fimbriated with papilla?. M. Delavay found on the Yang-in-chan a Lily very like L. Du- chartrei, but having purplish flowers more or less spotted with brown, and of which the divisions are narrower and m^re acute, the leaves of the plant also being linear-lanceolate. This is pro- bably a distinct species. Mr. Elwes (Monogr., pi. 4S) thinks that the Moupine Lily might well be a form of L. polyphvllum (Dau.), and Mr. Macintosh (The Garden, Vol. XLX , p. 180) probably al- luded to the same plant when he said that, judging from one of M. Davi'i's specimens, one might sup- pose that L. polyphyllum grew on the frontiers of China and Thibet. L. Duchartrei differs clearly from L. polyphyllum in having a short, ovcJid bulb formed of broad fleshy scales ; also by its very papillose nectariferous furrow ; while its yellow- polleneii anthers, the invariable absence of large papillns from the inner surface of the divisions of the perianth, the character of the nectariferous furrow, and the narrowness of its leaves leave no room for confounding it wiih L. speciosum, in which the form of the perianth is also very diffe- rent. L. pnpilliferum.—k new species, found on rocky ground at Choui-maouan, above Tapin-tze, in the province of Yun-nan, China. Stem about a foot high, dowry. Flowers one or two in number, drooping at first and finally assuming a horizontal direction : perianth small (about 2 inches long), with a short tube and recurved, sub-revolute seg- ments, and of a dull red colour. This species comes pretty near L. Duchartrei, but differs from it in having narrower leaves, a papillose downy stem, and also in the colour of the flowers. L. lanhmtjense.—A. new species, found in China at Lan-kong, on the eastern slope of the Lopin- chan Mountain, in the province of Yun-nan ; also in the woods on the Hee chan-men Mountain, at an altitude of 2800 metres ; also in the woods of Kou- toui, Mo-so-yn. .Stem from 1 foot to 2 feet high, downy, leafy almost to the base. Flowers solitary, or more frequently two or three, long-stalked, drooping at first; perianth white or purplish marked with black spots; divisions oblong, spread- ing at a short distance from the base and incurv- ing. Nectariferous furrow papillose. Filaments of the ani hers glabrous. This species differs from L. Duchartrei and L. papilliferum in having the stem leafy from the base up— a very rare occur- rence amongst the Lilies of this group. L. Davidi (Duchar're). — Found on the Thibetan frontier, on the lofty mountains which divide Mou- pine from the province of Su tchuen. L. Fartjcsl. — A new species found in the district of Tchen-keou-tin, in the eastern part of the province of Su-tchuen. Stem slender, 4 inches or less in height. Flowers solitary, or sometimes from two to ten arranged in a pyramidal raceme ; perianth small (2 inches or le-s in length), yellow, marked on the inside with numerous purple spots ; divisions lanceolate, ultimately becoming entirely recurved. Nectariferous furrow papillose (?). Fila- ments of the stamens glabrous. A very handsome species, coming near L. Davidi, which it resembles in habit and foliage, but from which it differs in having the exterior surface of the perianth quite glabrous, and also in having two small fimbriated plate-like processes running parallel to each side of the nectariferous furrow. L. sutchuciuc (L. tenuifolium, Fisch. ; var. puno- tatum. Bur. and Franch.).— Found in the neigh- bourhood of Ta-tsien-Iou, in the province of Su- tchuen ; also on the mountains of the district of Tchen-keou-tin, China. Stem slender, from 2 feet to over 3 feet high. Flowers solitary or from two to four, borne at the extremities of long ri^id branches ; perianth of a deep orange-red colour marked with numerous black spots; divisions re- curving from the middle only, and papillose on the inside near the nectariferous furrow. Filaments of the stamens glabrous. This is a more robust- growing Lily than L. tenuifolium. Its leaves are equally linear, but somewhat broader, and its flowers are nearly as large again and are covered w!th black spots ; the styles also are two or three times as long as the ovary. L. tenuifolium (Fisch). — A native of Northern China, where it abounds on all the hills in the neighbourhood of Gehol ; also in the province of Potcheli and at Yen-dze-keou, west of Pckin. L tifirinuin (Gawl.). — Found in Northern China; also in the neighbourhood of Pekin (a doubtful native habitat, however) ; also in the district of fchen-keou-tin, in the eastern part of the province of Su-tchuen, where it is cultivated for the starch which is extracted from the bulb. The herbarium of the Museum does U'jt possess any specimen from China which can be certainly said to represent the wild plant, which is also found on the Arigawa Mountain, near Hakodate, in the island of Yeso, Japan. L. 2^''eudo-tiiiri)ittm (Carriere). — Found in the district of Tchen-keou-tin, in the eastern part of the province of Su-tchuen, China. Stem devoid of axillary bulbils. Leaves linear or very narrowly linear-lanceolate. Divisions of the perianth nar- row-clawed, reflected outwards in the upper half and not revolute from the base, as they are in L. Maximowiczi, with which species Mr. Elwes has united it in his Monogram, pi. 40, fig. 4. L. talicnse.— k new species, found on the moun- tain-neck of Koua-la-Po, at that part of it which stretches up from the road leading from Tali to Hokin, in tlie province of Yun-nan ; also on bare, stony declivities at Kou-toui, above Mo-so-yn, China. A slender-growing Lily, about 3 feet high. Stem roughish with papil'a; and without leaves for some distance on the lower part. Leaves rather closely set, linear or narrowly linear-lanceolate Flowers solitary or two in number, whitish, and eiiher spotted or without spots; perianth very similar to that of L. lankongense, but having the nectariferous furrow bare and very glabrous. L. ocliraci'um. — A new species, found at the foot of the Tchang-chan Mountain, in the province of Yun-n.an, at an altitude of 3000 m&tres ; also in mountain woods above Tapin-tze and amongst bru.shwood at Kan-hay -dze. Stem slender, 3 feet to 4 feet high. Leives linear-lanceolate or lanceo- late, all disposed in a scattered manner. Flowers from one to three in number, yellow and without spots; perianth tubular for a third part of its length ; divisions oblong, incurving, sub-revolute. Nectariferous furrow bare and glabrous. Filaments of the stamens glabrous, style three times as long as the ovary. L. specio^um, L. ochraceura, L. taliense, and L. polyphyllum are the only four Asiatic species of the Martagon group in which the nectariferous furrow is bare and devoid of papillfe. It is only through confounding it with L. Duchartrei that L. polyphyllum has been ascribed to China — up to the present, at least. This last-named Lily is distinguished by the nar- rowly-oblong shape of its bulb, which is composed of a very small number of thin lanceolate scales; while in L. speciosum, L. ochraceum, L. taliense, and L. Duchartrei the bulb is similar to that of L. Martagon. L. oj'i/petalum, Baker (L. triceps, Klotsch ; Frltil- laria oxypetala, Royle). — Found amongst bushes on the Tch,ang-chan Mountain above Kouang-yn- tang, near Tali, in the province of Yun-nan, at an altitude of 3000 metres ; also on the slopes of the Maeulchan, at an altitude of 3500 metres — China. A small and little-known species of Lily. Peri- anth very widely opened out, of a pale violet colour, with purplish spots on the throat. Nectari- ferous furrow bare and glabrous, and not very distinguishable. Style hardly longer than the very short stamens. Bulb narrowly oblong, formed of a small number of rather thin scales. Capsule small (less than 1 inch in length), oboval, truncate at the apex, and having six acute angles. L. T/io»ijiximiannm, Lindl. (L. roseum. Wall.; Fritillaria macrophylla, D. Don). — Found in cool shady places on the mountain-neck of Yen-tzehay, in the province of Yun-nan ; also among Bamboos on the Tchang-chan Mountain, above Tali, at an | altitude of 3nOO metres; also at Ta-tsien-lou, in the province of Su-tchuen, China. Rhizome bear- ing numerous stalked bulbils of small size (about a quarter of an inch long) with eight to ten promi- nent sides and oval-acute at both ends, composed of a scarious envelope which encloses from four to six thick, fleshy, closely imbricated scales. — A. FliANCHET, in the Journal tic Botanique. FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. With the lengthening days comes the thought of what one is likely to want for the flower garden in the coming summer besides things already esta- blished there, and although the bulk of propagating either by cuttings, seed or division can stand over for another month, the end of January is not too soon for the commencement of the work. Among seeds that may be put in at this time are those of tuberous Begonias (single and double), the filvery Centaureas and all hard seeds which either require a long germinating season, or which represent plants that have to reach a considerable height before they are turned out. Among the latter may be mentioned the trailing Coba;as (both green and variegated), Cannas, Grevilleas, Acacias and the like. These ought to be of good siz'? by, say, the middle of April, so that the hardening off can be thoroughly and satisfactorily performed. I like to be farly with all things required as vase or box plants, and indeed with all plants that, having to occupy very prominent positions, should be tho- rouglily good stuff from the very outset. A few special notes taken last year respecting this par- ticular branch of summer flower- gardening gave the green and variegated Cobans as the very best subjects for quickly and effectually clothing bal- conies, balustrades and any similar places against which boxes or p.ans may be placed. I have pre- viously used the Cob,-cas sparingly associated with the Canary Creeper and the Japanese Hop; but last year the Tiopseolum was not satisfactory and the Hop is late in the year in getting at its best, so we shall use the Coba;a? alone this season — al- ternate pl.ants of the two varieties. Two specially good front trailers last year were Campanula car- patica alba and Mme. Crousse Ivy-leaf Pelar- gonium ; a mixture of these has a wonderfully pretty effect. Old stock of the Campanula can be divided and placed in 3inch pots towards the end of the month, and the necessary number of the Ivy-leaf transferred to similar pots at the same time, and other good things likely to be required and which may also be started early, are nice little plants of Fuchsiis, Heliotrope, tuberous Begonias, the woolly Graphalium and Petunias. I can also recommend the new Dracfena-leaved Beet if an occasional bit of this colour is required. Among the earliest things to be propagated are Verbenas where they are used extensively, the object of this early propagation being to secure good plants some 5 inches across by the beginning of May. A general examination of all stock plants is advisable early in the year, so as to form a nearly correct estimate of the amount of new stuff re- quired, and a sketch and summary of the work contemplated in the flower garden, and the numerical strength of colours placed in the hands of the propagator so soon as he may be ready for it. This is imperative, as if speciil colours are wanted in particular positions, there may be a substitute provided if the plants intended for such sites have partially failed, and the amount of old stock in hand does not warrant the supposition that sufficient number could be furnished. Thus if the stock of Verbenas is small, an extra batch of seedlings may be raised, or a goodly supply of Phlox Drummondi provided in their stead. Chelsea Gem, a pronounced and clear variegated Pelar- gonium, dwarf, and compact in habit, or Cen- taureacandidissima, as the height is required, may take the place of a white-flowering Pelargonium, and Golden Harry Hieover Pelargonium or the dwarf Golden French Marigold be substituted for Calceolarias. Three special notes taken last year at about the brightest time referred to the advisa- bility of bold planting for large beds, an objection Jaxiaiu 21, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 43 to a too liberal use ot foliage in some situations in connection with wliat is known as subtropical bedding, and greater care and taste in planting mixed beds, and it may be well to refer to them thus early in the season pending propagating operations. Of the first of the notes, preparations for large beds should include large Fuchsias and Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums with a goodly supply of the Sweet Tobacco, Begonia Worthiana and B. ascotensis, especially the former, variegated Abuti- lons and free-growin;; Petunias and Heliotropes. Largellowering tuberous Begonias may be used, but'l do not like them so well for very large beds as the two varieties above named, unless it be as a carpet that is rather thickly studded with bold plants. Very few Pelargoniums are admissible even when they attain a considerable size. I have, however, used old plants of Y. V. Raspail as a groundwork for Nicotiana affinis, and the result was a handsome bed. Planis that have been flowering all through the winter are admirable for the purpose : they can remain on a side shelf for a time after flowering, and if headed back slightly will break well and flower all the summer. In the matter of a too liberal use of large fine-foliaged plants in the flower garden, it must be remembered that whilst they may be useful to tone down and relieve masses of bright colour, it is a mistake to employ them almost e.xclusively in certain spots if the natural surroundings in the way of tree and shrub life already furnish a brave display ot many- hued leaves. One of the most ornamental plants of recent introduction for the purpose is probably Nicotiana colossea. It is also of very easy culture. Sown at the same time as affinis and pricked off into bo.'jes, it will make grand plants quite early in the summer. Of the last note, the planting of mixed beds, I think it advisable to suggest a little e.xtra care in this direction, especially as this style is coming rapidly to the front with each succeed- ing year. A mixed bed tastily arranged with good plants is a capital feature, but another planted haphazard with a lot of weedy rubbish presents only a sorry appearance from start to finish. If a certain number of mixed beds are to be planted, it is well, therefore, to decide early what will be re- quired for them, and let the neces.sary raaterinls be propagated and set apart for their special benefit. Care should be taken to select those things that are likely to last through the season ; refurnishing is a nuisance and the result seldom satisfactory. E. Burrell. Claremoiit. little of fuss is made ; they give rise, happily, to | no wrangling, and are in no danger of being strangled by tlie cruel love of the rule-of-thumb florist.— A. b. Verbenas. — Whilst very little interest can be found in Verbenas grown in pots and kept under glnss, or planted out in frames where they may pr.iduce fine trusses of flower to be bunched for exhibition, there is much that is interesting and beautiful in plants grown in the garden any- where or anyhow in the summer. Whilst named varieties are still grown in some gardens, and last year I met with stock of Purple King, Scarlet Defiance, and other old ones at Abinger, Surrey, yet the bulk of plants seen in gardens now is raised from seed, which has so far become assorted that plants can be furnished from seed, white, blue, scarlet, and flaked coming fairly true to colour. That form of raising plants is so simple because no trouble is given to put in cuttings in the autumn or to keep them safely through the winter. It is rather a surprise to find that with so strong a taste prevailing for mixed flower beds in the summer, especially ot the kind that has a Summer Chrysanthemums. — There is so much heard about the Japanese and Chinese Chrysanthemums in the autumn and winter, that we are apt to forget how much we owe to various other members of the family at other periods of the year. The f rutescens forms, after all, are, in a general decorative aspect and especially for market purposes, perhaps of much more importance than are any other varieties or species, for they bloom under judicious treatment for fully eight months, will make first class pot plants at any lime, are employed in vast quantities for domestic or win- dow decoration, for greenhouses, and for bedding purposes. They can be propagated from cuttings as easily as can any greenhouse or bedding plant we have, and the flowers are of the most beautiful kind for ordinary uses when cut. This frutescens Chrysanthemum does not lend itself to the win- ning of prizes at shows;hencewe hearsolittle about it. Of hardy annuals, there are the golden-flowered single forms of sfgetum, the double white and yellow varieties of coronarium, all wondrously profuse bloomers ; the singularly varied and beau- tiful forms of tricolor, some of which may be said to present the prettiest of single or Daisy- like flowers in cultivation. All these we can have from seed with the greatest facility and in bloom for fully five months if sown for succession. Then the giant Daisies are also Chrysanthemums, and leucanthemum, maximum, lacustre, and the tall uliginosum give of perennial forms a wealth of beautiful flowers from .June till the end of Oc- tober. .Still, of all these forms little is heard. and standing the pots on the floor of a temperate house or in a gently heated f-ame does not take long, and once done there can be no doubt what- ever but that great advantage is gained. It it be desired to have extra e:ii-ly flowers, some of these pot clumps of Sweet Peas may be shifted later into '.)-inch pots, and in these be early bloomed. If wanted for the formation of clumps in the borders, they can be turned out about the middle of April, when the plants are ('. inches in height .and thus liaving ample room and well staked will pro- duce clusters of growth and flowers of the most desirable kind. If, on the other hand, wanted to form a long row or line, the clumps turned out from the pots may be divided into two, then be planted in a shallow trench at 9 inches apart, and in that way will soon develop into a beautiful hedge of flowers and foli.age. A sowing made in the open ground just at the time these are planted out will give a capital succession for late summer and autumn flowering, and will then be less likely to suflier from the depredations of mice or birds. When sowing the more recently-introduced varie- ties, it is decidedly the wisest course to sow the seeds in pots. There is sometimes danger from mice even in houses and frames, but in such cases the pests can be dealt with. -A. D. Anemone narcissifiora. Eugraved tor The Gaiiden from a photograph sent by Miss Wolley Dod, Edge Hall, Malpas. (See p. 30.) Stov/e AND Greenhouse. NEW PLANTS AT THE TEMPLE SHOW. At the Temple show in M.ay the following were awarded first-class certificates, the most prominent amongst them being cer- tainly the beautiful batch of fine-foliaged plants from the Continent, well grown and well shown. These were Smilax argyrea, a lovely silvery variety ; Tradescantia Kegina; and T. superba, two superior and distinctly marked varieties of vigorous growth ; Dichorisandra musaica gigantea, quite a major form, very handsome; also Lavisia smaragdina, and Stenandrium Lindeni, two promising dwarf plants. Two distinct additions were also to be seen in Pteris tremula densa, which species now appears to be fruitful in sports, and P. serrulata gracilis, an elegant variety, but narrower in the growth. Selaginella elegans comes nearest to S. apoda, but to all" appearance freer in its growth. Of plants to which awards of merit were made, note .■■hould be taken ot Gloxinias Clio, Cicely, and Claribel, three distinct acquisitions, all possessing that dwarf free habit so desirable in this race of plants. Croton Reidi comes nearest to C. Andreanus, but has more rosy mark- carpet of creeping plants and tall plants thinly ings. Dracaena Barlett^ a dark-leaved^^^^^^^^^^^ disposed, seedling Verbenas are not largely em- P«^^«^^^«/ g^°^^^'^^^'*'„^f°ttTous'^^Beg^^^^^^^^ ployed for carpeting purposes. White, blue, and i°g ^md. 1 he li.st of tuberous lieg^ma scarlet hues blend%-ery well, and would make urther ^^f ^ed to t^ five ^^^J'f '^^ • ^J^^f ^^^^ °^ capital groundwork for Fuchsias, Cannas, India- Westminster (<;annel K^ a orange yenowflowefs ; rubbers, or similar plant-. Seed may be sown in «^"f y-7'*4/i^„/°'.„ ^lS a^^^^^^ warmth during February or early in Marf and Duches4 o^ W^t->^^^^^^^^ ' will with ordinary care give strong, well-hard- ts blossoms oi -^ Triumoh a wonderfully ened plants in 3-inch pots to plant out towards hght '=?,'?f y.,j^^;„"g/^i^^'XPeW finT^ the eild of May. It is an advantage that, once fine double .^'ff^/^^y P'"^^ °°fff,i''4,ietv edged well seasoned Verbenas are fairly hardy, -uch P.cotee a distmct a^^^^^^ more so indeed than are inany other summer bed- , "'' '^ J" fi^^'^^'eXa fine double, ^ith deep scariet dine plants. We cannot use Begonias, now so Kothscnim, an exua uuc ' , , , J. ^. mufh'the rage, for filling beds everywhere, and , flowers of much substance a^^ good Jab, ■ Car_ Verbenas have a grace arrd elegance about them -^^^^ «- J; ^ZZVol valuabL a; a pot that even Begonias lack. — A. D. scenieu wjn^^ , t Sweet Peas.— Quite safe from the attiicks of P ''^" ' , , ^ i i „„, „„o-.,r,l« fn both mice and birds are Sweet Peas when sown From the time of the Temple show onw.^ ds ^ thinly in i.J-inch pots and stood in agreenhouse or the end of the yearthe f°"°wingaddit.onsshou d be frame. Perhaps in gardens where there is much to ^ noted as having ^f^^'^-^d awards of J^^l'^„^J^^\ do, every little labour of this description renders nias furnished furiher .additions in 1 he Beacon a do Dg it well difticult ; still, the Hlling of ICO H,- >^elf-colouredreddishcrims^onvey rich, and Ln^^^^^^^ InchVts with soil, sowing in tach one several | a spotted forrii ^U'' l'™^'', ,f,'^,^ ."^A'^e d^^^^^^^^ ceeds adding a little more soil, watering freely ' Caladiums, already very Lumeious, have d^ciaea 44 THE GARDEN. [January 21, 1893. acquisitions added to (hem in Mme. Edouard Pynaert, a fine bronzy red, and in Marguerite Gelinitr, in which yellow and pink predominate. Adianlum macrophyllum ttria'um, distinct it is true and very pretty as shown, wants (o be seen in a more advanced stage. New Pelar- goniums were recognised in Fireball, a deep ceri-e, and Souvenir, a ro.^y lilac, whilst in Rosy Gem th? flowers are almost self-col- oured. In the Ivy -leaved decorative class Ryecroft Surprse, a double variety, should be an acquisi- tion, being of good compact habit and very free, the colour a rosy pink. Another decorative florists' flower bidding fair to be useful in its class is Petunia Scbwester Bonafatia, a very full double, with dark pink fimbriated flowers. Tuberous Begonia Meteor is best described as a very superior form of B. Pearcei, and should prove an efliective bed- ding variety. Another called Princess May is a very promising double, the colour a pale primrose, and of beautiful form. Further, in Baronne de St. Didier there is an addilion to the light yellow doubles, shown from two sources. The pure white Gloxinia Her Majesty is the finest vaiiety yet raised of its colour, the habit excellent, the flowers large, pure in colour, and of much sub- stance. Campanula pyramidalis compacta should prove a good addition, the height of the type being frequently too much, especially in low houses. In the compact form this ought to be obviated. At the Fern and Begonia conference at Cbiswick there were four very promising new exotic varieties of the former shown ; these were three forms of variegated members of the Pleris family, which were recently allude-l to by '■ Filices " in an article on '■ Variegated Ferns," no further remarks thereon being necessary now. Another Fern, however, deserves further notice as shown on that occasion, viz., Nephrolepis daval- lioides multiceps, which is dwarfer than N. d. furcans, being of a more compound character ; it should become a popular decorative plant. These were all awarded first class certificates. A beautiful dwarf fine-foliaged Begonia received the same recognition. It was named Marie Louise, and as a small-growing variety, as well as in its hand- some markings, isan acquisition. Another kind.Mme Alamangy, received the same honour. This has more of the character of the true Rex tvpe. Aspa- ragus deflexus received the sime award. It is a most beautiful basket plant, even in a cool house To tuberous Begonias Earl of Cranbrook, Dnke of Fife, Lady Gertrude, Picotee, and Lord Esher awards of merit weie made ; these Hre all marked advances on the double varieties usually grown Coleus Distinction at the same show was duly re- cognised. It is a dark leavtd kind and a vigorous grower. Later in the autumn two decorative zonal Pelargoniums were duly approved of one a fine and premising double c.dled Rt.spai'l Im- prove,!, best describel by the adiective added to the original name, and another, Mme. Bondeviile a pale cerise with deeper eilges to the petals' Croton Beatrice Hor^fall rec-ived the award of merit. It is a distinct sport (?) from interruptum and should prove useful in its class. To the fol- lowing plants first-class certificates were awarded at various meetings following the Temple show with the exception of the conference meeting viz ' Ixora Westi (see coloured plate, Dec. 3 1X0")' Dipladenia atro-purpurea Claikei, a distinct' va- riety and free-flowering ; Calla Pentlandi, one of the yellow-spathcd varieties, the richest in colour and the finest yet seen exhibited in this country Crinum brachynema, a very beautiful variety as well as a useful one to supply cut flowers in Its season; Sarracenia Farnhami, a very richly coloured and most distinct hybrid, quite an ac quisition to its class; Aristolochia gigas var bturtevanti, a monstrous flowering variety and a unique plant, quite remarkable; Pteris nivalis a further addition to the variegated class', Tacsonia Smythiana, a richly coloured and promis- ing hybrid; DracKua australis var. rubra an extra dark form of D. Veitchi, of rolmst gr-owth ■ Rhododendron multicolor Neptune, a ve^-y nro' fuse flowering variety, pure scarlet in colour- Hoya imperialis, quite an o'd, but still a grand variety, worthy of extended culture ; Begonia decora, a dwarf bronzy-leaved species from Malaysia, and Camellia Sasanqua (single red), recently described (see p. 519, last vol.). Of Car- nations suited to pot culture particular note should be made of Mrs. Leopold de Rothschild, a cross between Miss Joliffeand the old Clove, beautifully scented, of good habit and free flowering, the colour deeper than in Miss Jolifle, the flowers fringed. Mrs. Hemsley is another choice addition (see coloured illustration for March 2G, 1802). An- other called Yellow Queen, of free growth, should also prove useful, but it will take some time to surpass Germania; this new variety does not apparently burst its pods. Another called George Fry has bright scarlet flowers and the perfume of the Clove, the latter being always a recommen- dation. Other Carnations will be dealt with amongst hardy flowers, whilst new Chrysanthe- mums have been so fully described as to require nothing further about them at present. G. H. Carnation Alice Ayera in pots. — I am aware that this Carnation is not generally recog- nised as a winter-flowering kind, but that it is worthy of being classed with that section of this useful flower has been evident in Mr. Slade's nursery at Taunton for several weeks past. He has had in a house, the temperature of which was a little hi.;her than that of an ordinary greenhouse, plants in S-inch pots that have produced as many as six and seven flowers, and this without any special preparation of the plants for winter bloom- ing. Tlie plants I allude to were obtained from 'ajersin the open ground. They were put down early in August last, but seeing that they showed an ii.clnation to throw up a flower-spike when the layers were potted in the autumn, the strongest plants were put into larger pots, -ivith the result I have just stated. I never have seen any more promising plants, even when they had been raised from cuttings early in the spring, and grown on all summer in the usual way. The explanation of the behaviour of the plants referred to appears to be that the variety possesses a vigorous habit which when planted in a suitable soil enables it to form roots as well as numerous roots. The character of the variety is robust, and the size of the individual blossoms is much larger in the winter than is usually seen in those grown specially to bloom at that season. — J. C. Clabke. Hyacinthus candicans in pots.— Those who coutemplate growing this useful bulbous plant in pots should not lose any time in securing their stock. It is frequently the practice to order them with the seeds at this season, and it is a very good plan. But do not let them lie about for some little time after arrival ; this will tend to weaken the bulbs. Rather pot them up at onc3 ; three bulbs in an 8-inch pot will answer very well. If there be no frost in the ground after this work is done, it will be found a good plan to plunge them out of doors, covering the pots some 2 inches or 3 inches with ordinary soil. If given one watering no more attention will be needed after this until dry weather sets in about May or June. Later on as the flowers show colour the plants can be lifted and taken inside. By sprinkling a little sand upon the surface of the soil after potting, the soil in which they are plunged will part readily at that place. This is an easy method of growing this bulb, and will be found much better than having the pots exposed, with the additional labour of watering when it may readily be dispeased with by plunging deeply.— H. G. Azalea mollis.— "H. P." at page 4 does well to call attention to the value of home-grown Azalea mollis. Whether home-grown plants turn out as satisfactory as imported ones will depend entirely upon those whose business it is to produce them. In the case of home-grown plants I have noticed that the colours of the flowers have not been sufficiently diversified ; whereas in imported plants this feature is quite marked. If our home nurserymen are to compete with the foieigner with Azalea nj' 'His, this is what they wi'l have to look to. No d-uibt some of o-ar great Surrey growers of this class of plants do give sufficient attention to this, but it is not so generally. I have some large plants which were imported several years since, and they make a fine display every other season, as after being forced one year they require the following season to recuperate them- selves. When brought on slowly into flower later in the season, these plants are the more likely to bloom the succeeding season, but when forced early they will not do so. Those plants which were exhibited so early in bloom as December 13 at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society were established in pots, at least for a season, as for early forcing I find the results are more satis- factory when thus grown. New plants when obtained should be potted and plunged in leaves or cocoa-nut fibre refuse in a cold frame, which will assist in their becoming established before being forced. If potted and put into heat almost at once, the blooms certainly develop, but they fall off very quickly afterwards. With plants already established this is not likely to happen, and they last in bloom for some time. — A. Y. Pelargoniums r. Chrysanthemums. — That certain classes of plants have their season of popu- larity, and after that gradually drift from the high position they have attained, is brought prominently before one by noting the diliferent Pelargoniums and Chrysanthemums that have received recognition from the Royal Horticultural Society during the past season and tea years previously, viz., in 1S82. In this last-mentioned year no less than forty-seven varieties of Pelargoniums received certificates, and only six varieties of Chrysanthemums. True, the now defunct Pelargonium Society was then at its height, and to the trials conducted by it at Chiswick many of the certificates are no doubt due. Again, in 1881 no less than thirty-eight varieties of Pelargonium were awarded certificates, and not a single Chry- santhemum, while in 1880 the Pelargoniums num- bered twenty-one, and the Chrysanthemums only one, and that the yellow-flowered form of the Paris Daisy (Chrysanthemum frutescens). In 1S!12, how- ever, quite a different tale must be told, as, exclu- sive of those certificated by the National Chrysan- themum Society, no less than twenty-four were recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society, an-l only seven Pelargoniums, made up of one decorative, three of Mr. Turner's show varieties, one double- flowered Ivy-leaved, and two zonals, one of them single and the other double. With such changes as this continually taking place it is probable that in another ten years some classes of plants little thought of at the present day will be occupying a prominent position. — H. P. Rog-iera g-ratissima. — This Mexican shrub is now, I believe, included in the genus Rondeletia, but it is at all events better known under that of Rogiera. It is essentially a greenhouse plant, requiring much the same treatment as two other charming winter-flowering subjects, viz , Luculia gratissima and Daphne indica. The Rogiera forms a much-branched bush, and when in good health will flower freely. The blossoms are in general appearance and the manner in which they are borne somewhat in the way of the Laurustinus, their colour being a soft pink. The individual blooms remaia some time in peifection. As a rule it succeeds better when planted out than it does in pots, but in any case care should be taken that the compost is such as will remain open and sweet for a very long time. A mixture of peat, loam, and sand will suit it well, wh'le a liberal sprinkling of nodules of charcoal will also be of service. A light airy house is essential to its well-doing, as wliere at all close and stuffy the leaves are liable to be attacked Ijy thrips, which soon work havoc. A pure atmosphere is also very necessary to this Rogiera ; conseciuently in the neighbourhood of London it as a rule suffers terribly during the winter. — H. P. Jasminum gracillimum. — This Jasmine, which was introduced from Barneo about a dozen years ago, soon became very generally cultivated, but of late I fancy it is not so often met with, for what reason 1 cannot say, as its pure white star- January 21, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 45 like blossoms nre bcrne in ereat iirofii-iin, and not only are they very beautiful, but also deliciously scented. It will grow and tiower well as little bushes in pots 6 inches or more in diameter ; while planted out it forms a very desirable plant for fur- nishing a small pillar in the stove or in any such position. In this way the branches dispose them- selves very gracefully, and when laden with flowers a good specimen of it ranks among the best of stove-flowering plants. It will succeed in any ordinary compost, and may be readily struck from cutiings of the young growing shoots in the spring. When first introduced, I was very successful in obtaining a stock from cuttings of the roots, which were simply cut up into lengths of an inch or more and dibbled into pots of sandy soil at such a depth that the upper part of the root was just below the surface of the soil. Then plunged in a gentle bottom-heat in a propagating case, they soon commenced to grow and quickly formed plants.— H. P. MIGNONETTE IN POTS. Mignonette for early spring flowering may now be sown. Where only a limited quantity is re- quired, a shelf close to the glass in a house where just sufficient heat is given to keep out frost will be the best position, or a mild hotbed in a pit will bring the seed up quickly. In the neighbourhood of London or any place where fogs prevail, it re- quires some care to keep the early sown Mignonette from getting spindly and weak, and it is liable to damp off while in the seed-leaf. During bright weather a little warmth with plenty of air will be beneficial, but in dull, foggy weather it should be kept as cool as possible. Although the early-sown Mignonette requires a little extra care, it will well repay the trouble, for it will come into flower at a time when it is most appreciated, and last better than that which comes into bloom after the weather is warmer. Any plants th.it get too thin or straggling for flowering in pots wid be useful for planting out. In growing Mignonette in pots it is essential that the pots should be filled firmly with a good loamy compost, with which may be mixed a good proportion of well-rotted manure. Soot should be mixed with the manure before add- ing it to the other compost ; this will kill any worms or other insects. Old lime rubbish is also a valu- able addition, especially for the early sowings, as it helps to keep the soil sweet. The seed should be sown fairly thick, and as soon as the plants are large enough they may be thinned out, but not too much at first. From six to nine plants in a 5-inch pot will be suBicient after the final thinning. Plenty of light and air is essential, but cold east win'ls are very damaging, and it will be better not to give air than to expose the plants to a direct east wind. As soon as the plants are large enough to require it they should have more room, and when they are an inch or from that to 2 inches high liquid manure may be used, commencing with it well diluted and gradually increasing the strength. Great care should be taken that it is used in a clear state. I find a great difliculty in making young men understand that all liquid ma- nures should be allowed to settle down and never be used except in a clear state. Thick, muddy manure not only stains the foliage, but it forms a coating over the surface of the soil and effectually prevents evaporation and absorption. There are some very distinct varieties of Migno- nette, but names are rather misleading. The varie- ties may be divided into three distinct forms, viz., red, white, and yellow. In the rel varieties the colour is given by the numerous anthers, the petals being of a greenish white and inconspicuous ; in the yellow the anthers are yellow, and in the white varieties the petals are much enlarged, and the anthers are very small and sometimes entirely absent. Parsons' White was the first distinct white variety, and although there are now many different names, I have not met with anything better than the original. The best and most dis- tinct red vaiiely is Vilmorin's grandiflora. I do not know the hlstoiy of the jellow variety. Golden Queen, All the abjve may be obtained under various pet names. I may mention Machet as an- other distinct form ; this has very thick spikes of bloom of a greenish white. This and Vilmorin's are the most popular for market wo k. While speaking of varieties I may allude to the curious double variety shown by Messrs. Balchin and Sons a few years ago. In this variety the seed-vessels were superseded by lateral spikes of bloom, the lower ones running out to some length, the original petals much enlarged and white. A most inter- esting variety, but it can only be propagated from cuttings. V. H. SHORT NOTES.-STOYE AND QREENHOUSE, Kennedya eximia.— To the list of Kennedyas named by " H. P." I should like tn add eximia. Tbis is really a very pretty kind, the flowers being scarlet, and also very freely produced. The growth is also rapid, and in tw > years a plant would corer a largo spac9. — Y. S. Erica hyemalis major.— This is a variety which does not appear to be sufticiently known con- sidering its merits. It ditl'ors from the old typ9 in having larger flowers, but what really onhauces its value is that it is later iu coming into bloom. The old type is just now goiug out of flower, whilst the variety major is just comiug in. It forms a good con- necting link between hyemalis and that superb early spring flowering kind, K. Wilmoreana. — Y. S. Azaleas and the fog.— Few plants suffer so much from the dense fogs m the Loudon district as the Indian Azxleas, for many of them lose their leaves entirely, and very few of these can be expected to flowtr. Some varieties are, however, much more aff'ected than others. For instinc3, Sigismund Hucker, which is very commonly grown, is oue of the most sensitive of all; while a second equally common, Mme. Van der Cruyssen, retains its foliage better than any other variety.— H. P. Chrysanthemums. SHOWING CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN CALIFORNIA. To THE Editor of The Garden. Sir —I have been greatly interested in the dis- cussion on methods of showing Chrysanthemums which has appeared in recent issues of The Gar- den. I am especially pleased with the proposi- tions of "West Country Exhibitor" in The Gar- den of December 10. If the writer would come further west he would find that the ideas of exhi- biting, which he presents interrogatively, have been actually realised, and with most satisfactory results. For a new country, we are making com- mendable progress, I think, in our flower shows. We lack the experience which has enabled your growers to produce incomparable results in indi- vidual blooms in many classes, though in Chry- santhemums we have reached a higher standard than with other flowers. But we seem to have been impelled from the first by a longing for the artistic in arrangement, and the results are very pleasing. Californians who have visited your great shows complain of the stiffness and me- chanical severity with which your competing blooms are staged. They say that your flowers are marshalled in columns parallel, interminable, monotonous ; that each flower is a specified height, and is tilted at a certain angle ; that the boards or boxes are wholly unprovided with artistic environ- ment ; that thousands of most beautiful flowers are arranged l.ke criminals with their heads in the stocks, &c. This is, perhaps, an exaggeration. Until I read the anicle of " West Country Exhi- bitor" I supposed it must be so; but when this writer pleads so gently for a bit of Maiden-hair, for a little relief bv potted plants in the lines of competing blooms," and for a little foliage and a little more stem of the plant beating the bloom, I begin to wonder if it can be possible that your show managers are so mercilessly exacting or your exhibitors so indisposed to make any expenditure of time or monty for artistic effect, as has been described to us. , Allow me to assure "West Country E.fhibitor that my experience is thut all his questions as to the desirabilitv of doing more for artistic effect can bo answered' with a decided aflirmative. At the show of the California Stale Floral Society la.st month, in the largest audience room in San Francisco, the first prize coUtclion of Chrysanthe- mums in the professional cl;iss was formed of blooms on 15-inch to IH-inch stems, set in jars like Hyacinth glasses, the whole space on the table between the glasses filled with small pots of Maiden-hair, who.se fronds rose high enough to conceal the receptacles and give the effect of Chrysanthemums rising from a bank of Ferns. As tlie space occupied was aliout HO feet by G feet, it was not to be wondered at that the exhibit attracted much attention. This was only one of the styles adopted. Nearly all the exhibitors gave their exhibits artistic dressing; in fact, prizes of high value are offered for the most artistic display in professional and amateur classes. A similar effort for pleasing environment is made at our Rose shows. We are just beginning to use the English style of Rose boxes with funnels and tubes. We find our Roses reach the shows in far better condition than otherwise. We make larger boxes, however, so as to admit of buds and foliage with the full fiowers, and we wholly conceal the box in mounting the exhibit. This is done in many ways. Perhaps the most striking was the covering of the box with dyed sawdust, the niound rising from the green edging of the table to the height of the box placed in its centre and extending between the blooms, conceding the tubes and descending on the other side till the farther edge of the table was reached. The effect was that of a mound of chocolate-coloured loam rising from a low edging on all sides, and bearing upon its highest part the staged exhibit. It was a very clever imitation of a well-kept Rose bed, and the contrast of the colours of the Roses upon the dark ground was very striking and pleasant. Similar use has been made of Moss, not mossing the box alone, but all the vacant table space around, show- ing the Roses upon a slope of green. Both of these arrangements were adopted by one of our largest amateur gi-owers to show for the " largest and best collection," and five boxes, holding in all about 125 varieties, were used. Of course, these methods of showing, or, as 1 may better say, artistic showing in general, require time and some expenditure. It is much easier, perhaps, to put the boxes or boards on bare tables, but the gratification of one's own taste in such designs and the pleasing of beauty-loving people are well repaid. E. J. WiCKSON. Btrlicley, Ca Uforn in. Naturally grown Chrysantheraums.— No doubt there are different ways of defining a naturally grown Chrysanthemum plant, but what I especially allude to now are those plants which are allowed to grow unchecked without topping the shoots or in any way limiting then- number. Such plants as these are seen at the shows in Belgium, and veiy effective they are, being as suitable for the home decoration of the conservatory as they are for forming groups at an exhibition. The height of such plants varies according to the variety, ranging from 3 feet to G feet I do not remember to have ever seen plants of this class at an English show, where I am sure they would be welcome if of the same quality as those grown in Belgium. The only point about these that interferes with their strict natural growth is that the flowers are limited to one on a shoot, the number of blooms to each plant varying from thirty to sixty. Varieties like Elaine, 'V al d'Andorre, or indeed any of the reflexed Jajanese, are the most suitable for this form of culture, they being, as a rule, of dwarf and medium height, generally with stout stems. The blooms are also self-supporting, having stout peduncles. Pots !) inches and 10 inches in diameter are large enough for any variety. Cuttings should be rooted early 46 THE GARDEN. January 21, 1893. in the year, the plants shifted into larger pots as required, and given abundance of room for a full development of the foliage and shoots. When the plants make their first natural break in April or May, according to the variety, instead of restrict- ing their number to three, as in the orthodox method, where three large blooms are required, the whole of the shoots except the very weakest at the bottom are allowed to grow. Again, in August, when the second break takes place, 'the number is again increased. Each shoot is then allowed to carry one bloom, which will be a ter- minal one, or if more are required, the buds need not be removed, as many will cluster at the tips of the shoots. If fairly large blooms are wished for, one on each will be quite enough. One stout stake to each plant will suilice as a support for all the stems if these be loosely secured, it being possible to so tie them that the heads will not have a formal appearance. It is most essential that the foliage be preserved in good condition, as upon this much of the appearance of such plants depends.— E. Moltneux. SEASONABLE NOTES. In spite of the sunless weather lately experienced, accompanied as it has been with severe frost, the cuttings inserted singly during the early part of December in small pots under handlights in a cool house are rooting quickly this season. Many of the strongest growing kinds needing but three %veeks to form roots are fit for removal from the hand- lights where they were struck, to others where they will have the benefit of more air to induce further stockmess of growth. If ever there was a season when the advantage of striking the cuttings in cool houses where no difliculty was experienced in keeping them from being frozen, the present is one. Directly the roots reach the sides of the pots no time should be lost in giving the plants addi- tional air, and as soon as the leaves will stand erect T '?j' "'^"Sing with the lights removed they should be assigned a position as near the glass aa possible. A sturdy growth is absolutely essential no matter for what purpose the plants are grown and tbis can only be obtained by arranging the quarters for the plants as near to the glass as possi- ble. I he purpose for which the plants are culti- vated must .shortly be determined. If for large blooms, allow the plants to grow uninterruptedly with one stem until they make their first natural break in April or May according to the variety. VVith very few exceptions this method of training the plants gives much the best results. The plants have ample time to develop all their natural habits of growth, affording due time for the proper ma- turation of the growth. In the case of specimen plants the tops of each should be cut off at 4 inches high, this inducing side branches to form, and thus laying the foundation of the future speci- men as near to the base ;is possible. No time should be lost in inserting cuttinc-s for t he growth of bush plants to give a quantity of bloom in preference to a few for their quality Those varieties which are free flowering, of moderately dwarf habit of growth, and with stout peduncles to support their blooms are to be preferred. Few of the incurved section are suitable. The kinds con- stituting the reflexed Japanese section are all suit- ab e, choosing those naturally free flowering. Lady Selborne and Bouquet Fait for example. No sec- tion IS more suitable for this method of culture than the single-flowered sorts, pompons, and Ane- mone pompons. EM SHORT NOTES.-CHRYSANTHEMUMS. Chrysanthemum Duchess of Sutherland. — lliLS Japanese IS one of Mr. Uwcn's Eii-lsh seoJ- Irags, ot which we cannot have too manv if tliey par- take of the charactc.r of thia. It U a, large full-c™ red flower, the flat petals slighlly toothed or serrated, i lie coluur IS pure yeUow fadiug with age to a lovely sliaue ot lemou. ^ Chrysanthemum Robert Owen — \|,ait trom it.s value as an exhibition kind this mas.sire Japau. ese of the incurved section is good as a late bloomer. I have now (.January 4) a full sized flower in good con- dition. The massive curly petals show the intense apricot-yellow to the best advantage. This is a variety likely to take a very high position in the Chrysanthe- mum lists of the future. Chrysanthemum Middleton Clarke. —This is a soeclling fnini Mrs. Falconer Jamescn, quite one of the best habited kinds we have. We want plenty of this type of habit. The flowers of the subject of this note are reddish crimson in colour ; each petal has a golden bronze tip, but this passes away with expan- sion. The petals are exactly of the same form as those of its parent. Chrysanthemum Milly Agate.— This is one of the best of tli'? single-flowered section for giving blooms in quantity late in the season. During the who'e of December I was enabled to cut serviceable flowers from plants of this, the pure white blossoms being much appreciated. The flowers individually are large in size, the points of the florets recurving gracefully. — E. M. Chrysanthemum Etoile de Lyon. — Not only is this a good variety for giving a crop of late blooms under glass, hut it was the latest on a wall out-of-iloors here amongst many others this season. I was able to cut really good sized and fresh blooms on Christmas Day, the plants not haviug received any protection whatever. The severe frost experienced since has settled the unopened flowers. Chrysanthemum Etoile du Midi —While cultivators are running after the newer sorts they are apt to forget the older ones. At one of the shows where I was judging during the past season I cnme across several plants of this variety massed together. The orange-red blossoms made a capital contrast to the lemon of Peter the Great and the white of Avalanche arranged next to it. The blooms are of the reflexed Japanese order and of medium size. Chrysanthemum Guernsey Sunset.— For giving a late batch of bloom this single-flowered variety is valuable. Hy allowing the plants to grow away at will they develop clusters of the 5-ellow shaded bronze flowers on stout stems 1 foot to 2 feet long, which are most useful for filling tall vases during the month of J.anuary. Plants treated in this manner run up C feet hi?h. The variety la robust, the flower-ntems in con- sequence being well fitted for any purpose. Vriesia brachystachys.— Despite the fact that this is but little grown, I should be inclined to give it a place among the very best winter- flowering stove plants. This Vriesia pushes up a tuft of rather pale tinted leaves, arranged in a vasiform manner, the whole being little more than 6 inches high, while the flower-spike which just over- tops the foliage bears on the upper part a number or bright-coloured bracts, which form the most con- spicuous feature of the inflorescence. These bracts are large and arranged in two opposite rows. They are at the base of adeep bright crimson colour.shaded with purple, while the upper part is rich orange, one colour gradually merging into the other. The flowers are bright yellow, but they are partially hidden by the bracts and do not remain long in perfection, so that they play but a minor part in the embellishment of the plant. Very desirable features possessed by this Vriesia are, firstly, its simple cultural requirements ; secondly, the freedom with which it flowers ; and thirdly, the length of time the inflorescence remains fresh and bright, for it will be an object of beauty for three months of the dullest period of the year. A compost consisting of fibrous peat with a little sand will suit it per- fectly, provided the pots are well drained. Water should he given to about the same extent as for most stove plants, and while the blooms must not be wetted, a fair amount of syringing is very bene- ficial during the growing season. — H. P. Bay Lilies in pots.- Where a greenhouse or conservatory has to be kept gay at all seasons as much variety as possible consistent with a good display of bloom is generally the object aimed at, and among plants that give very little trouble and at the same time afford a pleasing variety to the usual occupants of the greenhouse may be named the different forms of Hemerocallis or 'Day Lilies, more especially the clear golden yellow H. flav.i, which is such a general favourite. ' Good flowering tufts of this reach a height of about a yard, and though the individual blooms only last a short lime, a succession is kept up for a considerable period. The dwarf er growing H. Dumortieri, whose flowers are of a deep orange hue, tinged on the exterior with bronze, is also well suited for this treatment, and so is H. Thunbergi, the blossoms of which are of softer tint than those of II. flava. The stronger growing kinds, such as 11. fulva and H. Kwanso, with their double-flowered forms, are not so useful for flowering under glass. The variegated- leaved variety when in goo J form is, however, won- derfully pretty, and with a little protection the varie- gation is very clear and decided. For flowering these Day Lilies under glass very little preparation is necessary, for where there are clumps established in the open ground they may be lifted, potted into suitable sized pots, and placed in a cold frame, all that is needed being to water when necessary. As the roots get active a little liquid manure will be beneficial. — H. P. Garden Flora. PLATE 893. HYBRID SWEET BRIERS. (with a coloueed plate.*) Amoni; the various exhibits at the metropolitan exhibition of the National Rose Society last year perhaps none were more pleasing or com- manded a greater amount of attraction than the hybrid Sweet Briers which were raised by the Right Hon. Lord Penzance. His lord- ship is a most enthusiastic rosarian and one of the most liberal supporters of the National Rose Society. This class of Rose is obtained by crossing the Hybrid Perpetuals and the com- mon Sweet Brier. I believe that the varieties chiefly u-sed were Alfred Colomb, Dr. Sewell and I'aul Neyron. William Allen Richardson and Fortune's Yellow have also been used, while further experiments are being made be- tween the Sweet Briers and Austrian Briers. This new race of Roses is very sweet-scented and the foliage retains all the charms attached to the Sweet Briers, being ecjually fragrant. There has been a great craze for large and double Roses of late, and tliis new departure is very pleasing and novel. The shades of colour are delightful and almost indescribable. A some- what curious point in raising these is that the fragrant foliage is only obtained when the Sweet Brier is crossed with other varieties, and entirely lost when the crossing is reversed. Al- though, like the Sweet Briers and Rugosa Roses, the individual blossoms do not last any time, they are produced so freely and in such close sucoes.sion, that the plants are covered with flowers for a long time. In the " Rosarian's Year Book," Lord Pen- zance tells us that "As many as four or five of the seedling Sweet Briers which have hitherto flowered have now turned out to be perpetuals, blooming a second time in the autumn and blooming then freely. During the autumn of 1891, indeed, in spite of the heavy rains, they have gone on blooming I'ight througli the month of (_»ctober, and they bloom, like their seed parent, in clusters. An additional charm, and in my estimation a great charm, is to be found in the fact that these flowers have a very deli- cious scent — a scent quite independent of and diflereut from that of the foliage." Recently the Polyantha Roses have become more jiopular, and deservedly so, and this new race of single Roses will make a most important addition to our garden Roses. As the Sweet » Drawn for The Gardkn by Marie Lew at Eisliiiig i'ark, July 20, 1SI2. Lithographed and printed by Guillaame Severeyns, Jaxdary 21, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 47 Brier is one of our hardiest native Roses, we may very reason;ibly expect these hybrids to be equally h;irdy and exempt from insect pests. They are of remarkably strong and healthy growth, and .as liis lordsliip informs us that they strike very readily, this is an excellent means of increasing the stock of the most charming varieties. The stamens of the flowers shown at the Crystal Palace in 18!>2 were very prominent and showy, and greatly heightened the efl'ect of the glowing colours. I believe there is a great future before these most charming Roses, and it would .seem that there is little or no limit to the variety of hybrids that may be produced, whUe the great diversity of colours already obtained gives promise of a grand collection of almost all shades. The common Sweet Brier is in itself one of our most charming native flowers, and the fra- gnvnce given off by its foliage, especially after a summer shower, is so delicious, that all will welcome this new race of brightly-coloured Roses with an equal, if not greater amount of sweetness both in blossom and foliage. When these come to be distributed among the public, I feel sure they will be extensively grown and planted. Rich soil should not be necessary, as the typical Sweet Brier will thrive on very poor land. Another advantage will be their adaptability for filling in odd corners, itc, as they can be pruned back to any dimen- sions without fear of removing the best of the flowering wood. I can imagine nothing more charming than a hedge of thesa, or a few plants placed in a group among other flowering shrubs on the oiitskirts of a lawn, or growing in a natural and seemingly neglected manner. — R. -- - Many lovers of the Rose will call to re- membrance the collection of hybrids of the Sweet Brier and other types Lord Penzance sent to one of the meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society in June, 1K!I1, and later to the Rose show held at the Royal Aquarium. They illustrated in a re- markable degree the possibilities of cross-breed- ing in Roses, in which work his lordship has proved eminently successful. It appears to have been some disappointment with the " modern Hybrid Perpetual Roses " which led Lord Penzance to take up a line of his own in regard to Rose cultivation. In a paper contributed to the " Rosarian's Year Book " for 1891 he asks, How do these modern Hybrid Perpetuals comport themselves in the garden ? Lord Penzince answers his own question by saying, "We all know how hard it is to make a lovely object cut of a standard Rose, aod whenever this is done it is achieved only by a very careful and skilful use of the pruning-knife. But, take the dwarfs. Do they form themselves into what used to be known as a Rose bush? or are they not given to exhibit a straggling, unequal growth, one or two strong shoots breaking up from the crown or the lower part of the plant and rob- bing the life from the rest ? If cut back hard in the spring the plant becomes a stumpy, somewhat insignificant and not a very captivating object. If subjected to what the French call the ' taille longue,' they are apt to become leggy and shabby in the lower branches. Here, again, there is no doubt bu: that a g03d deal may be done by skilful pruning, but the growth of the plant does not lend itself readily and naturally to the formation of an even head or symmetrical bush." It must be ad- mitted there is much truth in the foregoing re- marks. Lord Penzance is of opinion that the gift of au- tumn flowering of the Hybrid Perpetuals comes from having been crossed with what he calls the Eastern Rose— the Rose de Bengale of the French. The comparatively scanty bloom of many of the Hybrid Perpetuals, and the contrast between the old summer Roses and the modern Hybrid Perpetuals are very striking. The old summer-flowering Roses are covered with bloom in their seasor. I saw a striking instance of this in an old garden at En- field during the past summer ; a path arched with wire trellises had been covered years ago with the old-fashioned summer Roses, and at the time I saw them they were in grand bloom ; indee 1, in such happy plenteousness, as to form a floral sight worth going miles to see, but the gardener knowing the fleeting character of the Ro=e bloom had wifely planted among the Roses Clematises and other late summer-flowering subjects to carry on the floral succession until the autumn. Lord Pen- zance points out that the class of Roses known as Hybrid Chinas and Hybrid Bourbons, none of which ever bloom a second time in autumn, put forth a sheet of bloom in every part of them during the summer with a profusion which it would be difficult to name half-a-dozen Hybrid Perpetuals capable of emulating. Two more well-known defects in the Hybrid Perpetuals are mentioned. They are destitute of frajrance and "many, if not most of them, are short-lived." It was the exist- ence of these defects in our most popular class of Roses which induced Lord Penzance to try if something better could not be produced by working upon new lines. Recognising the fact that the races or families of the Rose are capable of combining by cross-fertilisation, his lordship entered upon a line of action of his own with the object of securing a new Rose which might be free from some of the existing defects. The Sweet Brier was selected as the natural basis of a new race. In the first place, it is indigenous to the soil and climate ; it is proof against the most vicious attacks of our English winters ; it is superior to the weakness of mildew, and as little subject to the troubles of the Rose as any other species. It is a prolific seeti-bearer, and " more certain to bear fruit when fertilised with pollen of other Roses than any Rose or class of Roses that in my limited expe- rience has presented itself." Some interesting facts presented themselves. The seedlings obtained by impregnating the Sweet Brier with foreign pollen had a remark- able strength of root and growth, and struck readily from cuttings. The sweet-scented foliage of the Sweet Brier was also produced. A complete cross was obtained between the Sweet Brier and the Persian Yellow, the bloom larger than that of the Sweet Brier, pale yellow in colour, and the foliage fully as fragrant, if not more so. The Austrian Copper crcssed on to the Sweet Brier produced a seedling, the bloom not quite so deep in its colour as that of the pollen parent, yet a close copy of the original, with the sweet scent of the Brier diffused in its foliage. The pollen of the Hybrid Perpetuals, the Hybrid Bourbons, and the Hybrid Chinas, put upon the Sweet Brier, pro- duced distinct crosses -distinct in the sense that the wood, foliage, habit of growth, and the thorn are not those of the Sweet Brier. "Among hundreds of Sweet Brier seedlings," says Lord Penzance, " which are evidently crosses, I have had only one that did not retain the sweet foliage of the seed parent, and as to this one, I cannot help thinking there must be some mistake as to its parentage." All attempts to cross the Sweet Brier upon the Hybrid Perpetual have failed to produce scanted foliage, but the seedlings so obtained have been small, and Lord Penzance is not by any means hopeless of attaining this result. So far the blooms of the Sweet Brier seedlings show but little tendency to doubleness. Lord Penzance states that none of them as yet have given him more than two complete rows of petals. It is his desire to secure a greater degree of doublencss, and he hopes to sucoeei in another generation or two of seedlings. With this end in view, it is his intention to cross them again with the pollen of Hybrid Perpetuals, Hybrid Chinas, and Hybrid Bourbons. Other crosses have and still are engaging the attention of Lord Penzance, such as the Moss Rose Cellini with the Musk Rose Fringed Musk, which he has secured ; the joint characteristics of the progeny are unmistakable. Jlons. Crepin, the distinguished authority on the botany of the Rose, pronounced it to be a distinct hybrid. One difficulty in the way of the cross-fertilisa- tion of Roses is to procure "the pollen required at the right moment. The time at which, and during which, the stigmas of the flower to be operated upon are mature and fitly receptive is very uncer- tain and of short duration. The same thin? is true of the anthers and the liberation of pollen, and this makes an opposite combination between the stigmas of one race and the pollen of another no easy task." But in the course of his operations Lord Penzance has discovered th.at the pollen of the Rose can be kept in full vitality if preserved from all moisture or damp for many weeks— in short, from one end to the other of the hybridising season, and in his experience the preserved pollen may actually produce a larger proportion of heps than the pollen fresh from the flower. Not that it is to be understood that preserving pollen aids to its fertilising power, but that " it can be applied to the stigma of the seed-bearer in much fuller quantity and mucli more handily and adroitly than can be done with the fiesh. When the pollen bursts from the anthers in the flrst instance it very often breaks forth in small quantity only, and the supply of it is at times apt to fall short in the midst of an op;ration." Then ripe pollen is not always obtainaole when the flower to be dealt with is exactly fit for the work, and there is a temptation to take the pollen before it is fully ripe. It must not be supposed all the crosses made by Lord Penzance have succeeded. He has failed with the Boursault and microphylla types ; also with Rosa sinica and the Macartney, but there is the right ring in the resolve with which his lord- ship concludes his interesting and instructive paper when he says, " I have hitherto been van- quished in these attempts, but I shall not give them up until I have received a good many more re- buffs."—R. D. The great purple Iris in masses.— Last year when in a Surrey nursery we made a no'e of the beauty of the noble Iris pallida when grown in groups or masses. There was, we should think, about 100 plants in bloom at one time — a perfect sea of mauve colour, which showed how much is lost by not growing such things in greater abund- ance and in larger colonies. I. pallida attains a height of between 3 feet and 4 feet, the stems sturdy, and the large sweetly-scented flowers, like Elder in their fragrance, are very beautiful on the plant or for cutting. A break of the purple Iris would be a delightful feature in the month of June. The Week's Work. ORCHIDS. We who h.ave to grow Orchids near London knjw a good deal of the mischief caused to the flowers by dense fogs, which in some gardens sweep off ail, or nearly all, the choice winter flowers, Ca- lanthes,Phala3nopsid?,ADgr3ecums,&c.,being utterly destroyed. Has anyone cultivating a good col- lection of Orchids, amateur or the trade, tried Toope's method of preventing injury by fogs ? I called at one of the best London nurseries the other day, and saw the effects of the fog in the destruction of the flowers and buds, but heard nothing of the recently-talked-of apparatus for the preventi m of fogs. I observed that the hand- some Saccolabium giganteum and the wh.te va- riety were in good condition, and the winter- flowering Cypripediums resisted the effects of the fogs very well indeed. The East India house is now becoming interesting not only for the plants in bloom, but for those pushing up their flower- spikes and also for those starling to grow. With the early days of the year the spikes of Oncidium ampliatum majus push out freely from the base of the pseudo-bulbs ripened in strong heat last year. We have the plants now in the lightest part of the house, but at the coolest end. I fancy they do 48 THE GAEDEN^. [January 21, 1893. nut need so much heat when throwing up their flower-spikes as they do when producing their pseudo-bulbs in the autumn. This is a very hand- some Oncidium, the flowers lasting long in good condition, the sprays of golden yellow being charming for cutting. Slugs and woodlice are very partial to the young spikes, and eat them ofl: sometimes before they are seen pushing out of the sheaths. 0. Cavendishianum is altogether a diffe- rent type of this species, and belongs to the group distinguished by the absence of pseudo-bulbs. Its spikes are also in course of development, and it should be placed with O. ampliatum, as the treat- ment now will be similar. O. Lanceanum will now be starting into growth, and it ought as yet to be suspended in a teak basket in the lightest, warmest part of the house. It should now be more freely watered, but as the sun becomes powerful in its effects upon the glass roof, it is better to put the plants on the stage. It is easy to let these plants get into bad health, but very difficult indeed to get them right again. The thing is to never disturb the roots which form outside of the basket. They ought to be interfered with as little as possible, and it is better to fork out the spent peat and Sphagnum from between the teak rods and replace with fresh material than to remove them from the baskets in which they are growing to a new one. O. hiematochilum is a very nearly allied species, requiring similar treatment ; it is an uncommon plant, and those who possess a healthy specimen of it should take great care that it does not get into bad condition. The roots of Angriecums have now or will very soon show signs of active growth ; it is better to see to them, and if the Sphagnum in which the plants are growing has become dead, or is in a dying state owing to the neces.'^ary dryness when the plants were at rest, this useless material should be removed and replaced with freshly gathered material. There is a good deal to do in the way of repotting Orchids in the warmest house at the present time. All the smaller seedlings should be repotted now, especially the small Cypripediums, keeping them in a light position until the sun is too powerful for them. It is an error to over-pot any of these plants. All the smaller Orchids do better rather under than over-potted. Some of the Ccelogynes require attention at this time. We grow C. Massangeana in the warmest house ; it is now starting to grow, and will stand a good shift. In fact I have repotted healthy young plants of this species twice in a year, it makes roots so very rapidly ; but if a medium-sized plant has a good .shift now, it will not require to be disturbed again un- til thistimenextyear. C.asperata, sometimes grown under the name of C. Lowi, may also be repotted now. It is a very pretty species, and is well figured in Paxton's " Magazine of Botany " under the name of C. Lowi, where it is stated that the Mes.srs. Low, of Clapton, had flower-spikes (native specimens dried) upwards of 20 inches in length. Another species which may be associated with it as regards treatment is the very uncom- mon-looking C. pandurala; both of them were discovered by Sir Hugh Low in Sarawak. They grow in the hot jungles in swampy districts where the air is moist and the heat excessive. They may be repotted now. When dealing with the Ccelo- gynes there are three requiring the treatment of the intermediate house which should be alluded to at this time. C. barbata is passing out of bloom and may be repotted. The sepals and petals of this species are of the purest white, in striking contrast to the dark brown lip, the colour of soot, densely fringed with blackish hairs. It is shy in producing its flowers, and needs plenty of water when growing. Basket culture suits it best. C. Garclneriana is a distinct species, and will grow freely as a pot plant in peat and Sphagnum. It does not make roots so freely as some, and should not be over-potted. The most useful of all is, of course, C. cristata and its varieties, which flower freely and alwiiys make good i^ro.vth. The flower- spikes are now pusliin^ up freely ; an occasional watering with very weak liquid ur:inure water will strengthen the plants, greatly improving the quality of the flowers. As I write the weather is not nearly so cold, but we may yet expect severe frosts, and the cultivator must be prepared for changes either way. J. Douglas. PLANT HOUSES. Propagation. — There may not be in many cases suflScient room in a few weeks to do all needful propagation, what with bedding plants and other things, to keep the proper supply of plants for pot culture. Anything, therefore, that can be attended to at once should not be delayed. The present is, for instance, a very suitable one for propagating Carnations for next autumn and winter flowering. Where any have been struck in the autumn, those now put in will form a good succession to them, the former flowering in early autumn. The cut- tings are not always fit to take off at one time, but this will not matter, being rather an advantage than otherwise, two, three or four batches being the best to secure a continuance of bloom. I am more impressed than ever with the excellent pro- perties of Winter Cheer. It is a worthy com- panion to Miss Joliffe Improved, whilst as a white, Mrs. Moore is strongly recommended. We have now got a batch of cuttings of these sorts striking, most of which were lateral shoots pulled out at the junction with the main stem; others were taken from leading growths simply because we were short of them. These cuttings have been placed five or six into 3-inch pots around the sides of the pots and plunged in a gentle bottom-heat of about 7,')°, with a temperature in the house at night of (J0° to 05°. This treatment will, I think, suit them very well. Previous to taking the cut- tings the old stools were in a nisrht temperature of 50°, rising by day, so that the difference for the cuttings is not any too much. The soil used for striking is about half cocoa fibi'e, the rest loam and silver sind. A sheet of glass is placed over the pots, but there is a fair amount of ventilation on each side through it not fitting closely. We find the crickets a bit trorrblesome in eating the cuttings; if this continues we shall give them some growths from outside to nibble at and then catch them if possible with hot water. As soon as the cuttings are struck they will be gradually inured to the usual atmosphere, and soon afterwards be taken to a somewhat cooler house. Pipings from Pinks for pot culture can also be put in now, not that ther-e is any time lost, but I find them strike better before the weather gets much brighter. A few old stools of Bouvardias should now be placed in heat to start the plants into growth for early cuttings. Those who h.'ivc not thus far taken any note of Priory Beauty and Mrs. R-ibert Green will do well to work up a st"ck of them. They have in either ca.se the free habit of Vreelandi, the former a soft pink, the latter more of a salmon shade. Zonal Pelargoniums for next autumn and winter-flowering should be struck now, or as soon as possible. With these the better way is striking singly in 2J-inch pots to avoid any after check.' A vinery on the move will answer well for these cuttings, failing a pit that is suitable for them. What has to be guarded against in this case is an excess of moisture, more so even than in that of striking cuttings from bed- ding varieties which have been resting more through the winter than the others have. The earliest flowering Salvias can also be propagated now ; these will do well where the Carnations are being struck. Of these. Salvia splendens and its variety Bruanti, a dwarfer form, and S. Bethelli (rose and white), with S. Heeri (scarlet, now in flower) are about the best for autumn and winter. S. gesnericflora being more of a spring flowering variety, propagation should be deferred for a time. Where the old-fashioned scented-leaved Pelar- goniums are esteemed for their fragrance, and any demand is anticipated for cutting, it is very advisable to set about the propagation of these also, so as to keep up the stock. In our own case we have struck a good number of cuttings during the winter on a ledge at the back of our Gardenia and Ixora pits. This has been just the place for them, hardly a cutting failing. Now onwards they will strike easily enough i.i a fair warmth ; a vinery that is fairly advanced will suit them. The past three weeks have not been any too favourable for the propagation of Chrysanthemums. If the usual stock has not been already secured, some more cuttings should be put in as soon as fit. In doing this, do not lose sight of the usefulness of the early autumn varieties as represented by the Desgrange family. La Vierge and others. In any case, if the old stools are still on hand, it will not be advisable to cast them aside just yet unless the pots and the room are really needed at once. Where early plants of Fuchsias are likely to be wanted, some old stools should at once be put into a good warmth for cuttings, these being taken off before they get too long and then struck in nearly all sand. Only the most reliable kinds should be looked to for early flowering, for which Mrs. Mar- shall is scarcely beaten yet in its way. Double Primulas should now soon receive attention ; it may be possible that the plants are still giving a fair amount of bloom. Even if this be the case, a few should have all tlic flowers cut off jthem and then be given a little more warmth ; then in a week or two the cuttings will be fit to take off. In the propagation of these, an excess of moisture has to be guarded against as much as anything. Given a fairly warm house, say 55° to G0°, they will strike very we 1 in such a place upon a mode- rately dry bottom ; a hand-light with a movable top will make a good place for them. Those who cannot, as a rule, strike them satisfactorily should adopt the layering process, first trimming off the older leaves and then filling up close to the young growths with cocoa fibre and sand, or, failing the former, some finely-sifted leaf soil will answer the purpose. In either case, this newly-added soil should be kept moist to encourage root-action. Jambs Hudso-'J. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. SowiNf; Cauliflowkus. — Many people now rely upon plants raised in the early pirt of the year for their principal supply of early Cauliflowers. This being tlie case, it is now time the seeds were sown. Tlie plants must not be hurried on, thinking to make up lost time, as if so they will be useless, as instead of forming neat little heads, they will turn in prematurely, or, as gardeners say, " button." It is also advisable to sow one of the now recognised early varieties, such as Veitch's Early Forcing or Snowball, a&d to f.illow on .select either Early Lon- don or Dwarf Erfurt. Walcheren might also be sown. If a forcing variety is needed to grow on in pits, Veitch's Forcing is very good, although with the late kinds of Broccoli now in commerce, these with the earliest Cauliflowers bridge over the season, that is, if the Broccoli should not be killed by frost. The seeds should be sown thinly in shal- low boxes of light soil, and to ensure quick ger- mination place the box in a gentle warmth. As soon as the seedlings are well through the soil, remove to cooler quarters near the glass, but not where they are likely to become starved through either too cold or draughty quarters. Watering must also have careful attention to prevent the seedlings damping off. Directly they are large enough, pot oft' into 4-inch or 5-inch pots. The soil also should be substantial, three parts loam to one each of leaf-soil and pulverised horse manure. Keep close until established, afterwards removing to a greenhouse shelf, eventually placing in a cold frame. The plants may also be pricked out into low light frames. In this case place a layer of rotten manure to the depth of 2 inches on a hard bottom, and above this the same depth of holding loam and a little leaf-soil, into which prick the plants not less than 4 inches apart. Kaisini; Tomato plants. — For the earliest supply of young plants the seeds should now be sown. In some gardens it is the practice to rely upon home-saved seed, and where this can be relied upon as pure and also saved frorrr healthy plants, nothing can be said against the practice. Sow the seed thinly, so that each little plant will stand out separately. I'se light soil, just covering January 21, 1893 ] THE GARDEN. 49 the seed, atterwards giving a gentle watering and place in a warm structure, where a little bottom- heat may also be provided. As soon as the seed- lings appear place them well up to the light. By the time the first rough leaf is showing pot them off singly into li-inch pots In double potting there is no advantage, but rather the reverse. I'se light fiiable soil, which must also be warmed. If kept close and sprinkled the plants will soon be established, and should then be removed to a light position near the glass, this keeping them sturdy and also enhancing their early fruiting powers, causing them to i-how healthy trusses of bloom sooner than they otherwise would do. ToM.\TOES FROM C't'TTixGS. — Although it is the practice of some people to take cuttings in the autumn and grow these on for producing the earliest fruits, yet unless they are perfectly clean and healthy, they should not be retained. Very often a ftw white fly or their eggs are lurking about, and upon the return of bright weather they spring into life and contaminate younger plants. )f the plants are clean, these may now be either pitted off or repotted as the case may be. Parsley. — Now is the time when Parsley will commence to be scarce, and this no doubt many people have found out ere this. Whenever the frost is out of the ground some strong roots should be taken up and planted thickly in boxes. These, if placed on a gentle hotbed or in a fairly warm structure, will sojn start into growih, but r.o great supply can be expected. As we never know how prolonged the severe weather may he, the best course w.W be to make a sowing in heat. A. Young. HARDY FRUITS. Moss AND Lichen. — In low-lying positions, espe- cially where there is much clay in the soil, the extra moisture nearly always present in the atmo- sphere favours the growth of such parasites as Moss and Lichen on fruit trees generally, and Apples and Pears in particular. It is hardly ne- cessary to add that they seriously affect" the health of the trees overrun by them. The healthiest trees are those with good clear stems and main branches, those overrun and their breathing pores clogged by Moss and Lichen being the first to become stunted in growth and of com- paratively little real service. In some few in- stances removing the principal cause, that is, an excess of moisture in the soil, is quickly followed by the disappearance of the parasite^, and one of the first remedies should, therefore, be an exami- nation of the drains. If these are badly clogged by tree roots or other obstacles, either clean out the old drains or form fresh ones. In orchards the drains ought to be disposed midway between the rows cf standard tree--, and as a rule not less than 3 feet deep, there being such a thing as draining away surface water too rapid y. There are several known remedies far removing Moss and Lichen temporarily, this including scraping and scrubbing with brine and lime-wa.'h. Scrubbing is a far too tedious operation beyond what might be done in that way to the clear trunks of standard trees. Newly-slaked lime in a fine state, shaken through a coarse bag or otherwise dusted or distributed among the branches when these are in a moist state, will do much towards killing Moss and Lichen ; but, all things considered, it is a less satis- factory remedy than thoroughly coating them with lime water. Add sufficient caustic lime to a tub of w.iter to give this the consistency and colour of milk, pass it through a fine seed sieve, and apply with an old syringe while still hot. Every crack and crevice that can be got at should be thoroughly searched out with the syringe, and this will be the means of destroying a good many insect pests, as well as the Moss and Lichen. The latter will gradually become brown a'sd fall off, leaving the stems and branches clear for some time to come. Now is a good time to do this important work, any lime water that misses the tree not hurting or disfiguring much that may hi alive near at hand. American blight.— This is a very bad scourge in some gardens and orchards, and is to be found in a few nurseries as well. It is a species of aphis, and amateurs will find it in masses wherever there are cracks and crevices, more especially in canker- ous swellings on the bark of the trees brought on in many cases by their own action. Strong insecticides, incUiding Gishursc compound, well brushed' into the infested places is an efl'octivc, but very slow proceeding, and to be recommended only where there are only a few small trees to be cleaned. Being well protected with their woolly covering, American blight is quite as hard to destroy as mealy bug in plant stoves. Insecticides, notably petroleum, used in a very strong state or undiluted, must be injurious to the bark of the trees ; whereas, if applied in conjunction with very hot water, it is safe and effective. Otiiku INSECT PESTS.— Scale, aphides (especially the black form) and the caterpillars of the winter moth, lackey moth and small ermine moth have also to be reckoned with by many would-be suc- cessful fruit growers, and it is during the present month and February that effective measures can best be taken. The first-named is mostly found on Apples and Pears, the former being sometimes nearly smothered by the mussel scale, and Pears by what is known as the oyster scale, from a re- semblance which they bear to those bivalves. The aphides are most troublesome in the case of Peaches, Nectarines, Plums and Cherries, while the caterpillars mentioned principally devastate Apples and Pears. For both scale and aphides the petroleum and hot- water remedy is the best that can be r. commended, and, next to gre.^sed bands f istened ro.ind the trunks of trees in the autumn for catching the ascending moths, is the most effective against caterpillars. It is fully capable of destroying the eggs of insects that it reaches, as well as insects and laiv* generally, and being harmless as far as the bark and roots are concerned, should be used sufficiently fr£ely to well moisten the soil to a good depth below. Given a good sufply of hot water at not less than 130° when it leaves the boiler or copper, a pound of soft soap, a can of petroleum, two syringes and two willing men, quite a large number of trees can be cleaned in a few hours. To every 3-gallon can of hot water add a lump of soft soap about the size of a ten's egg and S ozs. of petroleum — measured the most realily with the aid of an ordinary 8-oz. medicine brittle. One syringe should be employed in thoroughly wetting every part of the infested trees, crevices in the trees and walls in particular being well searched out, and the other in forcibly returning its contents into the can to keep the oil mixed. There is so little likelihool of the roots being injured, that it is advisable to remove all rubbish and loose soil from near the walls and under the trees generally, leaving the surface in a loose slate in order that it may be readily mois- tened by the insecticiie. All rubbish thus col- lected should hi burnt, as there may be eggs deposited on this. If or.e application does not thoroughly clear the trees of scale, repeat it before the buds .are bursting, and the latter will then escape injury and the remedy b3 complete. Weevils. — Both the perfect insect and the grubs of weevils are greater enemies to the fruit crops than is generally supposed. In some gardens and orchards the Gooseberry crop is quite spoilt, owing to the calyces of the fiowers being eaten by weevils, the floA-ers of Apples and Pears also suf- fering from their attacks; while the leaves of Vines, Raspberries, Strawberries, and sometimes App!e=, Pears and Plums arc frequently badly eaten by either the grubs or perfect insects. Catching the weevils during the summer by the aid of a light and a cloth spread under the trees is a good remedv, but much may be done now towards les- sening the evil. Remove all loose soil and rubbish from under the trees, and either lightly fork in a good dressing of caustic lime, or, better still, apply the petroleum and hot- water remedy. This syringed well into the wall crevices, and in particular washed down into the soil close up to the walls, would destroy the greater portion of the weevils there hibernating. VV, Iggulden. Kitchen Garden. STRONCJ TOMATO PLANTS. TiiKRE seems to be a prejudice against strong young Tomato plants. At one time they were ob- jected to because it was thought those less vigor- ous were not only the first to produce fruit, but were also the heaviest croppers throughout. Some old-fashioned gardeners did not believe in seedlings, being under the impression that these were far too strong growing to become (juickly and heavily productive, and in orilor to counteract this suppo.sed unfruitful habit of growth it has fallen to my lot to have to strike the tops of strong seedlings and to throw the plants or stumps away. Even in those days, this being when Tomato growing under glass was in its infancy, I felt that this was so much wasted labour, and nearly lost 'my situation be- cause I protested against striking the tops a second time. Cutting-raised plants are not one whit more precocious in producing fruit than are seedlings, nor do they, as a rule, fruit any nearer the ground than do those raised from seed and properly prepared. When the scare caused by the new form of disease, most generally known as Cladisporium, was at its height, one preven- tive measure to which much importance was attached was the preparation of extra hard- stemmed plants, subsequent culture also tend- ing to keep theiBi from becoming so vigorous as they are apt to do when planted out in rather strong soil. Undoubtedly, the disease does act most fatally in the case of Tomato plants in a luxuriant condition, more especially when this is brought about by means of a rich root-run, strong heat and moisture-laden atmosphere, but though it is most advisable to avoid the latter error, it is not wise to start with stunted plants. Stunted plants too often mean legginess, the hard stems also failing to ever swell properly. By far the most profitable plants are those which produce a strong first cluster of fruit, this reaching down so as to nearly or quite touch the ground ; whereas, in the case of starved, leggy plants the first bunches of fruit are both feeble and formed from IS inches to 2 feet from the soil. I hold that Tomato plants should never be placed in small pots. Once they become m the least bit root-bound tbo growth is spindly and weak, and is with difficulty recovered to a more robust state. The seed should be sown thinly in pans or pots filled with tine sandy soil. Thin sowing is recommended because the seedlings if crowded quickly weaken each other, and there is no sense in raising very many more of them than are needed, while fine light soil ought to be used, as it is only out of this that the tender young roots can be shaken or lifted without ex- periencing a severe check. Tomato seed germi- nates very quickly and surely in a brisk heat, and directly the seedlings are well through tlie .soil they ought to be raised more up to the light, a shelf near the glass .suiting them well. When well into the rough leaf they .should be potted ofiF. Prepare a heap of light loamy com- post, and warm this thoroughly by means of heated bricks plunged in it. The pots to be used ought to bo either 5 inches or 0 inches in diameter, clean and lightly drained, and the potting should be done in the house where the seedliiigs are growing, a few minutes in a cold potting shed checking them badly. I'lace a little rough soil on the drainage and fill up to the rims with the soil. The seedlings .should be carefully shaken clear of each other, and be then sunk up to their seed leaves singly in the smaller sized pots or in pairs against the sides 50 THE GARDEN. [Jam'aiy 21, 1893. of the larger ones, smartly jarring down the soil being all the fixing needed. Place them in a warm, light position, shade from sunshine and water gently if the soil is at all dry, water- ing somewhat sparingly afterwards. Directly the plants have recovered their healthy colour expose them to the full sunshine and raise well up to the glass. It will not be long before they commence rooting — the buried stems freely emitting roots— and growing strongly, their sturdiness being most marked. If kept long enough in these pots for the first bunch of flowers to be well developed, the stems will soon begin to elongate unduly, and the final potting or planting out should be done before a root-bound state is arrived at. There is little or no likelihood of plants thus well prepared falling to show strong bunches of flower before they are 12 inches high, and it will be largely the fault of the cultivator if they subsequently fail from disease or other causes. Now is a good time to sow seed if an early crop of To- matoes under glass is required, but for green- house and open-air culture from the middle to the end of March is quite soon enough to raise plants. W. I. make them as fertile as possible. A dressing of well- prepared manure and wood ashes should be applied in all cases where support is neeiled. In planting, turn the plants out of the pots carefully and set them (j inches apart in tlie rows, drawing some of the best soil about the balls, also seeing that it is well pressed about the roots, this assisting the plants to take readily to the soil. After the Peas are planted, draw the soil up on each side as a means of protection, at the same time placing some short spray sticks round them. Some people, I know, think it a waste of time to place sticks to dwarf Peas, but the advantages far outweigh any supposed disadvantages. A. Y. A. FORWARDING EARLY PEAS IN POTS. The article on forwarding early Peas in pots by Mr. Wjthes at page 13 appears at an opportune time. There c.innot be any question as to errors of culture in this phase of Pea management, and the truism, the more haste the less speed, is very evident in the raising of early Peas in pots. Now that the practice of sowing Peas in November or December is not practised so largely as in days gone by, many people appear to be in too much haste at tlie turn of the year to forward them as much as possible, by sowing in pots and boxes and placing them in heat, with the result that they become drawn and tender, and also very much pot-bound. Economy now being the order of the day, it also has to be extended to the seed list, and if no more seed of the earliest Peas were ordered than would be sufficient for a first sowing, and these should have happened to have been sown in heat early in the year, it is very evident the plants would be poor when a seasonable planting time arrived. It having now become the practice to rely for a first crop on the dwarf earlies, such as Chelsea Gem, William Hurst, and English Wonder, these are not so apt to show outwardly the ill effects of early sowing, like William I. for instance. Being dwarf growers, they do not grow very high whilst in pots, or at least not much above a couple of inches, but the pots will be filled with roots, and after the plants are set out they grow but very Uttle afterwards. In fact many people are of.en surprised at their showing for bloom when only a few inches high. The taller growers will become spindly and fall about, and very often need sticks for their support before it is safe to plant them out. By not sowing the seeds before the end of Janu- ary or the first week in February, the condition bv planting time will be quite different, that is, of course, if not hurried on in heat, as even at this time there are ample opportunities for their be- coming spoiled it this latter practice is indulged in. Being brought on under cool treatment, the plants grow along sturdily, so that they are in fine condition for planting. Even if inclement weather should occur afterwards they are not likely to re- ceive much of a check, and with the return of fine weather they grow away freely. Like Mr. Wythes, I look upon small pots for sowing the seed in as an evil. I have always been an advocate for sow- ing in 5-inch pots. Whenever the weather and soil are in a suitable condition the Peas are planted out. If they are dwarfs, they will well repay the shelter of a warm south border. These early south borders gener- ally have e.xtra attention bestowed upon them ic receiving additions of other material, so as to Two good winter veg-etables. — It is an easy matter to have plenty of good vegetables during the summer and autumn months, but this is not so from November onwards. To meet this demand I grow a large breadth of Couve Tron- chuda. This I find most useful from October on- wards, and it is much sought after by the cook. When the heads are large and the leaves have big midribs, then it is that it does us good service. In my case only the midribs are used, and dished up like Seakale. To obtain the be^t results I find it best to sow a little seed under a handlight early in the year. Some people complain that tliis Cabbage is not hardy. Be this as it may, I find it as hardy as other Cabbage. After the heads are cut I find many of the stumps live through the winter and give some beautiful tender greens all through the spring. Chou de Burghley, although severely con- demned by many cultivators when first sent out, is also valuable when it is taken into considera- tion how hardy it is and that it comes in from the beginning of the year onward, and that the heads are very white and tender. To have it in this state and at this time I sow it at the same time as Broccoli and plant at the same time. At the pre- sent time (J.iu. 3) I have a fine lot growing on a piece of land from which Strawberries had been cleared. — F. A. C. GARDEN REFUSE. saturated with liquid manure. Mortar rubble from buildings should always be utilised for fruit trees, and if not required at the time should be stored for use when required. If there is any sur- plus matter that is not sufficiently decayed, allow it to get all the moisture possible, giving liquid manure or drainings from manure heaps. This will soon be in condition, and may be used to advantage for such crops as Beet, Carrots, Parsnips, &.O., later in the season. G. Wi'TilES. The above term includes all that is supposed to be of little value in the garden, but which often ^ives the grower of choice vegetables and fruit just the materials required to mix with unsuitable soils. At no season of the year than now is there a better opportunity to secure these aids to enrich the soil, at the same time doing a vast amount of good by the removal of useless, often unsightly material. One of the best manures we have is wood ashes, which mo.-t plants in a vigorous state like. At this period the quarters occupied by last year's crops will require to be got in readiness for the next season's crop, and in gardens of any age with plentiful supplies of manure failures often occur by clubbing, wireworm, and other insect pests. There is no better remedy than stopping the sup- ply of animal manure and treating the soil to liberal dressings of wood a'hes, lime, or burnt garden refuse. In case any doubt exists as to the richness of the soil, wood ashes may be used, add- ing a liberal quantity of guano, or the latter may with advantage be applied as a top-dressing. There is always from this date till late in the spring a wealth of material that may be converted into charred refuse, as all prunings, useless growth, stalks of Cabbages, Cauliflowers, or any of the Brassica tribe may be utilised for this purpose, and if a large quantity cannot be secured, certain quarters may be attended to, doing the worst each season. It is surprising what a mass of suitable material can be secured when means are taken to collect and prepare for this purpose. There is no better fertiliser than charred refuse for soils badly infested with wireworm, adding a small quantity of gas lime. For Asparagus beds in heavy clay soil the garden refuse, after having been placed in heaps with a liberal quantity of quicklime and turned occasionally, is of great value. Leaves, which are often very plentiful, may always be turned to valuable account. They decay rapidly if placed in sunken pits or covered with soil and Orchard AND Fruit Garden. REGRAFTING ORCHARD TREES. As an aid to the productiveness and more general improvement of our orchards, which are proverbially in a more or less neglected condition, some information on the method and utility of regrafting may be useful, espe- cially to those who wish to turn their attention to the growth of our more profitable kinds of pot fruit instead of converting the whole pro- duce into cider. Suitable trees for regrafting are those in fairly thriving condition, but which do not bear or only produce fruit of in- ferior quality. Anyone experienced in the matter can tell at a glance whether a tree is likely to pay for regrafting from the shape, age, growth, and evenness of the wood. As a rule it is not wise to head down trees with large or knotty limbs, having all the bearing sprays at the end. But crab and kernel trees, that is, trees from the pip which have never been grafted, will generally do even if old. Of course, the Blen- heim, although it may be unproductive for the first 20 years, should never be headed, as it will ultimately be profitable under proper management. Also, as sour kinds are more or less in demand for jam-making, it is not wise to be too hasty in condemning a tree. I had intended regrafting one which was compara- tively unproductive for some time, but last season the crop of fruit was !' cwt. We may be satisfied with over £1 worth of fruit from a tree even if only once in two or three years. On the other hand, I have had, from a formerly useless tree, 1 cwt. 10 lbs. of Lord Suffield (sold at £1 per cwt.) the fourth year after regrafting. Trees may be headed down now (hard frosty weather is favour- able for the work), or any time before grafting commences. I have had this done in May, when the leaves are appearing, with as good, if not better results than earlier. But on the whole it is advisable to take the heads off early and have the wood cleared away, especially where much has to be done, or (judging from my own experience) owing to the great push of work in April and May, the grafting Would probably be neglected or postponed. When done early the branches should have another inch or two taken off at grafting time to ensure fresh sappy bark. The object being a large head in a short time, commence by sawing ofl' the lower branches a good distance from the trunk, always cutting first on the under side of a bough to prevent splitting, and remove the head with a view to inserting the grafts at fairly equal distances, from fifty to 100 on a large tree. I prefer wood from 1 inch to 3 Inches in diameter, the former taking one or two grafts, the latter three or four. It is easy to thin out afterwards if re- quisite, but of little use attempting to patch up by inserting grafts another season. Regrafting is a simple operation as now per- formed. I have put in thousands with only a common pocket knife. The branch being sawn ott'at a smooth part free from knots, etc., pare away the rough edge of bark, then cut one or \ .Tan-uauv Jl 1893.] THE GARDEN. 51 more slits (according to the si/.e of stock) tlnxHigh the bark 'J inches down, open slightly at top : now take the graft, make a clean smooth cut of Ij inches, slightly pare the green outer bark from lower edge and insert firmly, tying on with moist ralha. The part inserted should contain no bud or uuevenness to pre- vent perfect tit of bark to bark, and the grafts should be of sufficient length to allow two buds above the clay. The lower {iirt of graft in- serted in soil will lie brown ; this must be cut away. With a little practice ;iOO grafts may be successfully put on in the day, while any care- ful handy workman will soon learn to manipu- late and apply the clay, which should be done at once and a piece of raffia also twisted three or four times round it and tied. We used to be troubled with the wind blowing out the grafts in summer, especially when the growth was strong, but a tie round the clay prevents this and keep.s all firm. The clay will do no harm if left on till the following winter, when it must be cleared well away, with any Moss, loose bark, or shoots growing on the original wood. This should be attended to every season, and a spraying with liquid lime before the buds burst will be very beneficial, tending to clean growth and freedom from insect pests. .\s to varieties most suitable for redrafting, the large early kinds are the most profitable. They realise about double the price, meet with no foreign competition, and by the early har- vesting there is not only less risk from gales, but the trees have more time to recuperate their bearing vigour for the next season, while the fruit is out of the way before the bulk of our orchard produce recjuires attention. My favourite is Lord Suffield (tliough it may not be equally suitable to all soils and situations), and I annually insert all available grafts of this variety. It is particularly suitable where there is limited head room, as freiiuently happens in regraftiug a tree here and there in a crowded orchard. Some object to these early prolific varieties on account of their tendency to become exhausted sooner than other kinds, but in my opinion it is simply a matter of feeding. It stands to reason that a variety like Suffield, with limited head growth, and con.sequently limited root-run, will exhaust the available .soil through constant bearing earlier than a shy-bearing kind with extended root-run, unless the former is well fed with the nece.ssary fertilisers for fruit production in the way of potash and phosphates. Ecklinville Seedling is good all round for young orold stocks, and requires room. Dumelow's Seed- ling, a valuable late variety, is a strong grower, soon making a fine head. Kiugof the Pippins is a favourite in the market, and should be largely grown. This Apple realised with me in 18!(0 up to 323. per cwt., and last year to ISs. per cwt. It pays well (as, in fact, will all good fruit) for extra manuring and cultivation to ensure size and colour. Never put a weak growing kind on to a large stock or tree. W^e have not much choice in really good early dessert Apples in this re- spect, most of them being comparatively weak growers. Red Astrachan is strong, first-class for market, but rather shy in bearing. Half-a- dozen kinds are better than a quantity. In some orchards of pot fruit we will scarcely find half-a-doz3n trees of the same sort. This is where the Americms are beating us. In graft- ing keep the varieties as much as possible to- gether ; it saves time in harvesting. Grafts should be cut this month or next and inserted half their length in the soil in a shady place. Strong shoots of the former year's growth are always to bs preferred. Pear trees, if sound and not too old, may also be grafted. In Pears we have a choice of a great variety, and it is difficult to say what kind is the most profitable. Souvenir du C(m- gri's, Beurre d'Amanlis, and Pitniaston Duchess are large, good, and strong growers. Unprofit- able trees against a wall can bo sometimes re- grafted to advantage. Plenty of grafts should be inserted, and if headed back judiciously, the wall will be covered in three or fonr years. Nothing pays better for wall protection than a good Pear, and all available space should be utilised. For a southern aspect .say Jargonelle, and for east and west the three kinds men- tioned above. A good proportion of potash in the soil, either natural or applied, is essential for the successful growth of Pears. Plum stocks of say 1 inch diameter may be grafted in the same way as Apjiles. Wild Plum stocks will occasionally be found growing in the hedges. When the hedge is pleached or cropped, these should be marked, headed back, and grafted with Victoria or Czar — the two mo.st profitable Plums in cultivation. I have just marked twenty-five stocks in a hedge for this purpose. February and March are the months for grafting Plums, Pears follow next. stanrlard kinds were in first-rate condition. Pos- sibly it require? the soil exactly suited to its re- quirements. Personally speaking, I have resolved to discard it as an unreliable variety, giving pre- ference to such as Hero of Lockinge, Blenheim Orange, and other good sorts. Furthermore, La Favorite is later in ripening ; hence, wlien grown witti other sorts that ripen before it, tlie treat- ment for the one does not ac;ord with that needed for the other. I should like some of our Melon growers to state their opinion of La Fa- vorite, which in my case is only such in name — GU'JWElt. KEEPING L.4.TE GR.^PES. The ac3ompxnying illustration repre.?ents a capital glass which is used by Mr. Stanton, of Park Place, Henley-on-Thames, for keeping (irapes. It is a great improvement on the bottles generally used, and is very cheap. The receptacle is made of clear glass, and having a wide mouth, water can be easily added from a small watering - cm as required without tlie trouble of taking it down or removing the Grapes. Having square sides, too, it and Apples in April up to the middle of May. I may be moved along in the racks to suit the The present unsatisfactory state of our orchards 1 size of the bunches, as there is no need to fix is due in great measure to the unfair conditions it, the rails being just sufficient distance and retrogressive influence of the land laws ; ! apart to admit the bottles between, and fixed in fact, this is more or less the root of our I at such an angle— as illustrated — that the bunches hang clear. The weight of the bunch will press the immersed end of the stem against the upper side of the bottle, and so prevent its slipping out. It miy be urged that as Alicante and Lady Downe's — two of our best late Grapes — ■ often produce their best bunches near the main stem of the Vine, such bunches could not be kept in these bottles through the stem at the base being too short ; but there is no difficulty in this, as the Grapes will keep very well if the terminal end of the shoot be inserted in the bottles. It is always best to leave about 18 inches of stem beyond the bunch when the Grapes are cut, as otherwise the berries are apt to crack through absorbing too much of the water when first stored. It is well also to cut off the immersed end about once in three weeks to maintain a fri'e pa.s.sage for absorption. W. H. Lees. Trent Puik Oanhiiy, New Bunicf. Ghisse.s ill place of bottles for keeping Gi'apes. agricultural depression generally. Tenants, on quitting, ought to be, and will be before long, compensated for any increase in value to their holdings which may accrue from the regrafting of orchard trees with more profitable varieties as well as other improvement.s. When there is every facility for purchasing land in small quantities at a reasonable price, and the tenant, even of a cottage, can secure full com- pensation for all improvements ; when village life is made more attractive by local powei-s of administration, and by the creation in large numbers of fruitful and profitable small hold- ings, then we may expect to hear less of the unemployed and consequently degraded con- dition of the masses in our large cities. Holme); Hereford. E. W. Beaven. Melon La Favorite. — This Melon, where it succeeds well, is without doubt a finely flavoured variety. In 1.S91 I noted it as winning first prizes at several shows when tested by flavour. Unfor- tunately, however, the plants do not by any means hold out so long as they should do ; hence the fruits oftentimes are deficient in flavour, even when of fair size. In some instances I have noted that the fruits have failed to reach even to this advanced stage. This fnilure must not be attri- buted to a deficiency of cultural knowledge or attention, for only last year I know that it failed i far has not shown the slightest tendency to this under the best of treatment, and that where oiher complaint, but, as far as I have grown it, it seems CANKER IN FRUIT TREE.?. I HAVE been interested in the discussions and notes on the above subject, especially as I have had some experience with this scourge. In a new orchard on Grass it constantly shows itself in the forks of the branches or at the junction of the branches with the stem. When cut cleanly out it appears to heal over, so that it seems that with due care it may be kept under. The Wellington seems to be subject to this form of canker, as being straight in its growth the clefts of the branches are very acute, and as the branches increase in thickness they seem to grow into each other, and the pressure seems to cause a wrinkled slit in the bark into which the water, it seems, lodges, and probably does something to cause or add to the evil. Some trees of Ecklinville show it very much, especially at the junction of the branches with the stem. A splendid bush of the latter variety, the finest and most vigorous of the lot, was badly attacked. It was cut out, care being taken to take out every stain of brown in the bark, and the bark is now growing up quite healthily. The Queen so 52 THE GARDEN. [January 21, 1893. to have a grave fault for an exposed situation in tliat the fruit-stalk is so slight, that the fruit is all cleared off by the wind when half grown. On some soils this may not be noticeable. The tree forms a beautiful pyramid. During the last five years I have planted over three hundred trees on Giass, and my experience may be inte- resting to others with similar intention.s. The land selected was an old Grass field over an acre in ex- tent. Soil a rich dark loam of say 12 inches or 20 inches in depth lying on marly clay, this again lying on solid red clay. The land slopes gently to the west, is well slieltered from the north, and was drained about twenty years ago at about G yards apart. The course pursued in planting was to mark out a circle say 4 feet across, carefully re- move the turf, throw out (he top soil, break up the marl, return the sod on to this, green side down, till up the hole with the soil within 2 inches or 3 inches of the surface, place in the tree and add a small barrowload of fresh soil and spent manure, add more soil and tread the roots firmly, and then add the remainder of the soil, thus leaving the tree slightly above the surface. Visitors have been surprised to see fine robust young trees with the top roots visible on the surface, yet such trees are in some cases the most robust, illustrating that little-known fact that shallow planting is the most conducive to success. Though pretty much ex- posed, no stakes have been used except in cases of several trees which have begun to lean over. For permanent trees I like the Ecklinville, as its style of growth is the finest I know for a free bush, Bramlej's Seedling, Warner's King and Queen. For early fruiting and heavy cropping nothing equals here The Ringer and Lord Grosvenor, the latter especially. Small trees of it three years old on Paradise planted as filling up trees had as many as eight fine Apples this last season, while nearly all the trees of Kinger which were planted three yeais ago were loaded to tlie ground. The Hawthorndens have been a failure, refusing to grow at all satisfactorily. J. Stormokth, Jun. Kirlibrkh; SiUotk. VINES, MIXED AND OTHERWISE. HorsES of mixed Vines, that is to say, which contain several varieties, are the most common and, all things con.sidered, the least satisfac- tory. It is true many very excellent crops are grown in these mixed houses, but where a com- partment can be given up to one variety, the requirements of that particular sort can be met without detriment to anything else in the house. Some varieties require very much more heat than others throughout their fruiting and ripening period, and if that is accorded them in a mixed house, it is almost certain to react prejudicially on the rest. All may in many instances thrive well together under similar treatment up to the rijiening period, but some, being in advance of others, should have air admitted more freely than is good for those ripening later on. These difficulties can be and are very frequently surmounted with great credit to those who turn out such excellent crops from mixed houses. The most valuable of all Grapes, the Muscat of Alexandria, is one of the worst that can be introduced into a house of mixed varieties. It requires a higher temperature, more especially during the ripening period, than any other variety other than those originating from it, notably Canon Hall Muscat, and it done full justice to, no black Grapes, with the exception of Alnwick Seedling, will colour properly in the same house. More often than not a compart- ment is given wholly up to Mu,=cats, and even then failures occur, owing to those in charge being too niggardly in the matter of turning on plenty of fire-heat during botli the flowering and ripening periods. It does not follow that the houses ought to be kept both hot and close. but, on the contrary, they ought to 1)3 well heated and at the .same time freely ventilated, plenty of warm air being most needed. Under these conditions they need, and should have, more moisture and liquid food supplied to the roots than are required by the Vines in less arid atmospheres. Fail to attend well to this, and both shanking and later on shrivelling will most probably take place. The Muscat of Alexandria will, however, succeed fairly well in a mixed house, as I have repeatedly proved. Really good bunches are sometimes cut from Vines grown in a house with Black Hamburgh, Madrestield Court, Foster's Seedling and such like, all being started moderately early, or say early in February. In later houses, with Ali- cante, Lady Downe's, Gros Colman and other favourite keeping varieties, Muscats are apt to colour indifferently and to shrivel prematurely. When planted with other varieties. Muscats ought always to be placed at the sunniest, warmest end of the house, and the front and top lights being hung separately need never be opened to nearly the same extent as the rest in the same compartment. If Cannon Hall Mus- cat is included in a collection, one or two rods at least should be located at the lightest end of the house and immediately over the hot-water pipes. According to my experience, Mrs. Pince's Muscat does not succeed particularly well in a Muscat house, and if a compartment cannot be wholly given up to it (and I liave seen it at its best thus treated), it should be grown in an early started mixed house. Strange to relate, some of the best Black Hamburgh I grow each season are ripened with Muscats. A rod is trained along the front or coolest part of the house, so that the buds do not break much in advance of the Muscats or ever get so much heat as the latter, and enough front air can be admitted during the ripening period to ensure perfect colouring without greatly lowering the temperature of the house. Gros Guillaume at the coolest end of the same house never fails to bear well and the bunches colour satisfac- torily, though there may be some room for im- provement. Foster's Seedling also finishes well in a mixed house where Muscats arc most studied. Madrestield Court is another superior variety that can be most successfully grown in a sepa- rate compartment. Not, as it happens, because it requires much more heat than Black Ham- burgh, but in a mixed house it is no easy matter to prevent the berries from cracking and decay- ing wholesale either when ripening or after they are ripe. This cracking is most liable to take place during a damp, muggy time, but may happen in fine, bright weather, an excess of moisture in the atmosphere being the princi- pal cause. It is very risky to ever wholly close the ventDators after colouring has well com- menced, a good circulation of dry air being the surest, I may say the only, preventive of crack- ing. If, therefore, Madrestield Court must be grown with other varieties, and it is too good to be wholly left out, a Vine or Vines should be planted at the end of a house where cracking can be easily prevented and perfect colouring favoured by means of a few openings in the glass. When colouring commences, re- move a few squares of glass in a line with the bunches and sub.stitutesome half-inch mesh galva- nised wire netting. This will prove a safeguard against cracking without unduly cooling the rest of the house. Early and second early houses are the proper places for this noble Grape, it not being suitable for growing with late varieties. Foster's Seedling is also liable to crack during the ripening period, but though a serviceable early variety, it does not merit a compartment to itself. In a mixed house it may be planted next to the Madrestield Court, and there will then be enough air admitted constantly through the netting-covered open- ings to prevent cracking. Where Black Ham- burgh is given abundance of air from the time colouring has commenced, a little front air being admitted every night to promote high colour, there is nothing to prevent either Foster's Seed- ling or Buckland Sweetwater from sharing the same house, few or no berries being lost by cracking. Gros Miroc is seen at its best under Black Hamburgh treatment, but may well have the warmest end of the house with a view to effecting an early break. The Black Hamburgh stock also suits it admirably, and there is no- thing, therefore, to hinder its being inarched or grafted on to it. Gros Colman, owing to the great demand that has sprung up for it in the markets, is more grown by itself than any other variety that can be named, not excepting either Black Hamburgh or Muscat of Alexandria. It is in separate compartments, too, that the best samples of it ought to be grown, this variety being, perhaps, the slowest of all to ripen and the most impatient of being subjected to much fire- heat. Grown in a Muscat house, the colour of the berries when fully ripe is nearer the colour of a fox than anything else I can think of ; whereas in a lower temperature, with an abundant circulation of air, the colour is quite black and the bloom good. As a rule it will succeed well in a house with Alicante, Lady Downe's, and Alnwick Seedling, the coolest end being assigned the rod or rods as the case may be. Gros Guillaume should be started early or not later than the middle of February, as it frequently fails to ripen satis- factorily under conditions that suit very wel the other late black Grapes mentioned. Golden Queen, Mrs. Pearson, and White Tokay are not worthy of being grown in a compartment by themselves, but will succeed admirably in an early started house of mixed late Vines, the warmest and sunniest end being accorded them. If the colouring is late in taking place, the chances are that it will also be faulty. In very many gardens it is not possible to devote a whole house to either early or late ripening varieties. Formerly, when only a single vinery was on the place, this was filled with Black Hamburgh and jjrobably a Vine or two each of Buckland Sweetwater, Foster's Seedling, and a Muscat, the last, however, being soon cut out again in many cases. Now- a-days, fewer early Grapes and more late ones are wanted, the owners of the houses not being satisfied unless some are available up to midwinter. As a consequence, many solitary vineries now comprise rods of Gros Maroc, Alicante, Lady Downe's and Gros Colman in addition to the earlier varieties named, and fire-heat not being stmted in the autumn and all the time the bunches are hanging, no great difficulty is experienced in keeping the three last till midwinter or even much later. This Christmas I saw several ]iresentable bunches of Gros Maroc that had been grown in a mixed house by a single-handed gardener. These were quite a credit to him. W. Iggltlden. Strawberries for forcing'. — In reading Mr. J. Lambert's notes on Strawberries in The Garden (December 24), in which he states that Strawberry John Kuskin and Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury started together were both ready for table on the same day, I would like to ask him when he started the above-named Strawberries. My experience is that Vicomtesse Hericart de Tlmry for producing ripe fruit in the middle of February and first week Janqaut l' 1,1893.] THE GARDEN. 53 in March is very far beliind John Ruskin or La Grosse Sucr^e. 1 liave gathered very fine fruit of lia Grosse Sucri^e on January 27. Vicomtesse Herl- cartUeThury, .started at the same time, was a failure. In fact, the latter is a very good forcer as a second early to come in end of March and April, but for February and early in March it is, I consider, not worth growing. To have ripe Strawberries at the end of March and through the month of April is an easy matter, but iu January and February a better va- riety than the Vicomtesse is refjuircd — at least, such is my experience. In March many of our best Strawberries can be had ripe that as re- gards size and flavour put Horicart de Thury in the shade. — W. C. Leach, -1 Ibury Park. SIARTING FORCED STRAWBERRIES. It is well known the slower the plants are forced the greater the certainty of success, so that those who require fruit early in the season would do well to give ample time and force in suitalile tempera- tures. I lately s\w it stated that ripe fruits had been secured by the end of December. It would be interesting to know the proportion of fruit to each plant and the quantity of plants forced. Another point worth knowing is whether from last summer's runners or old plants. I fear whatever system may have been adopted no large quantity of fruit would be obtained unless the plants had received a thorough rest. The best results in Strawberry forcing are really secured from plants started early in the year and given plenty of time with abund- ance of air. The best fruits I ever grew were from plants started on shelves in an orchard house close to the glass without bottom-beat of any kind, and not removed till the fruit was colouring. This could not be termed early forcing, and one is obliged to resort to speedier methods to get early fruits. To do this, excess of heat often destroys a good prospect of a crop, so that the longer the growing or forcing season the grea'er the success. Many excellent cultivators do not use bottom-heat at all, but in such cases to get early fruits early runners are imperative, also well ripened plants. These latter are placed in their forcing quarters early in December close to the glass with a free circulation of air, and in such positions, provided a low tem- perature is maintained at the start, say 45° to 55°, with a rise of 12° by sun-heat, the minimum tem- perature in severe weather, and 45° to 50° at night, with ample|supplies of moisture, there will be fewer failures and less trouble with insect pests than if a higher temperature were maintained. Those who have a Peach or orchard house ready to start may find room for a few early Strawberries. I would advise a through cleansing previous to their intro- duction, as Strawberries are most troublesome in fruit houses when not thoroughly prepared. If in a dirty state I find nothing better than a little sulphur mixed in water, dipping every plant before placing on the shelves ; dry sulphur is also useful when dusted over the foliage. This checks mildew, but does not reach spider, so that it is best given in a liquid form. When introduced thus early little wafer is neces- sary, as the roots will be in a moist condition. Dryness at the root is the commencement of the grower's troubles, bringing all kinds of insect pests. I also consider the old method of top-dressing the roots of little importance, and here I may be taken to task, but I think it a waste of time, a de- struction of roots, and a certain means of prevent- ing the proper amount cf moisture reaching the roo!s. Whenacerla'n quantity of fresh material is added to the surface without any roots to absorb the moisture this remains in a damper condition than the ball of earth lower down. In lhe=e days when there is a wide choice of fertilisers that can be used at the time the plants require assistance, this removal of soil (often roots) is not necessary. I would rather ad- vise leaving more space on the surface at potting time, so as to mulch with rich soil and manure when the flower-spikes are pushing up. When bottom-heat is used it should always be carefully applied; indeed in some cases if proper convenience cannot be atTorded, I would prefer to stand the plants on the bed to plunging them. When leaves are used, some fibre or old leaf-mould may advan- ta;.^einisly be used for plunging ; if stable litter is the heating agency more care is required. Much good may bo done by using thin boartis or racks in case of hi:;h temperature, and by this means save the plants ; 10° to 15° higher temperature at the roots over the day temperature is ample. When selecting the plants for e.irly fruits, let it be re- membered that the largest kinds .are not always the best fruiters, especially for early work. So far I have found none better than Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, La Grosse Sucrfia, and Keens' Seedling. Early thinning of the blooms is also essential, as this hastens the formation of the fruit left. In fine weather a free use of the syringe will keep down spider and greatly benefit the plants. When mil- dew is noticed maintain a drier atmosphere and cover the pipes with sulphur, doing the work in dull weather. Liquid manure shoulil be used freely after setting. I like cow and sheep manure in a liquid state, or a good fertiliser sprinkled on the surface. G. Wythes. PRUNING NEWLY-PLANTED APPLE TREES. So.ME writers advise that newly-planted trees ought not to be pruned the same season as planted ; others, again, say that instead of cutting thera hard back, the points only should be taken ofl". My experience leads nie to say both these plans are wrong, as I will en- deavour to explain. Take, for instance, a standard Apple of any variety, but, for the sake of argu- ment, suppose we name Ecklinville, which is one of the best sorts for this form of growth. If the tree is not pruned the first year, but cut hard back the second, we loso a whole year's growth. The argument against pruning the same season as planting is that it is un- wise to give two checks to a tree at the same time. The tree received one at its roots when being planted, and to cut the branches would be giving a second. The fallacy of this reasoning is easily shown. The tree, in its weakened state through planting, has not the power to push growth from all the buds the shoots contain. The sap, as a natural consequence, rushes to the tips of the .shoots, a weakened growth being produced by the extreme eyes, while those buds nearest the base of the tree remain quite dormant. The result is that the tree at that part always has a bare stem. Now, if the tree had its weakened energies concen- trated into a limited space of say 0 inches or even 8 inches in strong shoots, a much more satisfactory growth could be expected the first year. Thg plan of cutting off the points of the shoots, say a couple of inches from each, will result in only a few inches of new growth being added — perhaps a coujjle from the stronger and hardly any from the weaker ones. Several eyes at the base will remain dormant, while those that do push at all, with the exception of the leading one, will form fruit buds. I suppose it will be allowed by all that the first object in a stan- dard Apple tree is to encourage growth, and not the formation of fruit buds at so early a stage of the tree's existence. The simple topping of the shoots does that which is not required — the formation of fruit buds instead of a free growth. The following year even these premature flower-buds will expand and probably set fruit, thus again weakening the growth of the tree. The proper method then that I con- sider gives the best results is to cut the shoots back to within C inches of the base in the case of weakly grown trees, allowing a couple or so more inches to the stronger, .selecting, of course, an outward bud to cut to as being the best means of maintaining the desired shape of the tree. The result of this pruning will bo that shoots from 1 foot to '2 feet will be made the first ye.'U', thu-s laying not only the foundation of the future tree as regards its proper clothing with branches from the bwe, but providing space for a full crop of fruit iu a few more years. The first ye.ar shouhl surely be devoted to the encouragement of growth. Of course, much will depend upon the man- ner in which the trees were planted and how they are managed the summer following the pruning. If they are allowed to aulTer from want of moisture at the roots in consequence of a .scarcity of mulching material or a scarcity of water, growth like that named will not be forth- coming. All newly-planted trees ought, how- ever, to be mulched the first year ; it not only saves time in watering the trees, but it keepj the roots ccol and moist during the hottest weather. When the soil is dry it cracks, and allows what little moisture there is to escape by the action of the sun upon the soil drawing up the moisture through the cracks. The early part of February is a good time to prime newly- planted trees; no matter whether they be stan- dards or bushes, the treatment should bo the same in this respect. The only point of differ- ence is that the shoots cannot always be cut to one uniform length as in the case of standards ; some branches on the bushes require a greater length of shoot to be left in some parts to give the tree the necessary ahap3. E. M. FRUIT GROWING. A GREAT deal has been said and written of late about the danger of exaggeration in regard to the profits of fruit growing in the open air in EngUnd. Hardly does anyone venture to take a .sanguine or hopeful view than numbers rush into speech or print asserting that the whole thing is likely to prove a mockery and delusion; and yet these gloomy forebodings are often far wider of the truth than the most rosy estimates. Within the last few weeks I have been assured again and again that Apples and Pears cannot be grown in certain dis- tricts or counties. I have gone into these districts, collected samples of their products, and exhibited them in public, to the astonishment and in several cases to the complete conver.-ion of the doubters. Local fruit shows have a special value in this connection. Such object lessons can hardly be ignored. Very recently I gave a course of lectures on fruit culture. I had a capital audience, the sympathy of the chairman and other leading far- mers and others. I appealed to the audience to produce at the next meeting, or there and then, any samples of fruit grown by themselves. Several were produced on the spot, and the result after a few meetings was a box of local samples exceed- ing in size and quality those selected from the neighbourhood of London. Gentlemen of long standing in the parish ac- knowledged themselves mistaken, and strongly ad- vised a bold trial of fruit culture on the new lines of dwarfing stocks, root-pruning, surface feeding, &c. It may be added that some of the finest samples of Cox's Orange Pippin, Cox's Pomona, Wellington, Warner's King, Blenheim Orange, Ribston Pippin, King of the Pippins, Annie Eliza- beth, Tower of Glamis, Dr. Harvey, &c., ever seen were those local samples from a district generally believed to be quite incapable of their production. Similar facts of a most cheering and suggestive character are constantly cropping up in regard to other fruit. In a country village where it was de- clared impossible to grow either, there were seen a Morello Cherry laden with fine fruit and a Catillac Pear in great perfection. In yet another district where Pear culture was declared utterly hopeless, over a dozen varieties grown on the spot were produced on the ue.xt occasion. And thus 54 THE GARDEN. [January 21, 1893. and largely by such means of practical demonstra- tion fruit culture moves on with sure and certain footsteps, and assumes the importance it deserves among our national industries. Caledonicus. Orchids. CATTLEYA AMETHYSTOGLOSSA. The first plant which I ever saw of this was in the garden of H. P. Reichenheini, in the Tein Garden outside Berlin. This was thirty years ago, and I afterwards saw it as a unique speci- men in England in Mr. Warner's collection. Soon after this the Messrs. Low and Co., of Clapton, received a fine lot of it, but not many, I think, equalled Mr. Warner's plant. The Messrs. Low have every now and then large consignments of this Orchid, which keep it well before the public, for the beauty of its flowers commends it to everyone, and it appears to exist in very great q uantities in its native place, so much so that I do not think this a variety of C. guttata, as some authors call it var. Prinzi. I rather here adopt the name given it, I be- lieve, by Linden. The plant certainly has some resemblance to C. guttata, yet I think it is quite distinct. It has somewhat slender, erect, stem- like pseudo-bulbs, which usually attain a length of 21 feet, and I have seen the bulbs reach 3 feet and more. These bear upon tlie apex a pair of large leathery leaves, and from between these the scape appears, bearing many flowers, which vary much in size and colour in different plants. 'This might be expected from a plant that seeds freely and evidently grows in a spot well suited to the development of the young seedlings. The flowers each measure 5 inches or more across, the sejials and petals being nearly equal, thick and waxy in texture, creamy white, suffused with a tinge of rose and spotted more especially near the margins with numerous spots (not blotches) of rich rosy purple. The side lobes of the lip are erect, in colour about the same as the ground of the sepals and petals, the tips reflexed and of a rich amethyst-purple. The middle lobe is of a rich and bright amethy.st-purple. The flowers last in full beauty for a month, and they do not injure the plant if allowed to remain on for that period. I like to allow the plants to re- main in the house in which the flowers open far better than to remove them to another, which is sure to be moister or drier and to have some variation in temperature, either of wliich afl'ects the duration of the flowers to a surprising ex- tent. Its usual time of flowering is the spring months, but I have seen its flowers at all sea- sons. Only last month I noted a very distinct and handsome variety flowering with Mr. San- der, of St. Albans, and this was not a recently imported plant either. It would be a desirable acquisition if we could ensure its flowering regularly at this dull time of the season. To grow this plant so that it will continue to make bulbs strong enough to bloom annually has somewhat puzzled the majority of Orchid growers. I usually find that it becomes smaller after about two or three seasons, and I am of opinion that it does not like such cool treat- ment as most of the Cattleyas are subjected to. I think the best place to winter this is with plants of L:clia elegans in a house that does not at any time fall below CO'. If at any time the plant appears to be inclined to move too soon, it should be set where more air can play upon it, and it should be kept a little drier, but I am totally opposed to the roasting system which used to be applied to this family. Wm. Hugh Gowbr. Cattleya labiata Mme. Martin Chuzon. — A very nice figure of this appears in the October number of the " Orchidophile ;" it has white sepals and petals, and the front lobe of the lip is stained with lilac-mauve, yellow at the base. M. Godefroy- Lebeuf claims for this plant that it Is the whitest form known. About the same time in 1892 I saw flowering with Mr. Sander, at St. Albans, a wholly white labiata saving a tinge of yellow at the base, so that this variety figured is not the whitest flower known. — G. Cattleya Percivaliana. — I have now before me three line varieties from three different persons, all being good and distinct forms, "J. W.'s" is the first that came to hand. The lip of this is very rich, but there is little of the warm yellow in it. The flower from Josiah Williams is the largest t'littleya ametliystoglossa. and richest in colour, the sepals and petals being bright crimson-purple, lip of the same colour, lichly suffused with tawny orange-yellow, the front lobe stained at its base with deep maroon- purple— certainly a large handsome flower. The form from Mr. Cypher is nearly as good, although smaller ; the sepals and petals are rich and bright in colour, as also is the lip. The blotch of maroon on the lip is very deep. — W. Zygopetalum intermedium. — More fre- quently this Zygopetalum is grown under the name of Z. Mackayi. The two species are, how- ever, distinct, although at the first glance they look almost identical. Z intermedium is the better garden plant of the two, its flowers being larger than those cf Z. Mackayi and at the same time quite as baautiful in colour. Tlie flower- spike is erect, 2 feet high, and bears some six or seven flowe's. Each flower is close upon ,3 inches in depth, with the five sepals and petals arranged in semicircular fashion above the lip ; in colour they are greenish yellow, blotched irregu- larly with chestnut-brown. The lip is large and remarkably handsome, and in colour makes a most striking contrast to the other segments. The ground colour is white, but freely marked with radiating lines of a bright blue-purple. Except in the matter of size, the chief difference between this species and Z. Mackayi is in the lip. In Z. intermedium the lip is more hairy and the veins are of a purple shade ; whereas in Z. Mackayi they are blue. On the whole, Reichenbach may be said to have estimated their proper affinity more cor- rectly than older botanists when he rerluced Z. intermedium to a variety of the earlier introduced Z. Mackayi. That species was first brought to this country in 1827, Z. intermedium in 18-14 ; both are natives of Brazil. The horticultural value of Zygopetalums is well known, and scarcely any garden, whether Orchids are grown in it or not, is without Z. Mackayi. It is one of those plants which, whilst other Orchids come and go, keep on flowering regularly year after year without much trouble or attention. The same applies to Z. intermedium. Both should be grown in an in- termediate house, potting them in a compost of peat fibre and chips of potsherds, and using in addition a little Sphagnum towards the surface of the pots. When growing they like abundance of water and need never be kept very dry. The chief desideratum is a strong healthy growth. This obtained, flowers are sure to follow. — B. Vanda teres Candida.— J. Brown, who has charge of the fine collection at Arddarroch, sends me a flower of an excellent variety of this. It has large and full sepals and petals which are of the purest white, the side lobes of the lip also of the same colour, the exterior lobe white with a few freckled lines of rosy dots, and the throat stained with lemon. This variety was figured in the " Orchid Album," t. 409, but the flower before me is fuller in all its parts. It is a very singular time of the year to have any form of this species blooming. This is called alba sometimes, but it was named Candida by Reichenbach from a plant that flowered with Mr. Whittaker at Crewe Hall some few years ago. — W. H. G. CATTLEYA DOWIANA AND AUREA. I AM asked by " H. M." what he is to do with these plants. He says he has kept them as quiet and as dry as he could, but now they seem as if the eyes would start away in spite of all he can do. I would advise him to keep the plants for a few weeks longer as cool and as dry as he can without injuring them. " H. M." has followed my advice for three years, but has had no flowers yet. He says he thinks now they are strong enough to flower and that they will do so from their next growth. Care should be taken during the coming few weeks to keep the atmosphere as near 52° as pos- sible, and should we have any warm days, admit air freely, and during this time I would not mind if the glass went up to about 50° or 58° even for a short time. By doing this and keeping the plants from starting, you will be preserving them for the longer daylight. If you cannot keep them from growing any longer than the beginning of next month, then raise the temperature to 58° at night, rising C° or 8° in the daytime, until the Cattleya house tem- perature is fully maintained. I would prefer that their growth shovdd not commence until towards the close of February, then I have found these varieties flower freely enough. I suppose the reason why "H. M." has not had any flowers upon his plants is because they were young and small when he had them, and perhaps at first he did not get them to rest well through the dull days, this inducing and pro- ducing too weak growths. A friend assured me in the month of December that he had never missed flowering C. aurea since he took the advice to prevent any movement of the buds or eyes until the days jjegan to visibly lengthen. I think this is all that is necessary, and when the plants do start away, every care should be taken to make them grow as vigorously as pos- January 21, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 55 sible. C. Dowiana was first discovered about forty-three years ago, but it was about fifteen years afterwards before living plants were in- troduced to this country by the Messrs. Veitch and Son. The variety aurea was introduced by M. Linden, having been found in a district many hundreds of mUes from that in which Dowiana is found. Roezl found it in Antioquia. The variety chrysotoxa, sent out by Mr. San- der, appears to me a very e.xcellent form of aurea, the colours being richer and brighter. William Hugh Gower. Societies and Exhibitions. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. January 17. Those who ventured out in the inclement weather of Tuesday last to the above meeting will have been amply rewarded for their trouble. The gathering was not, it is true, a large one as con- trasted with others in more propitious weather, but it was in all respects an excellent one for mid- winter. Orchids were not present in large numbers, but there were several highly meritorious hybrids shown. Particular note should be made of Ca- lanthe gigas, a superb variety from the Veitchian collection, which, if we are not greatly mistaken, it wiU be a ditBoult matter to surpass. Several fine forms of Lady's Slippers were also contributed from various sources. Another feature amongst the Or- chids was Cycnoches pentadaotylon, a singularly beautiful species. The floral portion was well re- presented by a remarkably fine group of Begonia Gloire de Sceaux, which was of itself quite an at- traction. Some finely cultivated Cyclamens and a few Chrysanthemums, with some splendid trusses of the javanico-jasminiflorum Rhododendrons (very bright), were likewise shown. Amongst the fruit there was a splendid and most comprehensive col- lection of Apples in fine condition, having been well preserved. Orchid Committee. At this meeting first-class certificates were given to Calasthe gig.\s (C. Sanderiana gigantea x C. vestita gigantea).— This fine hybrid bore one spike more than 4 feet in length from the pot, the growth also of bulb and foliage being of a luxuriant cha- racter, the former partaking much of the C. ves- tita parentage, whilst the latter was very fresh and healthy— a desirable addition in itself alone. The flowers are large, with broad sepals and petals, the colour being almost a pure white, a rosy tint suffusing these parts of the flower, whilst the lip is of a rose shade with a crimson base. It is without doubt the finest hybrid Calanthe yet shown. From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons. CrcxocHES PEXTADACTYLOX (the male variety). —This species is remarkably beautiful, the flowers freely produced upon long arching spikes about 15 inches or so in length; the strongest bulb bore five of these ; the ground colour of the flowers is nearly a pure white with dark chocolate markings in a transverse manner; the lip and column are not particularly noteworthy save in their singular con- struction. This genus is evidently closely allied to the Catasetums. It was shown by ]Ur. W. W. Mann, Ravenswood, Bexley. CrPEiPBDiCM Penelaus (C. caudatum Lindeni X C. calurum), the flowers of which more nearly resemble those of the latter parent, b'lt are of a richer colour, the petals, however, being much longer and of a wavy outline, the colour" varying with age from a deep rose tint to a pale rose, the growth being free. From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons. Awards of merit were given to CrPBiPEDtuM PHJiDRA (C. Lindlevanum x C. Sedeni candidulum), the flowers of which partake most of those of the last named, but with broader petals, being also bolder as well as richer in colour- ing. This is a splendid hybrid of free growth. From Messrs. •!. ^'■eitch and Sons. CypRiPEDiUM Germinyanum (C. hirsutissimum X C. villosum). — A very richly coloured and most distinct hybrid, having the peculiar shade of C. hirsutissimum intensified, whilst the form of the flower is more that of C. villosum. From Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons. Botanical certificates were awarded to Bulbo- phyllum comosum, more singular than pretty, from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, and to Cynorchis grandiflora, the lip of which is the most taking and prominent, of a rich shade of lilac. From Messrs. W. L. Lewis and Co., Southgate. Messrs. B. S. Williams and Son had a choice lot of Cypripediums and other Orchids. Of the for- mer C. calurum bore very fine flowers, so also did C. Pitcherianum (Williams' var.), the colour of which is extremely rich and dark. C. nitens and C. Sallieri were both well represented, whilst C. Leeanum and the var. superbum were both in the best form, the flowers of the latter extra fine. C. punctatum violaceum had well-marked flowers. C. cardinale and C. politum were also in good form ; likewise C. Harrisianum vivicans. Lajlia anceps Stella, one of the best of the pure white forms, was bearing a fine truss of flowers ; so also were Odon- toglossum Alexandra and O. elegans (silver Bank- sian). Messrs. Veitch and Sons had besides those to which certificates were awarded the following hybrids, viz. : Phaio-Calanthe Sedeniana albiflora (Fhaius grandiflorus x C. vestita rubra), a distinct cross, the blooms being of the Calanthe and the bulb more of the Phaius parentage. Cypripedium Lathamianum was also very finely shown, the flowers extra large. C. Creon (C. cenanthum superbum x C. Harrisianum superbum) had extra rich flowers, the dorsal sepal being in- tensely dark. C. Orion (C. concolor x C. in- signe) has had the habit and style of flower of C. condor imparted to it, the shading being more after C. insigne. C. Aeson (C. Druery- anum x C. insigne) is also a distinctly marked hy- brid. Phalienopsis vesta (rosea leucaspes x ama- bilis) is a beautiful variety with rosy coloured flowers. Messrs. H. Low and Co. showed a very pretty group of Saccolabium bellinum, each neat little plant of which bore a compact truss of its curious, but attractive flowers, relatively large for the plant, and of a dark shade. Messrs. Sander and Co. had Sarcopodium Godseffianum, a singular Orchid, with large flowers of a deep golden colour spotted with a darker shade of the same ; Masde- vallia Hincksiana, a rich yellow ; Pleurothallis ornata and Cypripedium nitens (St. Albans var.), a distinct and very chaste looking hybrid in its colouring, the dorsal sepal large and broadly mar- gined with white. Floral Committee. A first-class certificate was awarded to Begonia Gloire de Sceaux. — An extremely valuable winter-flowering decorative variety, which, if we mistake not, will be largely grown. Its foliage is of a dark coppery or bronzy shade ; the plants were of good habit, the more robust having somewhat large leaves, but short footstalks ; the flower-trusses are compact, freely and continuously produced, the colour a bright ro*y pink, lasting well in a cut state. The plants shown were chiefly from cuttings struck in July last, being in com- paratively small pots. From Mr. Leopold de Roth- schild, Ascott, Leighton Buzzard. Awards of merit were given to — PTERI3 SERRULATA GIGANTEA, which is more vigorous in growth even than the Chiswick variety of that species, the fronds being as much as 2 feet in length without the footstalk ; it is in all respects quite a gigantic variety of the Ribboa Fern. From Mr. H. B. May, Upper Edmonton. Chrysanthemum New Years Gift.— A re- flexed Japanese variety of much promise, with broad, flat florets, the flowers large and full, the colour a pile straw white ; as the flowers gain age they will probably be a pure white. From Mr. R. Owen. Chry'santhemum Pink Mrs. E. D. Adams. — This in colour much resembles a rather pale Viviand Morel with the florets twisted, being dis- tinct in build and of large size. Also from Mr. K. Owen. Messrs. H. Low and Co. had a bank of Cy- clamens, the strain a very superior one, em- bracing the richest of the dark with all other shades down to pure white (silver Flora medal). To Mr. Jennings for the finely grown group of Begonia Gloire de Sceaux already alluded to, and which was greatly admired, a silver Banksian medal was awarded. Mr. Leach, Albury Park Gardens, sent a very fresh and bright collection of cut Japanese Chrysanthemums in bunches con- sisting of the best late varieties. With these were shown some well grown bracts of the oil form of Poinsettia and sprays of Chimonanthus fragrans (silver Banksian medal). Messrs. W. Cutbush and Sons had very finely-grown Dracsena Lindeni and D. Massangeana, the former much the better in colour, although both are useful and possessing a similar character of growth (bronze Banksian). Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons showed a beautiful boxful of cut trusses of their hybrid Javan Rhodo- dendrons, proving how useful these handsome flowers are for the winter season as well as at all other times ; the colours varied from pure white to the deepest scarlet with yellows, buffs, pinks, and intermediate shades. From the same source again came their Begonia Winter Gem, proving how well it continues in flower, whilst it a'so resists the fogs of London. With this Begonia were shown some very pretty examples of Primula floribunda of a beautiful bright yellow colour, which in quantity should prove most useful. Mr. Jennings also brought from Ascott some freely - flowered plants of Carnation Sir Henry Calcraff, a dark, but vivid scarlet, the flowers extra large and very full, a grand winter-flowering variety of the Tree section. Mr. H. B. May had well-grown dwarf plants of Carnation Winter Cheer, freely flowered ; also a basketful of Pteris Regina3, a new variegated variety only recently alluded to, which is evidently of free growth and likely to be a serviceable decorative plant. Messrs. Shuttle- worth and Co., Peekham Rye, showed early forced Daffodils, the varieties represented being obval- laris, Ard-Righ, Countess of Annesley, and the common double yellow ; with these was included Iris Bakeriana, one of the prettiest of the early dwarf section. Messrs. H. Cannell and Sons staged a dozen very finely grown Primulas of their choice strains, deep crimson, pink, and blush colours, the flowers beautifully fringed. Mr. R Owen had cut blooms of his Imperial strain of Primulas, both singles and semi-doubles, showing a great diversity of colour, whilst the quality of the strain was ex- cellent. The same exhibitor also had two other Chrysanthemums, Mrs. L. C. Madeira, an Ameri- can incurved variety, bright golden yellow in colour, and Mrs. Maria Bourne, a deep rosy lilac. Fruit Committee. There were some interesting exhibits before this committee, notably a large collection of Apples from Messrs. Bunyard, a smaller one from Messrs. Cheal, and seedling Apples from various sources. An award of merit was given to — Apple Blue Pearmain. — A large round fruit, streaked dark crimson on the funny side, with firm flesh of good flavour and very handsome in shape. It is a heavy cropper. From the Society's gar- dens, Chiswick. Messrs. G. Bunyard and Co., Maidstone, staged 150 distinct dishes of Apples and a few Pears of splendid rjuality. Among.st those deserving special notice were Schoolmaster, Hollandbury, 'Winter Queening, Wadhurst Pippin, Cornish Aromatic, Gospatric, Red Hawthornden, Hoary Morning, Belle Pontoise, Old English Codlin, Bi>marck, Gas- coigne's Scarlet, The Queen (very fine), Stone's Pippin, Bramley's. Lane's Prince Albert (grandly coloured). White Gravenstfin, Gloria Mundi and Calville Rouge (silver - gilt Knightian medal). Messrs. Cheal showed an interesting collection, not so numerous, but of %-arietie3 less known, the best being Gospatric, a medium-sized kitchen fruit of excellent quality; Landsberger Reinette, a handsome dessert variety of good quiHty ; Histon 56 THE GARDEN. [Januaky 21, 1893. Favourite ; Newton Wonder, a large new cooking- fruit, a late keeper, somewhat like Wellington ; Forfar Pippin, Ottershaw Pippin, Beauty oE Bar- nack and others (bronzj Knightian medal). A dish of Annie Elizabeth (very good) was sent by Mr. TurtoD, Reading. Stamford Pippin and Winter Peach were sent by Mr. Maher, Yattendon. Seed- ling Apples of no special merit came from Mr. Butler, Nacton. Eight new seedling Apples were sent from Jersey by Mr. H. Becker, but though a couple were considered of fair quality, they were not superior to existing varieties. Mr. A. Dean staged a dish of Jaffa Oranges, which have been freely imported this winter. Those sent were of excellent quality. Mr. H. Balderson, Corner Hall, Hemel Hempstead, sent a few dishes of Asparagus which had been forced by tan, the sender explain- ing it was done at little cost, regular supplies also being secured in this way. A cultural commenda- tion was worthily awarded. History repeats itself, and I much regret that the report of the R.H S., which has j ust been issued, is an instance in point. It may be within the recollection of some that in your issue of January lit, 1880 (p. 44), I wrote the following amongst other remarks : — ill regard to this question of expense, an important decision was arrived at by the Fellows this year which may beof .serious import in the future. It was decided to admit Fellows to most of the privileges on payment of one guinea, and this reduction, although it ha.s so far brought an accession of new members, will also be the cau.se of future loss, as many of (he esisting Fellows have illiberally taken advantage of (he new bye-laws to reduce their subscriptions. Now, bearing in mind that it is proposed again to incur the expense of issuing the journal, and that other propo-sals, all of which mean expense, are in view, it may be found (hat this payment of one guinea will barely cover the ex- pense per head of all these schemes and additional advantages, so that there will in all probability be no surplus from guinea Fellows to meet other outgoings, which are considerable, and the consequent result must he a gradual return to the financial position of 1887. What will have to be done then? Chiswick will have to be dropped, as it is the " privilege " of the Society which gives the least satisfaction to the body of Fellows for the heavy expenses associated with it. The R.H.,S. report for this year has the following appeal, to which attention is specially called :— The secretary wishes this year to make a special appeal to all Fellows to assist him in pr moting the welfare of the society by doing .all in their power to introduce new Fellows. The lowering of the possible rate of subscription to £1 Is. has brought in a lar^e number of new Fellows, hut it has caused such an increase in the clerical work of the office, and in the general working expenses, that, combined with the cost of the journal, it leaves the smaUest possible margin to devote to the society's exhibitions and experimental work at Chiswick. tjo much is this the case, that, unless new £2 2s. and £4 4s. Fellow.s can be obtained, this latter, but most important part of the society's work will soon be in imminent danger of ceasing. For the remarks I made in 1889 I was very naturally brought to book by " W. C." and others interested in the R.H.S., and I replied to my critics in your issue of February 9 following. Every word I wrote in my article of January 19, 1889, is as true now as it was then, and the present appeal of the K.H.S. is the most absolute confirma- tion of my then expressed views. In your issue of January 5 in the same year an article signed " F. R. H. S." appeared, in which atten- tion was called to the requirements of the society in regard to the jier.wiiiicl of the council. " F. R. H. S." stated that the R H.S. council required more active business men on that body, men, for instance, in touch with the City of London, which most naturally should be the main source of supply, and in fact the life blood of a society whose head- quarters are situated, as those of the R.H.S. are, in the west end of the metropolis.' I contend that the society's council now requires the same change as it did then. As the £1 Is. Fellows are shown to be practically of httle value, the R.H.S. wants influen- tial men primarily on its council, and secondarily on committees who will bring many new £2 2s. and £4 4s. Fellows. Where can you get such men but in the City ? and who can get City men to take an interest in the society's welfare, give prizes, and in other ways substantially help, but their old friends and associates who meet them daily in the intercourse of business. In this year's report the council state that the society possesses a roll of Fellows numbering 3000. To a business man in the wealthiest city in the world it seems astounding that with such a roll of Fellows there should only be two city firms represented on the society's management, and that the greatest corporation of all in the City of London is unrepresented even on committees, although a large number of its members are Fellows on the society's roll. What is the obvious reasoning and deduction ? That as the council treat the business men of the City with neglect, the City will naturally treat our society with contempt in the day of need. Can anyone wonder that with the most likely source for members in London foolishly treated with a ne- glect that in any business would be absolutely im- possible, (he society is now (after gallant efforts on the part of some few of those responsible for its management and progress) under the necessity of appealing to the Fellows for help? Finally, I should like to ask the council is their motto " Vestigia nulla retrorsum .' " Can they not before it is too late alter the arrangements in regard to £1 Is. Fellows, and accord them fewer expensive privileges ? The council have long since abandoned the heresy of economy being the primary considera- tion on all matters connected with their finance, as they but too soon received a sharp lesson on that score shortly after my official connection with them ceased. Surely now they must see the false step made in 1888 in admitting £1 Is. Fellows to all privileges, and they should so rearrange matters that ."^such Fellows in future shall return some profit and not be a loss to the society. C. J. Geahamb. THE GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. At the special meeting convened for 2.45 on Jan. 17, the only business to transact was the confirma- tion of the present title of the institution for pur- poses of registration, which was carried by the unanimous vote of the meeting. At 3 o'clock the annual meeting was held, when Mr. H. J. Veitch took the chair. The secretary (Mr. G. J. Ingram) read the 54th annual report, which was in all re- spects of a most satisfactory character. An ex- planation was given with regard to the postpone- ment of the annual dinner from June to November through circumstances which have been already given in The Garden. The late dinner, presided over by Lord Brassey, was an unqualified success. Besides the liberal donations of bis lordship and other friends, one noteworthy feature was (he in- creased number of annual subscribers, which is to all most encouraging. The report stated that twelve pensioners had died during the year ; three of these had left widows, who were qualified by the rules to succeed to the pensions of their late husbands, i.e., to the amount granted to female pensioners. Two applicants also having qualified for pensions without election, as per rules, were recommended by the committee to be placed on the list without thee.xpense or trouble of an elec- tion. One of these should be especially noted, being that of a subscriber of £1 Is. per annum for forty-six years ; the other also being a worthy applicant, that of a widow, whose husband had subscribed for thirty years. More deserving cases than these could hardly be cited. It was proposed, through the death of two pensioners just recently, that the next two highest on the poll after the election of the ten, the number previously decided upon, be placed on the pension list. Thus twelve pensioners succeed the same number deceased. The following members of the committee, who retire by rotation, were unanimously re-elected for another period of four years, viz.: Messrs. J. Lee, G. Monro, W. J. Nutting, T. A. Dickson, and H. Turner. Mr. Owen Thomas succeeds Mr. Charles Pilcher on the committee, and Messrs. Arthur Veitch and Thomas Glen succeed Messrs. John Eraser and'A. F. Barron, who had expressed their desire to re-ign. Messrs. Thomas Manning, Thomas Swift, and J. Willard were appointed auditors for the ensuing year ; the retiring gentlemen, viz., Messrs. Lee, Webber, and Willard who had previously acted in that capacity, were thanked for their ser- vices. In the event of arbitrators being called upon to act, the names of five gentlemen (non-members) were proposed and duly elected. The treasurer (Mr. II. J. Veitch) was unanimously re-elected to that office. Dr. Masters paying him a high tribute for past services. Mr. G. J. Ingram, the secretary, was also re-elected by the unanimous vote of the meeting. The financial condition of the institution is moat gratifying; the annual subscriptions amount to £1397 13s. 6d., the donations to £1025 IGs. 9d., the special feature, the handsome gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Veitch of £500, being additional to that sum. The collecting cards realised £219 10s. 8d. ; the advertisements in annual report £40 17s. (id. ; the dividends on stock £778 Us. 3d. On the expendi- ture side the chief item is the pension list, £2(i34 (>s. 8d. The working expenses, including secre- tary's salary, rent of offices, printing, expenses of dinner, and sundry items amount to £699 7s. 4d. ; this includes additional expenses incurred through the postponement of the dinner. The scrutineers appointed to take the poll were Messrs. H. Williams, Arthur Veitch, George Monro, Jas. Webber, H. Cutbush, and B. Wynne. These gentlemen declared the following duly elected as pensioners, the poll, it will be noted, being an unusually heavy one for this institution : Henry Pridden (totally blind), 2975 votes ; George Macin- tosh (subscriber for seven years), 2932 votes ; Mar- garet Kefford (husband subscriber for four years), 2837 votes ; James Munro (third application), 2375 votes ; George Woodgate (second do.), 2183 votes ; James Ricks (collected £10 10s. in 1887), 2160 votes ; H. Woolford (third application), 2147 votes; Samuel Tisdale (subscriber for seven years), 2137 votes ; Mary Gray (an aged widow), 2012 votes ; W. Coleman (third application), 1992 votes ; Agnes Merritt (husband subscribed for ten years), 1931 votes ; T. H. Bowler (subscribed for eight years), 1860 votes. The next candidate to the foregoing, but who was not successful in securing election, received as many as 1599 votes, which number would in several bygone elections have easily rendered him a pensioner. The total num- ber of votes polled was 42,337. This conclusively proves that it is quite time that all gardeners in middle life should become subscribers. None of us know what misfortune may be in store for us ; the sooner, therefore, that all do what they can to ensure assistance when incapacitated for further work the better will it then be for them. The annual friendly dinner was presided over by Mr. H. Seymour Foster, M.P., who in an able speech advo- cated the benefits bestowed by the institution upon aged and infirm gardeners and their widows. Both the meeting and the dinner were well attended, a keen interest in the welfare of the charity being evinced by the members and their supporters who were present. Veitch memorial prizes. — At a meeting of the Veitch Memorial Fund held on Tuesday last, the 17th, at the Drill Hall, James Street, Victoria Street, S.W., Dr. Robert Hogg in the chair, it was decided that the medals and prizes placed last year at the disposal of the Royal Horticultural Society and the Manchester Botanic Gardens, but not competed for, should be again offered this year, viz., at the Temple show, to be held May 25 and 26, a medal and piize of £5 for the best six hard-wooded greenhouse plants in bloom, and at the special exhibition of Orchids, to be held in the Manchester Botanic Gardens, May 19, a medal and prize of £5 for the best hybrid Orchid in bloom already in commerce, and a medal and prize of £5 for the best hybrid Orchid in bloom not in com- merce. It was also decided to place a medal and prize of £ J at the disposal of the Royal Horticul- January 21, 1893.] THE GARDEN". 57 tural Society to be competed for at the great fruit show to be held in the Agricultural Hall, Islington, on August 29 and three following days ; also a medal and prize of £3 to be competed for at the Ghent Quinquennial International Exhibition, to be held in April, for the best hybrid plnnt in the exhibition, and a medal and prize of £5 to be competed for at the annual exhibition of the Clay Cross Horticultural Society in August. RAILWAY RATES ON GARDEN PRODUCE. I HAVE watched carefully the correspondence re- garding the increased rates affecting various trades, but there is one that suffers more than any other, and this when trade is exceptionally bad and prices scarcely sufficient to pay the grower. I will give two instances of this. We have a great many customers from seaside and provincial towns who attend our market, .and have found it answered their purpose to buy home-grown as well as foreign fruits here instead of depending only on local supplies. One firm has worked up a large trade, and had a rate on most goods of 1 Is. 8d. per ton. Now the carriage on the same gojds is raised as follows : — Onions Oranges, Lemons, Nuts Apples Tomatoes ... 15g. lid. ... 193. 3d. ... 33s. 9d. ... 28s. lid. I wish particularly in this case to draw attention to the unfairness of raising the cost of carriage of home-grown produce represented by the two latter items as compared with the foreign. This is a gross injustice, especially sice 2, as is often the case, these goods come the same distance to the market. The increase on Tomatoes will mean ruin to a growing business. The other instance relates to Brighton, where the rate for most goods was lis. 3d. a ton, and is now 20s. lOd. Under the new rate a box of Oranges costs 23. 6d., while it used to be taken by c.irrier for Is. before the railway existed. These facts are driving our growers to combine in starting lines of carriers by road, as they can get plenty of goods to load back with, grocers and other tradesmen being all willing to support them. Our trade has been a growing one and profitable to the railways ; but where we have to depend on them for transit, trade will be stopped, and in the end the railways will themselves suffer in consequence.— G. MoxBO, Coi-cnt Garden. A salesman in Covent Garden writes, under date December 12 : '■ The London and South- western Railway Company delivered this morning, consigned from Southampton to Covent Garden, seven baskets of Mushrooms, weighing 74 lb. gross! 60i lb. net, and requested payment of 7s., or at the rate of £9 10s. per ton. If these are the rates allowed by Act of Parliament, it will not be long before the grower will cease to trouble both the railway company and commission salesman." Mr. Allen Jeeves, of Seddington, forwards the following, received from one of his customers : " It may interest jou to know that for the twenty casks of vegetables just delivered we paid £4 15s. carriage, whereas on the previous consignment of the same quantity we paid £2 Is. There is evidently good ground for demanding a reduction on the new rate, and it greatly concerns you as a grower, for the charges from Rotterdam to London are only Is. 9d. per cask, and we can get Dutch goodslightered to the immediate neighbourhood of our works for 23. per ton, or a total charge per ton of 9s." The year 1S93 has opened with a poor prospect for mirket growers who cannot sell their goods within carting distance of home, for the new rates by rail which are arousing such an agitation amongst traders generally fall with exceptional severity on market cultivators of fruits, flowers, or vegetables ; in fact, if they are maintained they will undoubtedly greatly check, if not entirely destroy some branches of a growing in iustry, as the mar- gin of profit, already all loo smali, will be more than swaUowed up by the new tariff. 1 have always urged growers to accept even a reduced price at home in preference to a higher one where it en- tailed railway charges and salesmen'.s fees, and if this was sound advice under the old rate, how much more necessary is it now that charges have gone up at a bound from 1 to 200 per cent., and for empties considerably more than that. Happily where I am there is a ready local sale for almost all kinds of goods, but this is no comfort to the immense number of growers who rely solely on the London markets and who now find that the whole of the returns for green vegetables will be swallowed up for carriage. — J. Gboom, Gosport. THE WINTER GARDEN. The yellow flowers of Jasminum nudiflorum were most beautiful before the frost came. I am a great admirer of this hardy shrub, which flowers so readily and with such profusion in the very middle of winter, and I am glad to see that it is such a favourite with our cottagers. It grows rapidly and strikes readily from cuttings ; in fact, a small shoot stuck roughly into the ground is almost sure to grow. It will grow anywhere, but, curiously enough, it seems to prefer a north wall. Unless we have an unusually cold December, it will cover a large piece of wall with its innumer- able sprays of yellow flowers during that month. Dry cold weather without hard frost suits it ad- mirably, but rains will spoil the flowers in a short time, and they become for awhile dreary-looking and very ugly. A week of dry weather, however, is sufficient to restore the plant to its original beauty. The spoiled flowers drop off and fresh buds develop. Meanwhile, the sprays which were gathered before the rain or frost came will go on opening their buds continuously for a long time. Spikes of this pretty Jessamine, gathered in the wetk before Christmas, were on the lijth of January as beautiful as on the day they were cut. This time last year I could gather plenty of flowers from a plant of Chimonanthus fragrans, which is growing against the south wall of my house. This year 20° of frost and a long con- tinuance of extreme cold, with snow, have pre- vented the buds opening. But even now I could gather a few flowers, which are struggling against the difficulties of existence in January. Unfortu- nately, this, like other scented flowers— such as Violets — loses its fragrance in the cold air. Some- limes the warmth of the living-room will bring the scent back after the flowers are gathered, but even then the fragrance will not be so powerful as from those which have opened in mild weather. Let a complete change come from the frost and snow, which January so often brings with it, and a short spell of mild, damp weather, such as often comes after hard frost, will enable the sap to circulate once more and restore the proper scent to winter flowers. These things which venture to brave our cold, dark, dreary winters and put forth their flowers' curious, fragrant, and beautiful, when snow and frost are the prevailing characteristics of the I weather, are most truly interesting. Several Helle- bores must be included in the number. The buds droop and fall on the ground while the cold is at its height, but they are ready to spring up again as sturdy as ever as soon as the thaw comes. This year, for some reason which I cannot explain, the period of flowering in these plants seems altered. Maximus has not yet opened its buds, though I have known it in flower in November, and a red Lenten Rise is ready to open its pretty flowers with the first mild weather. They have shown their colour several weeks. Trifolius is stUl only in bud, but its ordinary time for opening is about Christmas or very early in January. Who can explain the extraordinary recuperative vitality which exists in our very hardiest plants, such as Primroses and Ivy-leaved Cyclamens ? While the earth is still as hard as a stone these plants revive with the thaw on the surface, the green leaves stiffen and look fresh and happy, and even the flowers which were opening before the frost came will look up again on their sturdy footstalks and open their pale scen'less blossoms. Now, when we recollect how extremely delicate are the tips of the little rootlets or spongioles by which, and by which alone, nourishment can be drawn out of the earth for the benefit of the plant, it seems wonderful that the leaves should be able to show this renewed vitality while the spongioles are held firmly in the cold, hard grip of frozen earth. It must be because the sap stored up in the stalks and leaves is sufficient for the revival of their energies without sustenance from the root. We should not be surprised at this in a tree or shrub, because there is room for the storage of sap, but a little plant like an Anemone or a Violet seems to have hardly any room in its tender leaves and stems for necessary food. The bulbs of Crocuses, Snowdrops, Squills, &c., planted in tubs must have had much to endure lately, for the frost was hard enough to make the whole of the earth in which they are growing one hard, solid mass; yet with a slightly higher temperature, their little sharp leaves are peering up strong and sturdy, and should the thaw develop into a continued time of mild weather, the bright and pleasant flowers of spring would soon appear from these hardy bulbs. So it is not altogether impossible even in January to get some interest in the outdoor garden, when the snow, departing for a while, brings Nature back again to her accustomed appearance. It is hard to get any real enjoyment out of the ordinary gar- den in January ; it is impossible not to get more than usual delight out of the indoor garden, just because things without look so sad and dreary. A Gloucestehshihb Parson. D; ath of Mr. J. Sheppard.— We regret to say that just as we .are going to press we have been in- formed of the death of Mr. J. Sheppard, Woolver- stone Gardens, Ipswich. Mr. Sheppard was an excellent gardener and fruit grower, and could express himself well in writing on such matters as he often did in the pages of this journal. Weather in "West Herts.— The present frost has now lasted exactly four weeks. During this period there h.as not occurred a single day which could be regarded as in any way unseasonably mild, and only three moderately mild nights. At 2 feet deep the ground is now as cold as at any previous time this winter. It is surprising how very slight are the changes in temperature from day to day at this depth during a prolonged frost. In fact, during the past fortnight the extreme range has amounted to less than a quarter of a degree, and yet the ground has been at times quite bare of snow and at others covered lo the depth of over 3 inches. Rain fell on the 10th and 17th, but, owing to the hard state of the surface soil, cannot get away, so that my lawns consist now of a series of puddles, whilst most of the roads in the neighbourhood are one sheet of ice. — E. M., Berkhamstcil, The Gardeners' Orphan Fund.— The Priu- cess of Wales lia.s consented to become a patroness of this very deserving institution, which was established in 1887 by the gardeners of Great Britain and Irelaud, in commemoration of the Queen's Jubilee, and has for- warded a cheque for the sum of ten guineas. Cultivation of Lavender.— I am anxious to obtain some information on the growing of Lavender and Peppermint for purposes of trade. I shall be much obliged to any of yoiir readers if tliey would let nie know the titles of any handbioks treating of these subjects, or refer me to any larger work containing a fairly complete treatment of these plants. — 0. W. Payne. Names of plants. — J. Cooper. — Laelia anceps, a line dark form. Q. Cnsper. — 1, Odontoglossum coustrictum ; 2, 0. Alexandrae; 3, 0. Pescatorei. O. B.—l, Cattleya Percivaliana; 2, C. TrianiB ; 3, C. Warocqueana. C. W. — 1, Cymbidium giganteum 2, Ladia anceps Hilliana. G, iJithnan. — 1, Deudro liium superbiens ; 2, Cypripedium Lawreneeauuni ; 3, Deudrobium Linawiauum. A. Hossack. — 1, Cypri- p3dium insigne Wallacei ; 2, Lycaste Skinneri, poor variety. (J. Hull. — 1, Cypripedium Seejeriauum 2, MasdevaUia eucullata. 58 THE GARDEN. [January 21, 1893. Woods and Forests. PRICES OF HOME-GROWN TIMBEK IN KENT. A REVIEW of the home timber trade around London for the past year reveals few, if any, changes. For good timber of certain kinds there is a marked, steady, but hardly perceptible increase in the prices ; whereas for small wood, principally tlio outcome of coppicing, there has for some years back been a steady decline in the quantities bought. In numbers of woods in Southern England the coppicing has either had to be sold at a very low figure or allowed to remain in the woodland, and such, too, has gradually been going on for several years back. Very good cojipice wood can now be procured, and in plenty, at prices ranging from £4 to £6 per acre, but the latter figure is far above the average. When we look back, say thirty years, and reflect that at that date lots of pur- chasers at three times the present prices could be procured, we are naturally led to inquire as to why such a change has come about. There are many causes which when put together make a grand total tliat tells rather a sad tale for the cultivators of woods and plantations. With coppice wood, the decline of Hop growing, creo- soting the Hop poles, whereby their life in the ground is greatly increased, and foreign impor- tations, have all had a hand in the work of de- struction. Foreign importation of wood in the shape of timber or batten ends, that are almost valueless for being converted into planks or scantlings for chopping into firewood, has almost ousted the old familiar faggot from the market ; and I was told f only a few days ago by a large dealer in these home- grown faggots, and who has fulfilled many large Government orders, that for TOO he now disposed of, a few years ago he could have sold .300. All the blame attached to so sudden a change, my friend maintained stoutly, was due to the using of the small bundles of wood now retailed by almost every grocer at one-halfpenny and Id. the bundle in- stead of the well-known Kentish " pinips." Only yesterday I chanced to stray into a cop- pice plantation where hundreds of faggots were lying about almost rotting, and inquiring of the woodman why he did not dispose of them, was met by the reply, "Cannot sell them even at 53. a KiO less than I used to do in times gone by." Then, I asked, what part of the coppice wood can you sell ? Only Pea boughs and Bean stakes, was the reply. Might I ask how much per acre you are paying for this cop- pice wood ? Four pounds, came the reply; and I left the old woodman, who twenty-five years ago paid £12 per acre for wood not one whit better, and who, in a rather moody turn of mind, said he could then live far more extravagantly than ho could now aflbrd to do. Of course, for certain classes of small wood that is locally known as " London ware,'' and including broom-handles, hurdle stakes, and crate poles, there is .still a demand, and that is, comparatively speaking, anything but brisk ; but the good old days of English coppicing, as my friend the old woodman remarked, had de- parted. But about ()ak bark we cannot speak one bit more favourably, for the £20 per ton of our grandfathers has waned less and less, until fortunate is the forester considered who in the year 18112 received a greater price than about one-fourth of the above-mentioned. Even charcoal has deteriorated in value, and what the old-fashioned kiln-burner had no trouble in get- ting rid of at 2s. 6d. per bushel can now be got at about Is. per bushel. But enough of the cloudy side of woodland output, and let us look to the sunnier page ; but record even the very best prices that have of late years been procured, and the picture is far from encouraging. Good Oak trees will only fetch from 2s. to 2s. 6d. per foot, the latter price being hard to get ; and, indeed, lots of very nice timber can be bought at Is. 8d. per foot, and .somewhat inferior, but by no means bad, at Is. 6d. per foot. The Elm market, like the char- acter of that wood for burning, is "unco dour" at present, and has been so for a long time back. For even exceptionally large and clean trunks it is no easy matter to get a higher price than 8d. per foot, but plenty changes hands at 6d. and 7d. per foot. Ash still ht)lds good for local and other demand at quotations varying from Is. Gd. to 2s. per foot, but the former price or Is. 8d. is about the average. Beech only fetches about firewood price — 7d. per foot ; and plenty of nice timber can be purchased at that rate. It makes excellent firewood. Birch ami Alder may be got rid of at from 8d. to lOd. per foot, but local demand in certain districts causes the prices to vary very much. Lime wood would seem to be in some de- mand, at least judging by advertisements in the Timber Trades Jovriial. About 8d. per foot is thought a fairly good price, but often for first-class logs a great deal more is obtained. Sycamore still retains its hold in the market at prices ranging from Is. 8d. to nearly 3s. per foot. Amongst the coniferous trees Larch is still at the head of the list, good butts bringing from Is. 3d. to Is. 6d. per foot. Scotch Fir can hardly be got rid of at any price, while Spruce, Austrian and Corsican Pines are all alike hardly worth cultivating for economic value. Silver Fir is a good deal better, and will, when the quality of its timber is better known, be largely used for building and other purposes. With most kinds of timber— three at least, Oak, Larch, and Ash — much depend on the local demand as to what prices they will realise. For agricultural implement repairs, there is always amongst country joiners a fair demand for Ash and Oak ; while in the vicinity of coal and iron pits few kinds of wood, particularly such as are suitable for props, remain long as a drug in the market. Where small boats are made and larger vessels repaired, one may not have much trouble in getting rid of the superfluous wood, but then that is usually only in maritime dis- tricts. Faggots (large) bring about ] 4s. per 100, and small (" pimps ") 3s. 3d. per 100. Firewood brings Gs. per cartload delivered, but it is usually disposed of in Kent by the cord. A. D. W. The White Pine.— Mr. D. Nichol writes to the Cnnndinn HorticvltiiHst that the White Pine grows more rapidly on poor land in Canada than any other coniferous tree. He instances mixed plantations where White Pine trees have grown to a height of 50 feet in twenty-two years, with every tree as straight as a mast. This growth has been attained on poor land without any cull ivation be- yond thinning out the trees as they grew large and clearing away decayed under branches. No other kind of forest tree does so well when grown so closely. Babbits and trees in hard weather.— Now is the time to see after rabbits in young planta- tion.';, or among Hollies, to beat them out and see wiring is sutBeient. It is not the season to wire properly, as that is work for the warm weather, but wire may be stretched down rapidly, and in the simplest way, to keep off the eremy during the hard weather season. We know some very thriv- ing young plantations of Larch in Kent which had been wired for some years, and showed a very clean and good growth. In the past autumn the wire was taken away, and now, with scarcely an exception, every young tree is barked for a foot above the ground. This shows, if any proof were needed, the sort of pests that men and trees have to deal with in wooded districts where rabbits abound. Where there are choice Hollies in gar- dens they should be carefully protected, as they may be stripped of bark all round, and to a Holly that is death. Carnations in the open air will go like a morning mist if the rabbits find them out in hard weather. When in open young plantations there are signs of rabbits at tiie stems, and there is any diffi- cully about wiring even in a temporary way, some relief may be obtained by killing all one can of the rabbits in and near the plantation and ferreting hedgerows near. The same tree enemies go a lorg way at night, still it is a clear gain not to have them in swarms near the young trees. On most estates there are old woods where they may do lefs harm. The remedy of smearing is of no use save for a few trees in an exposed pleasure ground. But no pleasure or kind of garden that one thinks anything of should ever be exposed to the attacks of hares or rabbits ; they may and should be happy retreats for winged creatures. The cost and ugli- ness of smearing make it of very slight use. For example, extensive plantations are often made of small trees less than 1 foot high. The most ex- perienced planters both in France and England follow this plan. Even it anyone had time and means to smear the stems of these little trees it would not help them, as the enemy would take the top and leave the smeared stump to the smearer. The whole idea is ridiculous from the standpoint of any extensive or serious planting, as 20,000 will not go far in planting even a small field. In small places where there is nothing like a wood in any true sense, a simple smear made of fresh cow ma- nure and clay will save exposed specimens for a time. All smears are essentially mere makeshifts for use in garden or orchard. For the planter on a large scale the only friends to his joung trees are the wiring out or death of his enemies. — Field. The White Poplar. -The beauty of Poplars in autumn is far more noteworthy when numbers of trees are taken together than in any single specimen. Sometimes the Mountain Ash fades to a splendid red colour and is very beautiful in itself, but it is very uncertain, and one specimen will do so while another will not. The White Poplar, how- ever, is the most beautiful common tree in this respect when halt of its leaves assume a fine yellow colour, while the re.st show all manner of weaker tones of ye"-w till you come to the youngest, which Jjave tt .r own inimitable pearly sheen in the most bewitching contrast with the yellow in the middle of the tree. "The Garden" Monthly Parts —!%« jowniaZ i» pub- lUhed in nmtly bound Monthly Parti. In this form the coloured plates are best preserved, and it is most suitable for reference previous to the issue of the half-yearly volumes. Price Is. M. ; post free, Is. 9d. Complete set of volumes of Thk Garden from its commencement to end oj 1891, fo.ty vols., price, cloth, £29 8s. "Capdsnlng Illustpated" Monthly Parts. — TAij journal is published in neatly bound Monthly Parts, \n lohvh form it is viost suitable for reference previous to the issue o/ihe yearly volumes. Price 5d.; post free, 8d. "Farm and Hoina" Monthly Parts.— IHw iiii-nii« published in neatly bound Monthly Parti, in which fo>-n it is moit suitjble Jor reference previous to the issue of tke ijei.ny volumes. Pficebi.', po^t fret, %d. "Hardy Flowers. "—Oii'in<7 deuriptinns oj upw^-r Ji if thirteen hundred of the most orVAxmental species, with direcli ins for their arrangniient, culture, Jcc. Fifth and Popular Edition, Is.; post fret. Is. 8d "The Garden Annual" fcp \&eZ.-Conto.ins Al fa- belical Liits of all Branches of the Hmticultwal Trade. The Lists ■ f Gardens and Covnln, Seats (containing over 9000; have been very carefully and <■> '■ n lively revised, anii are admrtted to be the most compieie enr imh'ished. Trice is.: t.v post. is. frf. Allofrvr node-is who ere interrstcd in the imp'orimeni if crttage hon.ts ore invitid to hip vs to mole Cottage Gar- dening Imown. It is published at the xiry liKtat pn.e to meit the vants of those for whom it is intended, avd copies will le sent for dist-ibuiiov, fiie by the publishers. Mensrs. Cassell and Conpany, La Belle Sauvage, Ludgate Bill, B.C. THE GARDEN. 59 No. 1106. SATURDAY, January 28. 1893. Vol. XLIII. " This is an Art Which does mend Nature : change it rather ; but The Art itself is itiTVRE."—Shai:esp€are. Orchard AND Fruit Garden. YOUNG WOOD ON OLD TREES. AxY doubt about the superiority of young wood over that which lias long been producing fruit will quickly be dispelled if the two classes are closely scrutinised at difl'erent times during two or three seasons. In some instances proof posi- tive would be afforded by contrasting strong joung branches when in full bearing with the rest of the tree, the former invariably produc- ing much the greatest profusion of fruit of the finest quality. If they fail to do so, it is the fault of the cultivator, a too free use of the knife most frequently being the cause of young branches producing much superfluous wood growth at the expense of productiveness. These remarks do not apply exclusively to Apple and Pear trees, but are equally applicable to Apri- cots, Plums and Cherries, and to wall trees as well as those in the open. Already, probably, thousands of restricted standards, pyramids and bushes have been closely denuded of all their young growth, nothing but the closely-trimmed stubby old branches being left. These latter may be very well furnished with fruit spurs, though more often than not there is a scarcity of these and excess of wood growth. In any case this hard pruning is generally followed by the production of thickets of strong young shoots, completely smothering what little fruit is formed. Instead, therefore, of annually removing the whole of the young wood at the winter pruning some of the best placed should be left thinly all over the trees and to its full length. If shortened in any way, only the tips even being cut off, this will be followed by a faulty break, those buds near the ends being all that start. Cut harder, this will be the precursor of still stronger wood growth in profusion ; whereas, if left to its full length, fruit buds will most probably form at every joint. ■'"'- During the winter of ^'877-7.'' I left a number of extra strong Apple growths about the thick- ness of stout walking-sticks and not less than 3 feet in length, and during the summer of 1870 they flowered most abundantly, the fruit eventually forming on them like ropes of Onions. Prior to that some of the trees had been complete failures, owing to the excessive amount of pruning that had been annually carried out. Since that" time I have left young growths thinly over .scores of garden trees, and in no one instance did these fail to improve the health and productiveness of the trees. These young growths being left to their full length do not continue to extend in the same strong manner, and if need be can be kept pruned back to the first saved length. Some young branches on large old trees that com- menced bearing seven years ago have not failed to produce freely since, and they are again now abundantly furnished with fruit- buds. In the case of several Pear trees simi- larly treated the branches have lengthened con- siderably, and when fruiting arch over, so as to nearly touch the ground. Reserving young shoots on large trees previously doing well is also advisable, as it greatly increases the pro- ductive area without impairing the free bearing character of the older branches. The latter might in some cases be freely thinned out with advantage. They may not appear too thick now, but the case is very different when they are in full leaf. When less thinning is carried out freely on old and stunted trees, it is some- times followed I)y the production of a number of strong shoots, and will certainly be so if the heads are freely shortened back with the aid of the saw. These resulting shoots should be very freely thinned out during the following winter, and those reserved being left to their full length will soon arrive at a productive state. I need hardly add that young lateral growths ought not to be reserved on espalier trained and cordon trees, as these would at once spoil their charac- ter. In many instances they are quite worth- less owing to over-luxuriance, or else because they are too densely furnished with side shoots to be productive of good fruit. It may seem a rather drastic remedy to saw oft" the side branches of horizontally-trained trees near to the main stems and to cut cordons down to near where they were grafted, but this treatment would be followed by the production of nu- merous young shoots, and if the strongest and best placed of these are reserved and laid in, the rest being spurred hard back, the walls or fences will not be long before they are clothed with fruiting wood of a greatly improved charac ter. Should the varieties be of an inferior de- scription, then ought such trees to be headed back now to within 0 inches of the main branches or stock, as the case may be, preparatory to re- grafting with better sorts next spring. Not a few wall trees, notably Pears, fail to cover their allotted space owing to the ends of the branches becoming stunted. In this case sawing off the ends may lead to the production of the required vigorous young shoots, though a surer way of attaining this end is to head back lightly and to regraft with a healthy young growth, the best placed break from the latter being laid in. This may be the means of extending the main branches several feet further either upwards or horizontally. Young growth is very frequently much needed on Apricot and Plum trees, yet it is recklessly cut away in far too many instances. Strong shoots are often pushed out from near the bottoms of the trees, and if a few of these were duly laid in either between or over the old and, it may be, almost naked branches, they might soon take the place of the latter, the productive- ness of the trees being thereby increased ten- fold. These trees also respond well to the prun- ing saw. Thus if old branches clothed with long stunted spurs are sawn out, plenty of strong young growths suitable for laying in will be formed next season. Every opportunity should be taken of laying in young wood all over old Apricot and Plum trees, old spurs being sawn off wherever they are in the way, as it is veiy certain the latter never produce such fine fruit nor fruit of any kind so surely as do the younger branches. Some varieties of Plums grown as standards and never pruned soon develop dense heads of growth, which are of little real ser- vice unless freely thinned out so as to bring a few young shoots into play. Y'oung growths are being constantly laid in on Peaches, Nectarines, and Morello Cherries, and that is one reason why they vary so little in either productiveness or quality of their fruit. This may appear a strong assertion, but if the two former do vary much, it is more the fault of the season than the trees, while Morellos never fail. I. M. H. The Vine weevil (W. ^f. S.).— I am sorry to say that you are quile right, and that your Vines are attacked by the grubs of the black Vine weevil (Otiorrhjnchus sulcatus). This is a most tiresome pest. As regards destroying the grubs, no insecticides are of any use ; tliose which would kill the grubs would be equally deadly to the plants. The Vines should be repotted and a careful search made for the grubs ; they are probably not more than 4 inches or 5 inches from the surface, so that searching down to that depth would be sufficient. The grubs will become chrysalides in the eaily spring and the beetles will emerge a few weeks afterwards. The weevils only teed at night, hiding under stones, little lumps of earth, or wherever they can shelter themselves from observation. They may be trapped by laying pieces of slate, board, or little balls of hay about the soil in the pots, or in hay tied rouDd the steins, or they may be caught at night by previously laying white sheets under the plants, and then suddenly introducing a bright lit;ht, which will cause them to fall ; if it does not, shake the Vines well over the sheets, secure the weevils before they can get away (they do not move very quickly), and put them into boiling water. — G. S. S. FERMENTING MATERIAL FOR OUTSIDE VINE BORDERS. At one time fermenting material was more largely used than it now is for covering the out- side borders in which early forced Vines were grown. Not that its discontinuance has im- proved the quality of early Grapes, as with all our boasted advancement in fruit culture, eaily Grapes are not grown any better, or so good as twenty years ago ; in fact, really good Grapes at the earliest shows are far more of a rarity than they used to be. The variety principally relied upon for forcing (at least for early work) is the Black Hamburgh, that will put up with almost any abuse and yet come out pass- able in the end. There is, however, a mit to its enduring powers, and the production of really good early Grapes of this variety is some- thing to be proud of. Often, however, they are poor in colour, and instead of the bunches being compact, with the berries of a nice black col- our, also carrying a good bloom, they are the very opposite and also marred by shanking. This latter is an evil much on the increase in early forced Vines, especially in the variety above noted. There is nothing in the cultivation of Vines more annoying than to see tlie bunches decrease in size. Generally this is the result of defective root-action. It has become very much the practice to allow the borders to re- main uncovered until forcing commences, the belief being that when the borders are covered the Vines do not receive that thorough rest they should have. To a certain extent this is not borne out by facts. To cover the border up so that frost cannot reach the surface may be an evil, but not so protection from wet or snow, which may easily be secured by using shutters or sheets of corrugated zinc. I use both, and also spare lights. Borders covered with fer- menting material when forcing commences are just in the condition to derive marked benefit. It is those borders which are covered with a layer of manure early in the season without further sheltering that are in danger of being spoilt by mistaken kindness. The heavy falls of snow recently experienced will have penetrated deeply, and the soil about the roots will be cold and damp ; consequently, if fer- menting macerial is now applied, these borders cannot be expected to derive such marked bene- fit as those which have been covered with a few dry leaves and boards. Covering Vine borders with fermenting material without using boards is net the best means of treating them. In the first place, a GO THE GARDEN. [January 28, 1893. greater depth of material is needed, and even with this addition it does not retain the heat so long as a much less bulk if this be coveied. For covering outside Vine borders I have great faith in the bulk being tree leaves, Oak or Beech for preference, as being of a hard nature thoy heat the more readily, and also retain the warmth for a lengthened period. I use Beech leaves, and they maintain the heat well. Last year early in January I covered the border of a large Hamburgh house with quite three parts leaves to one of litter, putting it on to the depth of 2 feet near the front wall, and the heat was retained well on to the end of April. But the above would not have been the case had 'not the border been further covered with proper Vine-border boards. In the above case the roots worked well, and the Vines ripened off a fine crop of early Grapes, the berries and bunches beiog of a large size, as they always are on the Vines in this house, although they must be quite fifty years old. I firmly believe that a gentle hotbed is of great assistance for covering the roots of early forced Vines, that is when the border is partially in.side and out. With this assistance I think Vines also break more strongly and evenly. The reason no doubt why the .system is not practised so much as its merits desarve is the labour attending it. By using the greater part of good leaves with a portion of stable litter, sufficient heat will be maintained quite long enough for the Vines to benefit by it. Y. A. H. LATE APPLES. Ir is not to be by any means supposed that the splendid collection of Apples which Mr. Bunyard exhibited at the Drill Hall on the 17th represented late-keeping Apples solely. When it is understood that there were compriseJ in the collection scores of varieties that are at their best in October and November, it will readily be understood that the real late keepers formed only a moderate part of the whole. That is not to be regarded as any reflection on the collection ; very far from that. Really it was remarkable how varieties that are at their best long before Christmas were pre- sented in such apparent excellent condition. They had been wonderfully well preserved. No doubt it would have been found had there been a general tasting of the whole lot that very many of the least pretentious-lookino; samples were the freshest, best, or especially best flavoured. Amongst the dishes was E^remont Russet, a delicately flavoured Apple. It is a good cropping kind, keeps well till May, and is perhaps the very best of all the handsome russet section. Brownlee's Russet is another of the too little known and grown late dessert Apples. This is probably even a later keeper than is the preceding; the fruits are of fair size, and in colour brown, green, and red. It is all the same a fine-Qavoured variety. With these should be allied that delicious and free-bearing variety Cockle Pippin, one of our very best late table Apples, and having a flavour all Its own. Those who taste seedling Apples for q'lality after the opening of the new year should always have Cockle Pippin at hand as a test fruit for flavour. There were at the meeting several dishes of Cornish Aromatic, a variety that seems tj comprise all the best qualities of Margiland the good russets. A very abundant bearing tree at Claremont, it was found, was of this fine old va- riety, and it certainly is one of the best late des- sert Apples we have. It has an equal mixture of the red and the russet, is of good form, medium size, and generally is a heavy cropper. How is it that when select lists of late dessert Apples are published, we hear so little comparatively of these exce.lent varieties? If to these named we add Miirmer Pippin and Adams' Pearmain, we get half-a-dozen sorts that shoul I be grown in every garden where quality or flavour is esteemed more than colour or appe.iranc.-. Unfortunately it hap- pens that of our additions to Apple lists three- fourths of the new ones are at their best in the early winter instead of in the late winter. A most instructive competition would be a class for, say, half-a-dozen dishes of sorts to be tested for flavour in April. That is, on the whole, late enough for English fruits, as later we can have the pick of the Australian fruits, and it is hardly to be expected that any fruits gathered at home in October can compete either in quality or appearance with antipodean fruits gathered in March. With respect to late cooking or kitchen varieties, Winter Peach, though not large, is a handsome fruit, not unlike samples of Wellington, keeps well quite late, and fruits freely where Wellington will not thrive. Annie Elizabeth also is a handsome late-keeping Ap- ple ; it is good if cared for till May. This does well equally on sand in Surrey ancl on clay in Berks, and is highly spoken of by growers. What a splendid solid late Apple is Bramley's Seed- ling, a hardy, robust variety that is admirably adapted for orchard culture. It should be found in our markets in great abundance at this time of the year did we but grow it in plenty. Lane's Prince Albert is another Apple that needs now no commendation, and the fine Bismarck, if not too highly coloured and grown on established trees, gives fruits that will keep longer and firmer than do many of the big fruited sorts. Mr. Bunyard had very fine dishes of Waltham Abbey Seedling which is both a heavy cropper and a good keeper ; and yet another capital late kitchen Apple is Sandring- ham, of which there were some capital samples shown. It is thus seen, though only a few out of the many have been mentioned, that we are not without plenty of fine late Apples if sought for and grown. Would also that those who do so often send what are called seedlings for judgment had a better knowledge of the varieties now in cultivation. If they had, they would burn myriads of trees, or else behead them and regraft with really fine varieties, rather than attempt to add to our already too abundant Apple lists. A. D. COLD STORAGE OF FRUIT. Some interesting further experiments with regard to the best modes of preserving fruits over con- siderable periods of time have been made in New South Wales, which throw considerable light on the successful introduction of various kinds from the colonies to the British and other European markets. It appears that a growing opinion is in existence that, if the exact range of temperature can be obtained, there should be no difficulty in keeping and transporting Apples, Pears, Peaches, Oranges, and other fruit over considerable dis- tances both in time and space. Following previous experiments, and the experience gained from them, a committee formed to conduct these trials fixed the mean temperature as at about 40° F., the two cold chambers being one in the building of a dairy company, which was lent for the purpose, and the other under a public market. The time during which the fruit was thus kept was from May 23 last until July 21 following, or nearly two months. There appears to have been some difticully in ob- taining an even temperature, but at no time was it lower than 35° nor higher than 46°, the average of the whole period being 41'56°. The results were most favourable. The fruit treated and the system followed were as follows : There were two cases (ordinary wine cases) of Winter Pearmain Apples and two cases of cooking (Beurre Kance) Pears in 'the cold chamber of the County Milk Company, Woolloo- mooloo. The Apples were picked, immediately wrapped in paper, and packed in the cases. Corresponding cases were kept in the ordinary air, al the offices of the Department of Agriculture, Sydney, so as to show the difference of Apples kept at 40° temperature. Other fruit consisted of two cases of common Oranges, one case Navel Oranges, and one case of thorny Mandarins. Three of tliese cases were of the ordinary shipment pa'tern. In each case hilf the fruit was wrapped in tissue paper, and the remainder without pack- ing. The Oranges had been placed in a single layer in an open granary for ten days after being picked, so that they might get dry before being sorted and packed. They formed part of a large consignment sent to London. On opening the fruit at the end of two months, which was the estimated time for it to have reached the London markets had it been sent, the results were that the cases of Apples and Pears kept without cold stor- age were in very bad condition, 75 per cent, being rotten, and about 50 per cent, of the Oranges equally bad in condition. On opening the cases from the cold rooms, the fruit in each was in splendid condition, only 1 to 2 per cent, of the Oranges, and none of the Pears or Apples, being rotten. The Apples had improved in condition, having coloured up during storage. The fruit was then repacked and returned to the cold rooms, to see how long it could be kept in saleable condi- tion. These experiments, added to former experience, tend to show that fruit may be kept without de- terioration for any reasonable period at a tempera- ture of about 40°, that it pays better to wrap each fruit in tissue paper, and that Apples will mature at a lower temperature than will Pears. There is one point, however, of which we ought to hear more — viz., whether the fruit soon decays or not after being removed from the cold storage. The batch of Oranges from which the sample was selected was sent to London " between decks " of a mail steamer, and not in a cold chamber. The consignment arrived here in poor order, and realised a low price, the thorny Mandarins being a total loss ; whereas those in the cool chamber, for the experiment, were in perfect order, though from the same trees. It is found that Oranges must be allowed to remain on the trees to mature thoroughly before being shipped, so as to secure their full flavour in the market. The importance of carefully selecting fruit, and afterwards of properly packing and conveying it, is exemplified in a case reported by a large shipper of fruit to London from New South Wales. It refers to a shipment of 32,000 cases of Apples, which turned out a lamentable failure. Another instance of a shipment of 1000 cases is given, where it was all prime fruit, but only realised from 5s. to Is. 9d. per case. These had cost the shipper before landing in London about 7s. 9J. per case, his loss being no less than £300 on the 1000 cases. These facts will give some indication of the value of the cold chamber on board ship. — C, in Field. Peaches for profit. — It is quite refreshing to a market grower to read that there is still some- thing left to make a profit from, as " Y. A. H." (see page 18) says "that Peaches and Nectarines fetch as good prices now as ever they did. He says : " I have often surprised people by the prices I get for good open-air Peaches. Even last year good fruits of Dymond, Sea Eagle, and 'Wal- burton Admirable fetched 10s. to 15s. per dozen." I must freely admit that I, too, am surprised. In this locality the Peach and Nectarine succeed well, and there is a demand at the sea-coast towns during the late summer months for good fruit, but I have never heard of anything like the price " Y. A. H." mentions. Foreign Peaches, beautiful to look at, if not equal in flavour, neatly packed in pretty boxes so as to catch the eye, are marked up here in fruiterers' windows at a quarter of the price mentioned. I fully agree with all " Y. A. H." says as to careful packing and to grading the fruit, and I am sure that many of our local market growers would be only too glad to know where 10s. to 15s. per dozen can be obtained for late Peaches. I am well aware it cm be exceaded for extra early fruits that have been forced far in advance of the ordi- nary season of Peaches, especially while the London season is at its height. — J. Groom, Gosport. Thfl English Flowep Garden. — iJesism, Views and Plants. Third (iiitton, reviseij, with many nevj Iltl^trations. Londun: J. Murrai/, and through all bookseilers. January 28 1893.] THE GARDEN. 61 THE PHILOSOPHY OF CLTPPTNG TREES IX AND NEAR THE FLOWER GARDEN. An II ncrri III/ percept ioa tolil the G reels tluit the heaiitifiil must also be the true, and recalled them lach into the ivay. As in conduct they insisted on an energy which was rational, so in art and in literature they required of, beauty that it, too, should be be/ore all things ^ ra^/('«a?.— Pkofbssor Butciiek, in "Some Aspects of the Greek Genius." There are a few wise words above and a few unwise ones at the foot of this page, botli i.f which are worth reading in considering this question. ] Now we cut Grass wlien we want haj', or ! sand hills — from IJritish Columbia, through Noith America and Europe to the Atlas jMountiuns, and not one of tlicni lias yet ju'oved tobe so Ijeautiful as our native Yew when it grows undipped root or branch. IJut in gar- dens the quest for the exotic is so active, that few give a fair chance to tlie Yew as a tree, while in graveyards, where it is so often seen in a very old state, the cutting of the roots hurts the growth, though there are Yews in graveyards that have seen a thousand winters. I do not clip ray Yew trees, because clipping destroys the shape of one of the finest inlorm of all trees. It is not my own idea only that I urge heie, but that of all who have ever 1 bought of the forms of trees, foremost among whom we must place artists who have ing is a mere "survival" of the day when we had very few trees, antl it passed as eh'ver to clip them to fit certain situations after the architect's notion of "garden de- sign." This is not design at all from any landscape or artistic point of view ; and though the elements ■which go to form beautiful landscape, whether home landscape or the often higher landscajie beauty of the open country, are often subtle, and though they are infinitely varied, tliey arc none the less real. Tlie fact that men wlien we hatl few trees made them into walls to make them serve their ways of " design " is not a good reason why we, ricli in tlie trees of all tlie bills of the north, should go on mutilating some of their iini'st forms ! Gardener's cottage at Great Tew, witli protecting fence of clipped Yew, soft turf to play on, but disfiguting a noble free is not a necessary part of our work either for our profit or pleasure. I clip Yews when I want to make a hedge of tbem, but then I am clipping a hedge, and not a tree. The Yew in its natural form is the most beautiful ever- green of our western world — finer than the Cedar in its leathery branching, and more beautiful than any Cedar in tlie colour of its stem. In our own day we see trees of the same great order as the Yew gathered from a thou- A clipped Yew tree is as mvch a part of Nature — that is, subject to natural laws — as a forest Oah So far as that goes, it is no more iinnatural to clip a Tew tree than to cut Grass. — " The Formal Garden." the happiness of always drawing natural forms. Let anyone stand near the Cedar-like Yews by the Pilgrim's Way on the North Downs, and, comparing them with trees cut into fantastic or ridiculous shapes, consider what the diiTerence means to the artist who seeks beauty of tree foim ! Wliat right have we to deform things given us so lovely in form 1 No cramming of Chinese feet into imjiossible shoes is half so wicked as the wilful and ignorant distortion of the divinely beautiful forms of trees. The cost of this hideous mutilation alone is one reason against it, as one finds in places where miles of trees cut into walls have to be clipped, as at Versailles and Sclionbiunn ! This shear- Thus while it may be right to clip a tree to form a dividing-line or hedge, it is never so to clip trees grown for their own sakes, as by clipping such we only get ugly forms — un- natural, too. In November, 1891, in Hyde Park, I .saw a man clipiiiiig Hollies at the "Row " end of the Serpentine, and asking hini why it was done, learnt that it was to " keep them in shape," though, to do him justice, he added that he thought it would be better to let tliem alone. Men who trim with shears or knife so handsome a tree as the Holly are , dead to beauty of form. To give us such I ugly forms is to show oneself callous to the beauty of tree foim, and to prove that one cannot even see ugliness. 62 THE GARDEK. [January 28, 1893. Consider, too, the clipped Laurels by which many gardens arc disfignred. Lanvel in its natural shape in the woods, where it is let alone, is often fine in form, though we often have too much of it. But it is planted everywhere without thought of its fitness for each spot. Then it grows apace until the shears are called in, and its fine leaves and shoots are cut into ugly banks and sharp formless masses, spoiling and starving many gardens without need. There is no place in which it is used clipped for which we could not get fitting shrubs that would not need the shears. It is not only clipped trees that are ugly, but even trees like the Irish Yew, Welling- touia, and some Arbor-vitfe which have ugly or lumpy shapes. These, when planted much, £0 emphasise ugly forms about the house, that often there is no beauty left in the home landscape. Many of such ugly trees have been planted within the last generation, to tho injury of the garden landscape, and are spoiling what might be the foreground of many a fine view. In the old gardens, where, from other motives, tr(!es were clipped when people had very few Evergreens, or where they wanted an object of a certain height, they had to cli|). It is well to preserve such gar- dens, but never to imitate them. If wc want shelter, we can get it in vari- ous delightful ways without clipping, ami, while getting it, we can enjoy the natural forms of the Evergreens. Hedges and wall- like lines of green living things are useful, and even may be artistically used ; they are sometimes, however, used where a wall would be better, walls having the great advantage of not robbing the ground near them. A wall is easily made into a garden with so many lovely things, too, from great scrambling yellow Eoses to alpine flowers. The consideration of how far the clipping of evergreen trees into various* fantastic shapes is desirable is suggested by the en- graving of some pretty and old archways in Yew sent by Lady Headfort from Ireland. Occasionally we find such arches and bowers are pretty in gardens, and, when very old, are always interesting and worth keeping. Besides, there is a marked difference betweengreenarch- ways or bowers, hedges and shelters, and the really fantastic clipping of living trees into the shapes of bird, or animal, or coffee-pot. It is Well to keep any interesting specimens of the ait when we find them, but clipping is better not carried out with our lovely evergreens on a large scale, as many have seen it done at Elvaston. It is happily rarely attempted in our OAii tioie, and I have seen no examjiles in France, though I have in New England, where an attempt to clip most of the ever- grcims in a garden near Boston was most un- fortunate. Now ami then we see attempts on the part of those having more knowledge of some half mechanical grade of " design " (wall paper, tiles, or so called decorative work of some kind) to gilvanic the corpse of the topiary art. Such an idea would not occur to anyone knowing the many beautiful things now within our reach, or Ijy anyone like a landscape painter who studies beautiful forms of earth or trees or flowers, or by any lover of Na- ture in tree or flower. It is generally the thought of some cobbler who will not " stick to his last." Sometimes these puerilities are set into book form, as in the case of Mr. J. D. Sedding's " Garden Craft." For this author there is no art in gardening, but cutting a tree into the shape of a cocked bat is " art," according to Mr. Sedding ! On p. 180 he says : — / haiv no more scrxiple in using the scissors iipon free or shrul), ivlicre trimness is desir- able, tlian 1 hare in motriiig the turf of the laivii that once represented a rirr/in world and in the formal jmrt of the ijarden my Yews should take the shape of ■pyramids, or peacocks, or coelted hats, or ramping lions in Lincoln green, or any other conceit T had a mind to, n-hich vegetable sculpture can take. After reading this I thought of some of the true " vegetable sculpture " that I had been happy in seeing ; Keed and Lily, a model for ever in stem, leaf and bloom ; the grey Wil- lows of Britain, lovely against our British skies, as Olives in the south ; manj'-celumned Oak groves set in seas of Primroses, Cuckoo flowers and Violets ; Silver Birch woods of Northern Europe beyond all grace possible in stone ; the eternal garland of beauty that one kind of Palm waves for hundreds of miles throughout the land of Egypt— a vein of summer in a lifeless world ; the noble Pine woods of California and Oregon, like fleets of colossal masts on mountain waves — saw these again in the mind's eye and many other lovely forms in garden and wood, and then wondered that anyone could be so blind to the beauty of natural forms of plants and trees as to write as Mr. Sedding does here. From the days of the Greeks to our own time, the delight of all great artists has been to get as near this divine beauty as what they work in permits. But this deplorable " vei/e- tuhle sculjdur's " delight is in distorting beau- tiful forms ; and this in the one art in which wo have the happiness of po.ssessing the liv- ing things themselves, and not merely repre- sentations of them. The old people from whom he takes his ideas were not so foolish, as when the Yew was used as a hedge or was put at a garden gate, it was necessary to clip it to keep it in bounds. But here is a man delighting for its own sake in what he calls wiih such delicate feeling " vegctahle sculpture,'' in " cocked hats " and " ramping lions " ! Such men as these I quote may not be without use even in our beautiful garden art, by showing people who love gardens to what lengths foolish ideas will go in degrading the true garden art to the level of the pastrycook's notions of design. They shoul I stick to whatever work heaven or need has set out for them, go on with their tiles or wall paper, build the cruet-stand house, or design the carpet or the coal-scuttle, but leave our fair gardens alone. "Wc liavo ab- surdities enough of our own to strive against withdut letting the mere desioiner of cnn- ... ^ ventionalities loose on our gardens or land- scapes. I say this without disrespect to members of any of the crafts above-named. I think the best men in such ways are busy enough with their own work not to seek that which they do not understand. But some of those who seek to force their help upon us are so foolish as to tell us that garden design and garderi knowledge may be divorced, and also with 'great modesty that they only have all the " garden design," and that it has nothing to do with gardening ! W. K. Summer use of Seakale pots.— I can fufly confirm afl "J. C. F." says as to Sealiafe pots answering weli for Tomatoes eitlier under gfass or in the open air. I use a good many of them. In fact I get better crops this way tlian where the plants are planted out, as the more confiued root space induces extra fruitfulness, and one can keep the roots more under control as regards moisture as well as space. Although Seakale pots are nearly obsolete now as regards the use for which they were made, they are largely used in market gardens, for as soon as they are done with for Tomatoes in autumn they are utilised for late Chrysanthemums, each pot if turned bottom up- wards holding a large clump or several small ones of kinds that flower at Christmas. They are also utilised during the cold winds of March, April, and May for sheltering any rather tender vegetable crops, such as Cauliflower plants. Vegetable Mar- rows, ridge Cucumbers, &c., or for protecting and blanching Endive and Lettuce they may be used in the same way that they are for Seakale ; in fact they are very seldom idle. I usually cover Dahlias when first planted out with Seakale pots. — J. G., Hants. Flower Garden. THE PHLOX. One of the most beautiful flowers for the adorn- ment of the herbaceous border in autumn is the Phlox. There are two distinct sections, the early and the late-flowering, which are sufficiently dis- tinct from each other to be distinguished by the growth of the plants even when they are not in bloom. The early flowering varieties succeed much better in Scotland than they do in the south oE England. That the two sections have a distinct parentage there cannot be much doubt, but it is doubtful if we can trace them to the oiiginal spe- cific forms from which they have been improved to their present high standard of excellence. They are certainly old-fasbioned garden flowers, and a very good garden varipty is figured in the first volume of the Ilotanical llei/isfer, plate GS, for the year 1S15, under the name of Phlox sutEiuti- cosa. This plant is stated to be a native of North Carolina, and to be nearly akin to P. caroliniana, which is figured in Botanical Magazine, t. 1344, for the year 1811. These are to all appearance iden- tical in leaf and stem with the early-flowering garden varieties. P. camea, figured in Botanical Magazine \n 1820, t. 2155, is merely anolher variety of this early-flowering section, and it is interesting from the fact that the corolla is striped or flaked of two shades of colour — pale rose, striped deep red, and the flowers are said to be sweet scented. This is true of both sections ; they have a delight- ful fragrance, which adds much to their value as garden flowers. P. decussata may be the parent of the late-flowering section ; it is also an old garden plant, and had shown some variety of form and colour more than sixty years ago, for it is figured in Sweet's "Flower Garden," 23is, under the name of P. pyramidalis. The original species, P. panicu- lata, may also be traced in the late-flowering gar- Jan'uary 28, 1893.] THE GARDEK G3 den Phloxes. No one would care to grow the original specific forms, and they are probably not now in '.uUlivation, Init it is interesting to trace the gradual improvement of tlie*e and other beau- Uful ganlen llowevs through lialf a eentuiy or more. 1 have tried the improvement of a goodly number of garden Howers, and amongst them the Phlox, from seeds. I found it was easy enough to raise plants, and also to flower them the same sea- son the seeds were sown, but amongst hundreds of seedlings few or none were improvements on the parents. I remember remarking to the late Mr. Parker,of Tooting.that I was raising garden Phloxes from seeds, and he remarked that it was astonish- ing what a very large number it was necessary to raise before any improved forms could be ob- tained. S ill, it is an interesting occupation, and a fine bloom can be obtained the same season by sowing the seeds in heat in February. Prick the plants out into boxes and plant them out a foot apart in May in rich deep soil, and tlie wealth of blossoms obtained will amply compen- sate for all the trouble taken with them. The Phlox is one cf the hardiest of (lowers, and some people t ake advantage of this and do not trouble to grow it well. A plant will in three years form a very large tuft or clump, and the way some growers increase the stock is to dig one or more of these clumps up and chop them in pieces with a spade. In this way spikes of the best quality will never be obtained. They must be raised from cuttings, ,and although these will strike freely enough in the open garden, by far the best results are obtained by planting them in flower-pots as soon as the shoots have grown an inch in the early spring months. It is be>t to keep a plant of och vauety through the winter in tiower-pots. These may be plunged deeply in coc; a fibre refuse in a cold frame. Cuttings may be obtained from these at least three weeks sooner than they can be had from plants growing out in the open borders. I must confess to taking greater pains with the cuttings than many gar- deners wouM think necessary. I plant each one singly in a 2J-inch pot or what is termed long torn. Get the cuttings off wiih a heel attached, and they will speedily form roots in the gentle bottom- heat of a hotbed. When rooted they are hardened off in ordinary garden frames, from whence they may he planted out into well- prepared garden soil. I grow a few of them in 5-inch or G-inch flower-pots. The p'ants are placed out of doors until the flowers begin to open, when they come in very useful for the green- house and conservatory. As soon as they pass out of bloom plant them out of doors in soil which can scarcely be too deep and rich. The plants ought to be 2 feet apart if they are planted in beds, and this is certainly the best way to manage them if the spikes are intended for exhibition. An immense mass of roots is formed by each of these plants, which soon exhausts the soil. As soon as diy weather sets in, some decayed manure should be placed around the roots, and the plants should have a good watering at least twice a week. A plant will throw up a very large number of spikes, but they should be thinned out to three or four. The flower-stems must be supported in the early stages of their growth by a neat stick placed to each, or by one in the centre of the plant to which each stem should be secured. The flower-spikes snap over close to the ground readily in a high wind ; in fact, I have known them to be broken off by the swaying motion of the spikes, even after they have been tied up, when one stick only has been used. It is much better to place a stick to each, which will hold them firmly in their places. The .'tock will speedily deteriorate unless a fresh lot of plants is propagated annually from cuttings. I never allow the plants to remain longer than two years in the beds, as the quality of the spikes falls off very much after the second year of blooming. When I was a gardener in Scotland I had charge of Phloxes that were grown to produce spikes for exhibition, and the early flowering section at that time, nearly forty years ago, was the more beau- tiful and better adapted for the purpose. When I came to London I found it was altogether different ; the same varieties which grew well and flowered freely in Scotland and the north of England were almost a failure in the warmer, drier cOiinate of the .=outh, the leaves suffered from a kind of spot, and the spikes were poor in quality ; whereas, the late flowering varieties I found did much better in the south of England. In fact, 1 do not recommend the culture of the Carolina varieties in the south at all. The P. decussata section has almost el- bowed them out of the gardens. The colours are now so rich and varied, that few garden flowers can vie with tliem in this respect. There are pure white and blush, pale lilac and deep lilac-purple, carmine, reddish crimson, rose, and ro.sy red, and in some instances the colours are blendtd into each other. I can observe also a very groat improvement in the form of the spikes as well as in the form of the flowers, which are so admirable, that it seems they cannot be further improved in this respect. J. Douglas. CHRISTMAS HOSES IN TUBS. It is disappointing to find, after three or four years of careful cultivation, that plants growing in tubs or large pots invariably begin to decline in vigour. This is the more perplexing because at first they show a wonderful amount of growth. The first symptoms of weakness are shown in the leaves, which gradually get smaller, and, as a con- sequence, the number and size of the blossoms are reduced. What is equally as disappointing is that liquid stimulants, however freely given with a view to restore the lost vigour, have no effect. The roots are evidently incapable of utilising the stimulant to any advantage. This will not sur- prise anyone who has an opportunity of examining the roots of such out-of -condition plants, as many of them will be found to be in a partially decayed condition. This does not occur in the case of plants that have an unlimited root-run in a deep and suitable soil. It is the centre of such plants that decays, and new roots and fresh crowns are formed in an outward direction. I do not think, however, that it the plants had larger tubs they would continue to do so after the first three or four years. To me the plants appear to be tired of the soil in which they are growing, and then they get into bad health. I am fully persuaded that in the majority of cases three years is as long as the plants will remain in a vigorous condition when grown in tubs or large pots. Besides my own plants I have had under observation those of other cultivators, and, from their behaviour, I have come to the conclusion that the proper course to pursue is to anticipate the decline of vigour in the stock, to take them out of the tubs in August, give them fresh soil, and if necessary divide a large plant into two. I have mentioned the month of August as the best time to disturb the roots of these plants because I have found they bear moving better then than at any other time of year. There is another reason, I think, why the plants do not remain a longer time in a healthy condition when they are cultivated in tubs or boxes, and that i-:, the tubs are not deep enough. It is not everyone who is prepared to admit the necessity of providing Christmas Koses with a deep root-run, but I do so from actual observation, as when provided with a fairly light soil I have found the numerous roots 2 feet below the surface, and it is such plants that give the largest number of fine flowers. It there is one thing in the be- haviour of these plants that has interested me more than any other it is their capacity to thrive when fully exposed to all the sun as when quite in the shade. At the same time I have found that if they are to succeed in a sunny position they re- quire an extra depth of good soil and the roots supplied with plenty of water in dry weather the first year after planting. It is also a mistake to divide a large plant into many pieces. The safest way to reduce the size is to cut a large plant into two. J. C. ClarivB. TUBEROUS BEGONIAS IN DISTINCT BEDS. Eac'ii year the tuberous Begonia advances in favour, and it is a common practice to have dis- tinct beds of the plants one colour, or shades of one colour, to each bed. This is commendable, as new effect is gained. Of course, one does not re- quire too many beds of this character, otherwise the aspect of the garden will be garish and unin- teresting. We noticed last year in the London parks and also some of the parks in the north of England that the tuberous Begonia was planted in this way, in one instance the bed being composed of a pure white variety, set off by an edging of Dactylis glomerata variegata, a very charming, be- cause graceful, plant to associate with the Begonia. This plan is rendered easier now that setd of tuberous Begonias in selected colours can be raised true to those colours, and last summer in the Forest Hill Nursery of Messrs. J. Laing and Sons one could judge of the bciiuty and richness of the flowers by rows of great length of several varieties, each riiised from seed and perfectly tiue to colour, save in very few instances, when a " rogue " ap- peared at long intervals. During the past few years the tuberous Begonia has undergone a great change, and its usefulness for bedding out in- creases each year. The plant is now of dwarf compact habit, the leaves almost resting on the soil, sturdy, and without the scraggy aspect of the older types, whilst in the form and colours of the flowers we can see the same advance, the flowers being broad and very pale in the case of the double kinds, the colours ranging from purest white to intense shades of orange. The tuberous Begonia is finer for bedding than the fibrous-rooted types, but we may mention th.it Princess Beatrice is a gem for edging, the small pink and white flowers appearing in profusion .and almost hiding the leafage from view. This is the season for raising tuberous Begonias from seed, and in all gardens where effective colouring is desired in the summer months, good use should be made of this flower. Get a good strain of seed, in which the colours are decided, the form and size of the flowers .all that can be desired, also the habit of the plant. They succeed better in cool, moist seasons than when the we.ither remains hot for weeks, as in the year 1S.S7, but it is not often that they fail abso- lutely, which is more than can be said for the zonal Pelargonium. A moderately light soil, in- clined to peaty, is the best, and during the summer give the beds liberal waterings if the soil is dry. At Halton, Lord Rothschild's residence, the tuber- ous Begonia is used by the thousand, and produces rich pictures of strong colour, not so garish and formal as in the case of the Pelargonium or carpet plants. NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS. Geum coccineum pi. — As regards getting the very double and dark-coloured vaiiety from seed, it is quite possible, but you may have to try re- peatedly before you get a form equal to the best that has been grown for some considerable time, but which of late has become comparatively scarce. Once you get the best variety, the older plants should be divided in summer, when the divisions may be set where intended to flower. Either young or strong plants but indifferently established when cold weather sets in are not likely to pull through the winter, and old chimps in many gardens die off suddenly as if exhausted. I am not speaking of the semi-double varieties or the lighter scarlet ones, for these are much more vigorous and longer lived, and they, too, may be had in all grades from ordinary trade seed. The good properties of the genuine big and double sort are its durability (cut or uncut) and long succes- sion. The uniform deep rich scarlet or red colour, compared with the washy or mixed shades of seedlings, is one that can be relied upon for a bold, rich and pronounced effect. The readiest and surest way, then, is to procure stock known to be of the true sort, and, if needed, to work up a quantity for the purpose desired. In any case, some of the stronger roots should be split up eveiy summer and set in new soil ; so treated, the 64 THE GARDEN [January 28, 1893. young plants in the following season are remark- ably free. It is certainly one of the best deep red flowers we have. Linaria vulgaris Peloria. — This is a valu- able plant for the garden in every way ; it is true that its roots run, but not to the tame extent as those of the typical plant. The roots, being pecu- liar, require a little special care in lifting and planting. They are thin, brittle and stringy. The best time to move them is when new growth has fairly begun, or even when the tender sprouts are just appearing on the surface. If set in rather light soil they will grow away. Koots transplanted just before winter often die. Left alone in li»ht rich land, I have proved it here capable of taking c^re of itself for a period of fifteen years at least. The flowers are both singular and beautiful — they are of two shades of yellow, canary and orange, which render a handful, cut IS inches long, a strik- iag object for the e.ihibition table. This Toadflax, like itj wild parent on the dry railway embank- ments, does: best in a sunny situation. Dicentra spectabilis. — So far as my experi- ence goes, the imported or dry roots maybe kept out of the ground until rather late to some advantage. What I mean by rather late is, say, until any time in the first month of the year that the unfrozen state of the ground will permit of their being set. The advantage is this, that they do not then start into growth so early ; indeed not until quite late, when one may then see this beautiful plant in all its beauty. Left alone in the ground to start in its own way and time, it makes considerable growth in mild winters, only to be blackened or cut to the ground by late frosts. This is just what we might expect of a Siberian plant, and in the case of a species with all the graceful beauty of this, the common failures are all the more notable. Arnebia echioides is not what we can term a showy plant, even when we take into account its habit in the case of strong specimens of flowering three times from early summer to autumn, but it is undoubtedly a species that may be said to have special claims from those who regard plants from other points of interest, and it can certainly be reckoned upon as sufficiently hardy for this country. As to soil, it is in no way particular. For preference, however, I would plant it in a deep and friable rich loam and sunny situation, as under these conditions it soon grows into a strong clump, when all through the season it may be seen with some portion of its soft yellow and dark brown spotted flowers side by side with other flowers without the spots that have the peculiar habit of disappearing when a day old. As a Boragewort it is one of the more showy. Plants set in the spring- time will be likely to flower in the ensuing autumn, provided they are fairly strong. I find seedlings yield a few blooms the second year. Woodi:ille,KirUtall. J. WOOD. SAXIFRAGES. Which are the best half-dozen ? All depends on the purposes for which a half-dozen are intended. For almost a score purposes you might .select as many half-dozens as the best, so varied and so numerous is the genus. For al- most all kinds of soil and climate, for sunny slopes with stony soil, rock fissures, or even the bare rocks themselves ; for a shady wood or shrubbery, an ordinary garden border or a swamp, and for almost any out-of-fhe-way corner or conditions, you may go to this genus for fitting subjects, and even a group of them if need be. I have seen many rock and alpine gardens, but never yet have I seen this class of plants dealt with as I would employ them had I the means. To give the crudest word-picture of my ideal : In the lower and moister parts of the rock garden formed of big boulder-like stones, with a very narrow and almost imperceptibly moving body of water, I would plant the almost despised group of mossy Saxi- frages to get in some measure the effect of natural Moss-covered stones in moist dells. I would, evEn there, in a fashion have them planted in groups, for when the mossy Saxifrages are well grown or matured, they are seen to have distinct traits, some keeiiing flat, others in cushion form, and the stronger forming hillocks of a diameter of 2 feet vertical. The larger forms or species of the Aizoon or rosette section should run in wild lines along the fissures of big rocks made firm with loam. The rigid and symmetrical evergreen foliage of this group is always pleasing, and the compara- tively tall panicles of white flowers that appear in early summer in such profusion have in the aggre- gate a very alpine effect. Then there are the more silvery and encrusted species and varieties, em- bracing the smaller of the Aizoon type, as minima, marginata, cristata, notata, &o., with such as cassia, tyrolensis, valdensis, squarrosa, aretioides, diapensoides, &c., very few of which rise but the merest trifle above the surface. These, grown in irregular little batches on a slop- ing surface, and yet well up in relation to the eye, and with surroundings not too coarse or abruptly strong as regards other plants or shrubs, produce a fine effect, and with taste could per- haps be made to represent gardening out of doors in its highest form and most interesting aspect. Then there is the section of tufted or prickly spe- as Geum, aspera, infandibula, ceratophylla, cuscu- treformis, unibrosa, &c. It may be truly said that a pleasant garden for the year round could be had with Saxifrages alone, esp?cially where plenty of stony surface, natural or otherwise, was available. The Saxifrages, wilh very few excep- tions, are notable for their robustness ; they have indeed hut very few special requirements. If they (as agenus) have one dislike that can at all be said to be well marked, it is against manure or decaying organic matter, as we usually know and employ it for gardens. As I have already said, I have never seen a Saxifrage garden strictly on the lines here indicated, but so far as the capabiliiies of all the plants referred to are concerned, it is certain that this ideal, or even a more elaborate one, is quite practicable. With our resources of material and experience we have too long placed plants in the soil in haphazird fashion. We should none the less be enabled to enjoy the individuality of our plants were we to so arrange them as to harmonise with some design. J. Wood. A note on Petunias. — As this is the season for ordering and sowing seeds, a note may be made Walls and pillars formed of chpped trees. Those who have to keep the abovj in or Jer will discover the time and trouble necessary. (See p. CI.) cies, as represented by Burseriana, juniperina, sancta, Malyi, &c., mostly very early bloomers; these might be accommodated in a snug corner at the foot of a vertical rock to protect them from the north and east. Another set could be made to re- present another botanical class in a natural way by promiscuous groups — I mean the purple-flowered set, such as oppositifolia, with its four or six va- rieties, pyrenaica and vars., and the lovely retusa. These are all suited for earthy joints in rugged steps, or even moist ledges with scarcely any soil, if there are only moisture and some grit to wash down over them occasionally. Speaking of ledges, what can look richer or more natural than long pendent masses or tongues of S. Wallacei hanging down from broadly shelving rocks I These can be had to droop quite 3 feet or i feet, and the same qualities apply to others of the mossy class, though this one is not exactly a mossy variety ; beside.«, there are few whose flowers last for si.x weeks as these do, and they are Hawthorn-scented withal. How noble, too, the effect got by broad patches of S. peltata and pennsylvanica, the former with leaves 13 inches to 18 itches across. For those who would like to plant in the more mixed or single specimen style there is ample margin left in this great genus. There are as well other strong sections, as implied by such types concerning the big-flowered Petunias that some seem to think, judging by their frequency in gar- dens, effective and beautiful. But a bed of these monstrous-flowered types we saw in a garden last summer was the reverse of beautiful, and the owner confessed disappointment, as he had been led to expect greater brilliancy of colour from this strain of big flowers. The varieties for size of bloom were certainly unique, of great width, but flabby, utterly without substance, the colours, if varied, being dead or dingy, as purples, dull crim- son and allied shades. It is unfortunate that the craze for mere size in flowers should be e.'itended to even the Petunia, v;hich is bright and pleasant to look at when the flowers are of medium size and produced in profusion. One kind in which the flowers were white, crimson at the edge, was in particular remarkably fine, and was made good use of as a margin to a narrow border, almost every leaf being hidden by the wealth of bloom. It was this type of Petunia that behaved so well in the intensely hot summer of 1887, when almost everything was dried up in gardens except the Pe- tunia, that amongst a very few other things beh.ived remarkably well. A bed of medium-sized varie- ties as regards size, the colours also decided, not dingy purple or magenta, is very effective, or the plants may be used as an edging — a purpose for Jaxuary 28, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 65 which they nre well title 1. Heavy rains and winds play sad havoo with the big flowers, but the other types seem little affected. Mule Pinks. — Of all the mule Pinks, I think tlio lini'.-t and most useful is Napoleon III. 'I'he tlowers are of a rich scarlet-crim- son colour. It is largely grown by Mr. Jeniiinirs at Asc'itt, I.eighton l!uzz:ird, the residence of Mr. Leopold de Itothschild. Mr. Jennings grows it both in pots and in beds, and finds it supplies him with cut lilooms of a bright hue when most useful. The stock is increased by means of cuttings made of the shoots thrown up from the base of the plants, and they strike in pots of light sandy soil p aced under bell or hand-glasses when stood in a cold frame. When rooted they are potted off, grown through the winter, and in springeither shifted into larger pots to bloom indoors or planted in the open. Plants in pots are found very useful for decoration. Other varieties are Marie Far^, white; multiflorus, flesh coloured ; Highclere, pink ; Ko- hardy climbers. It is very hardy and runs about gracefully among Azaleas and the choicer garden shrubs, without ever attaining such vigour as to injure them. We saw a very pretty white variety in France in the autumn, whieli we have planted in such places. The red or maroon form is also very handsome. Taking advantage of its habit, we have scattered it in some quantity through an orchard hedgerow, situated on a bank of good soil, where we believe the plant will run gracefully through Sweet Brier, Holly, Sloe, and otlier plants. — Meld. THE EOCK GARDEN. In ninecase.s out often the rock garden is merely a heap of soil studded with stones standing up- right at more or less regular intervals. Choice alpine plants if tried on such a structure must of necessity soon perish in a position so unsuit- able to their requirements, and the whole might planted witli shrubs and fast-growing climbers for tho sake of immediate efl'ect. The result is tliat in a very few years' time the stones are completely hidden from view, and the whole so overcrowded and entangled, th.-it it can only be called a desolate wilderness. For the last twenty years I have during each year constructed several rock gardens, and must plead guilty to having in my earlier attempts yielded frequently to the tem])tation of considering more the immediate effect than look- ing ten years or so ahead. I have planted rock gardens with shrubs, Ferns, and other plants which appeared not only .suitable, but were de- cidedly picturesque in effect ; but two or three years after that efl'ect had vanished, and the })lants were overcrowding and killing each other. How different has been the result wiih such portions of this rock garden as had bet n spe- cially constructed for, and were entirely ('evoted Leveus HaU, Westmoreland. Example of true and old topiary work with fine old house hehiud. Interesting as this is, this emphasising of ugly forms is tho worst possible thing in such a position. (See p. 61.) setta, rose; and striatiflorus, striped. In some parts ■ of the country I have seen the old multiflorus doing remarkably well in the open borders, making large tufts, though at a time of severe frost, es- pecially when it follows rain, the plants suffer severely, if they are not entirely destroyed. The best heads of bloom come on plants raised from cuttings and grown on strongly. Good cultivation is amply repaid by a luxuriant growth and attrac- tive heads of bloom. — R. D. Clematis Viticella. — We have always thought that the graceful charms of the more delicate Clematis were more deserving of a place than many of the very showy hybrid varieties raised of late years in England, some of which are very hard and metallic in form, and in colour not very pretty. The old-fashioned Clematis called Viticella is one of the many species which claim a place among fittingly be described as a graveyard for plants unless the artist had introduced a few coarse and fast-growing creepers, which mercifully hide the hideous work. Such rock gardens as these, unfortunately, still exist in abundance, which is the more deplorable, as the British Isles enjoy such exceptional advantages for growing choice rock plants. Another kind of rocks is the elaborate and costly structures composed of large stones and cement, in a manner somewhat resembling the horizontal strata of natural rocks. It cannot be denied that many rock gardens constructed on this plan have at first a pleasing and almost nat\iral effect, but inasmuch as they are unlit fur the cultivation of alpiues other than the coarse-growing kinds, they are in most cases to, the exquisite gems of mountain plants from the higher altitudes. The first year, it is true, the eiiect was rather stony. Small alpine plants cannot Ije called objects of great beauty. Even the second year they produced flowers in abundance, and became more beautiful year by year. These plants have now occupied the same position for nearly a dozen years without overcrowding each other. From the above the inference may be drawn that for the permanent decoration of rock gar- dens, whether large or small, no morj pleasing or more satisfactory results can be obtained than by using the dwarf kinds of mountain plants, especially those from high levels near the snow-line. I am far from w ishing to ad- vance the theory that rock gardens without ex- 66 THE GAPvDEK [JANUAtY 28, 1893. ception sliould be pl.-mted with alpines exclu- sively, but the latter should certainly predomi- nate if the situation is favourable, and as the suc- cessful cultivation of these little mountain gems requires in most cases special care in the pre- paration of the place intended for their home, I propose to give in the following chapters a series of original essays (based on years of study combined with practical experience) on the construction of rock gardens specially for alpine plants. The Advantage.s of a Rock Garden. Havirg in my previous notes pointed out the satisfactory results to be obtained by the culti- vation of alpine plants in rock gardens, I may here venture the assertion that the first and fore- most object of our rock gardens should be to provide a home for as many of these hardy mountain plants as possible, thus making our gardens bright and cheerful often at a season when most other plants are at their worst. What can be more delightful than the sheets of showy blossoms of the early spring-Hower- ing alpines, long before the rest of Flora's children have awakened from their wintry sleep? But even during the autumn and winter months a rock garden might be made very attractive. Although devoted chiefly to alpines, it should be constructed in such a manner (e.specially if on a large scale) as to allow also the use of late-flowering perennials, Ferns and handsome Evergreens either as isolated speci- mens or grouped in the background, but always in such a way as to enable them to fully develop their natural beauty without in any way endangering the welfare of the little treasures, to which the choicest and most acces- sible parts of the rock garden have been assigned. The rocks themselves, though .arti- ficially composed of stones of various sizes, should be perfectly natural in appearance, and not mar, but add to the beauty of the garden. It is not at all necessary that the rock garden should be on a large .scale, but it should be true to Nature, and hence an object of beauty. A small bed, a few feet across, in which the stones emerge from the ground as if they were natural rock, will be at all times more pleasing to the eye than the most elaborate .structure which does not furnish these conditions and is therefore unnatural in appearance. Not only will a well-constructed rock garden never fail to be a source of pleasure to its owner, but it may often be found the most economical way of transforming a naturally ugly piece of ground into an object of beauty at a comparatively trifling cost. In laying out new grounds, the owner is often puzzled what to do with rough, irregular parts of the land, containing, perhaps, deep pits or undulating mounds of stony rubbish. In many cases large sums of money are spent in levelling such spots in accordance with the more general ideas of orthodox regularity seen in most gar- dens. These very spots, however, could often easily ba transformed into a most picturesque rock garden, and with a little taste might be fittmgly amalgamated with the immediate sur- roundings, as well as the other parts of the pleasure ground, and all at little expense, be- cause the natural irregularity of the ground makes extensive excavations and other pre- paratory work for the rock garden unnecessary. If such irregular depressions or mounds are quite in the open, i.e., far away from trees or other objects which might overshadow them, so much the better. They will then form a suitable site for an excellent aljiine garden. But even if an irregular dell occurs in a part .shaded by 'r.rees, it can be turned to good account and form the basis of a delightful rock garden devoted to Ferns, Cyclamens and other shade-loving plants. The rocks in such situations should not be con- tinuous, but emerge only here and there from the ground in a natural manner, leaving be- tween the groups of rock spaces for Datfodils, Dog's-tooth Violets, Ferns of various kinds and bold-looking fine-foliaged plants. In all cases, therefore, we should, if possible, make the most cf such irregularities, adapting our ideas to the natural advantages offered by the ground. I may here mention another advantage of the rock garden, viz., the facility which it often affords for dealing with an abrupt slope, which otherwise would require to be supported by a wall. A case in point is the rock garden at Greenway, on the river Dart (the property of Mr. T. B. Bolitho, M.P.), which has been recently illu.strated in The Garden of Nov. 10, 180L', p. 445. The natural soil on this steep slope was .so shallow, th.at even Grass could not grow, and under the action of frost and rain the bank continually crumbled away until it was permanently secured by a rock garden, which has thus proved both useful and ornamental. A still further use may often be made cf the rock garden for hiding from view undesirable objects in a landscape. If the height of the required block is such that this cannot be effected by the rock garden itself, then it might be so arranged as to have scat- tered groups of rocks and alpine flowers in the foreground and a background of suitable trees and shrubs, which, however, must be sufficiently far away from the parts allotted to alpine i)lants proper. F. W. Meyer. Exeter, (To he continued.') SUMMER FLOWERS FROM SEED. Tub propagation of plants from seed to assist in brightening the flower garden at dififerent seasons of tlie year is now so general, that a summary of things required for various purposes through the summer months is an essential feature before the despatcli of the seed order. I mention for "various purposes," because plants raised from seed adapt themselves to many requirements — for climbers and trailers, as Cobrcas and Maurandyas ; for sub-tropi- cal work, as Acacias, Tobaccos, Wigandias and Solanums ; as substitutes for other bedding plants, as Asters, Marigolds, dwarf Calendulas, Lobelias and Phlox Druramondi ; for summer and autumn cutting, as Sweet Peas, annual Sunflowers, Chry- santhemums and Dahlias ; and for bald mfiss- ing in outlying shrubberies, as Candytuft, Mig- nonette, Cornflowers and Clarkias. The subjoined list is necessarily somewhat curtailed, but I think it will be found fairly comprehensive, and all plants enumerated therein are of easy culture. Not many decided novelties are to the fore this season. Pro- bably one of the most striking is the Butterfly Pea (Centrosema grandiflora). It should prove useful for covering trellis-work of every description, and if also a good trailer, will be grand for the fronts of boxes and the edges of raised beds. Nearly the same remarks apply to the variegated Japanese Hop ; this will prove a decided acquisition if sufti- ciently pronounced in colour. The new forms of Iceland Poppies (both single and double) will be valuable for cutting, so also will the two white flowers— Godetia White Pc-srl and the white Mar- garita Carnation. Many novelties are announced in Sweet Peas, but an investment in collections of new varieties is rather an expensive luxury, and really good things are obtainable from mixed packets. Of rather older sorts, Mrs. Sankey and Princess P.eatrice are two lovely flowers. Many other things may be found catalogued as novelties, of which some few doubtless deserve the name, whilst others, although in a certain sense new, often represent only a really good strain of things already in commerce. Turning briefly to the general collection, it will be found that among the best bedding annuals are dwarf Marigolds, Asters and the newer forms of Calendula, Phlox Drummondi in various col- ours, double Zinnias, Petunias and East Lothian Stocks. All the larger seeded things can be sown on a prepared bed in a slight warmth ; very fine seeds as Petunia and Lobelia are best in boxes. The Stocks shoidd be sown in August, transferred to pots or boxes, wintered in cold frames, and planted out as soDn as the weather gets a bit set- tled in spring ; they make a grand bed, and are also valualile in a cut state. All the above are useful for filling beds previously occupied with spring flowering stuff, and have, with the exception of the Asters, a lengthy flowering season, a feature which renders them much more useful for this particular purpose than annuals of equal beauty, but which are compiratively short lived. In choosing seeds for summer and autumn cutting, Sweet Peas would claim almost the first place. They should be sown early in deeply dug and prepared ground, be pro- tected from the attacks of birds till well up, and during the flowering season all seed-pods must be promptly and thoroughly removed. Poppies are now in great request, and are special favourites in a cut state all through the summer months. I should p'ace Gaillardias and the annual single Chrysanthemums (carinatum) very high on the list for cutting. They are of easy culture and stand well in water. The new race of Comet Asters is also useful, and a batch of seedling Carnations is indis- pensable. Of stronger and taller plants, the minia- ture single Sunflower, and Ilelianthus citrinus, are very useful, although gardens that boast of grand clumps of the perennial types may hardly require them. Dahlhas, both single and Cactus, are now largely treated as annuals, and the flowers are use- ful for tall vases. Besides those th'ngs enumerated earlier in these notes as valuable for sowing in quantity on shrubbery borders and more secluded parts of the flower garden may be included Esch- scholtzias, Linum, AVhitlavia, Nasturtiums, and plenty of Mignonette. Into the question of plants for sub-tropical gardening it is hardly necessary to enter at length ; they are used but sparingly in the majority of gardens. Eucalyptus globulus and E. citriodorus, Ac.icia lophantha, Nicotiana co- lossea, one or two Solanums and Wigandias, and Ferula gigantea are a few good things easily grown. Plenty of Nicotiana aftinis must be provided ; this is about the most valuable acquisition we have had in the last ten years. Two fine-foliaged plants of dwarfer habit obtainable from seed and that are always useful are Dell's Crimson Beet and Centaurea ragusina. E. Buiiuell. Clarcmont. A note on Christmas Roses. — It is only in soil of a suitable character that it is safe to lift these plants every two years and then divide them afterwards. Anyone with a soil that is naturally heavy, cold and unsuitable to the quick growth of these plants will find adifliculty in managing them inthiswayunlessalarge stock of plants isavailable. I treated them in the way named by " A." (p. 4) some years since, but I found my stock diminishing too fast to be able to keep up a supply, so I adopted the plan of making a plantation of the best roots on an east border of a size suitable for covering with an ordinary two-light frame. I took out the subsoil to a depth of IS inches, retaining that on the surface, while the bottom vpas thoroughly broken up to allow of the water running away. Loam, peat and leaf-soil were added in about equal por- tions. The clumps were planted in the spring after flowering, and now they give a wealth of bloom every year at Christmas, with but a tithe of the trouble experienced in lifting and dividing the roots afterwards. When the last flowers are cut from the plants in February, or sometimes it may be in March, the frame is taken away if the weather is at all suitable. The old flower-stems not irsed when fresh are cut away, ami a mulching of horse manure is given to the plants. When growing, abundance of water is given if the weather be hot and drv, and occasional doses of Jandary 28, 1893.] THE GAEDEK 67 I liquid manure are supplied, inducing good growth, which is all in favour of a full crop of flowers the next j-enr. It is surprising how soon Hellebores sutfer from drought. The lights are put on in the middle of October, abundance of air being ad- mitted at all times, except in the case of cold weather, when the Mowers are pushing up and it is thought they will not bo expanded by any particu- lar date. — E. PURPLE IN FLOWERS. To THE Editor op The Garden. Sir,— I have no intention of moving from what I said to you the otlier day, and I shall make no reply to Mr. Englehearl's remarks of De- cember 31 last, though they were provocative of a good deal ; but I still can ask you to print two or throe statements which have come into my hands, and which I think very clearly show whera " tlie confusion of thought and language " has really been in this matter of purple in tlower.s. The first is from the pen of a Fellow of the Royal Society, the second from an old friend whose opinion carries great weight wherever garden litera- ture is concerned. The name of the third is like a household word wherever flowers are grown. It would be very easy to add to them, but I think your columns have been already loaded enough with this barren controversy. The Fellow of the Royal Society writes as follows : — It is quite clear to anyone reading Mr. Ewbank's first letter that he is chiefly speaking of flowers when he mentions the use of purple forty or fifty years ago in a generic sense ; the whole context shows this, and that we have progressed in de- scriptions of flowers to a more specialised way of speaking he a'so shows by quoting such a work as Mr. Nicholson's " Dictionary.' It is also clear that when Mr. Ewbank siys the colour of Solanum Torreyi is not purple at all, he means in the specific sense and not in the ge- neric. Mr. Engleheart's letter of October 22 simply contains the opinion that the generic use is the only right one. The rest of his letter and his statements about Miss Jekyll, kc, are only varia- tions of this same statement apparently put in to make his letter appear more complete as a criti- cism. It this contention be true, it is clearly better for the botanist to abandon purple alto- gether because of its lack of precision, and in this sense it is only correct to call the Solanum purple as it is to call it coloured ; indeed, Mr. Engle- heart's concluding words, that " purple need not be violet, yet violet was and always will be purple," is sufficient objection to the use of purple as de- scriptive of a flower. Mr. Engleheartin his second letter, November 19, quotes the opinion of an academician to prove that purple is always used generically. He does not seem to see that this very opinion only serves to show again that purple is altogether inappropriate as a description of the Solanum. For the academician says : " I doubt, however, whether in a shop with any pretensions to colour-knowledge a lady could be served at all if she simply asked for purple. An educated shopman would surely ask her what kind of purple she desired." If purple then be inappropriate be- cause it is insuSiciently precise as descriptive of a ribbon, how much more inappropriate it must be for a flower. In the same letter Mr. Englehe.irt repudiates any intention to imply that violet is not more accurately descriptive than purple, and yet the whole spirit of his first letter would convey an opposite opinion to the reader. The reason why Mr. Engleheart talks of contradiction is because he fails to see that the same word may be, as often is, used both generically and specifically. This is extremely common in the classification of plants and animals, where the name of the family is frequently used again for one of the genera included in it, and there is no objection to this. Mr. Engleheart denies that this is the case with purple, " because neither in the spoken nor in the written language do I encounter any such use of the words." This seems to me the most unfor- tunnte sentence in the whole correspondence, for Mr. Ewbank had previously shown and Mr. Engle- heart must know that Nicholson constantly uses the term purple specifically, and not generically, as descriptive of flowers in passages the interpreta- tion of which cannot be open to doubt. It would appear the love of controversy led Mr. Engle- heart to attack a letter which was perfectly clear, but which was never intended to open a controversy, and the same motive must explain why, in order to secure an apparent advantage, he has" made this inaccurate statement. He must know that Nicholson distinguishes in this very genus Solanum between S. runcinatum as "bright purple " and S. Torreyi as " violet." Nicholson's well-known work is sufficient evidence that purple is used specifically in descriptions of flowers, just as the academician's letter shows that it is also used generically. The second statement to which I have re- ferred comes from Canon Ellacombe, who permits me to say that he is quite of my opinion that purple has a .specific as well as a generic value in flowers. The third statement is more laconic, and runs thus : — I do not agree with Engleheart's fads about purple. Hbney Ewbank, January 14. LILIUM AURATUM. There is nothing in the way of bulbs with which I have had to deal that has disappointed me more than Lilium auratum. I grew it first in pots, and on the whole this system has given the greatest satisfaction, as the bulbs have lived longer than when planted in the open. I think they would have lasted still longer if I had used greater care in preventing bright sun from reaching the foliage when it was quite young. The leaves may perhaps bear the full force of the sun when they are growing in the open air, but it is very different when it reaches them through the glass, and they are at the same ti me surrounded with a hot and dry atmo- sphere. It has been after passing through sucli an ordeal that I have found the leaves more or less scorched, and ultimately turn black. This last condition would make them susceptible toattacks of insects or fungoid growth, to which some people fancy they can trace the cause of failure.but I think the presence of insects or fungoid growth on the injured leaves is the effect and not the cause. The longest time I have kept a bulb of this Lily in a satisfactory condition was six years. This was one that was very promising the first year. It sent up a strong stem, which was well studded with leaves and showed seven flower-buds. The.se I reduced to one as soon as the buds could be seen. The reduction of the number of flowers had a greater efltect on the character of the growth than I anticipated, as this plant was conspicuous amongst the others for its stately stem and large and handsome leaves ; but, strange to say, the one flower left came deformed. The next and three following years the bulb so treated was in every way far more satisfactory than the others. It is about ten years since I planted the first lot of bulbs in a bed amongst Rhododendrons, but they all disappeared in about four years, and the same thing occurred with others planted in a well- prepared soil in a mixed flower border. Five years ago, when I made a new garden, I started growing this Lily again in the open air, this time with English-grown bulbs, which came to hand appa- rently full of life and vigour. They, too, have disappeared, and that in a garden where every- thing else thrives in the most satisfactory manner I think now I will give up, for I certainly hoped for belter things when I grew bulbs in a maiden soil. "J- *-'■ ^■ Cape Town, in 1887, and named by Mr. Baker, who describes it as having linear, rigid, erect leaves, 2 feet long, and a tall, branched .scape of bright red funnel-shaped flowers, over an iiu-.h lung, with spreading segments. Corms of tliis jj'ant. have lately been sent to Kew by Mr. Templeman. The leaves are similar in texture and form to those of Sparaxis pulcherrima, now called Dierama. The corms are remarkable in being persistent — that is, the old corm, instead of shrivelling and dying away, as in Gladioli, remains quite firm and healtliy, and as a new one is formed every year, the root-stock consists of a number, in some cases more than a dozen, of corms, all packed closely, one on top of the other. The lowermost corms must be a dozen years old.— W. Watsos, in (iardm and Forest. Tritonia Templemanni.— This isoneot the handsomest of the thirty species of Tritonia known. It was discovered by Mr. Kobeit Templemao, of Stove and Greenhouse. CAMELLIAS CASTING THEIR BUDS. It is by no means uncommon for Camellias to cast a considerable portion of their buds during the winter months. The bud that remains on the plant until the end of January is practically safe, and seldom fails to expand. It is in the dark months of December and January that bud-dropping is most likely to cause annoyance. Bud-dropping in Camellias may be traced to various causes. A weakness of constitulion induced by deficient root- action is the most prolific source of bud-casting. Curiously enough, weakly specimens frequently set a quantity of buds, and if all of them are allowed to remain, the probabilities are that neariy or quite all will fall during the dull months. Better far to thin the buds as soon as they are set, leaving just as many as the plants can deal with, than lose them all later on. The eye of the grower will be able to judge within a little the number of blooms that a plant is capable of bringing to perfection. If the collection were gone over in this way eariy in the autumn, not only would bud-dropping be in a great measure lessened, but the individual blooms would come finer. From November till the end of January it is not safe to maintain a higher night temperature than 45° with a lise of 5° in the daytime. Especially during periods of hard frost with little or no sunshine must artificial heat be carefully applied. If the atmosphere of the house gets very dry many of the buds will certainly fall. I have seen them lie on the soil as thick as hail merely through the bouse being somewhat over-heated on frosty nights. Far better let the temperature drop within sevfr.d decrees of freezing point in a time of hard protracted frost, such as we have passed through, than run the risk of seriously diminishing the crop of bloom. Ca- mellias are naturally so hardy, that one need never fear the thermometer marking freezing point towards the morning. Naturally, when othfr tidngs of more tender charac'er are grown with them, such a low temperature would not do, but Camellias should never be wintered with plants that demand much warmth. Camellias will remain for years in good condition, retaining their foliage and blooming with regularity and freedom without change. When, how- ever, they come into such a root-bound state, they require, even during the winter season, a considerable amount of moisture at the roots. The mass of roots gradually pushes up the soil until there is very much less space between it and the rim of the pot than when the plant was put into it The consequence is that the ball of soil is apt to be deficient in moisture, and the buds are thus imperfectly nourished. The ill effects of this will generally not be apparent until the pipes have been made hot to keep out frost, and then strong specimens, to all appearance in the finest condi- tion, will cast their buds wholesale. The better budded a plant, the worse will its case be under such circumstances. Plants with heads dispro- portionate to the size of the pots should every now and then get an extra allowance of water. Not infre- quently the source of injury might be traced further 68 THE GARDEN. [January 28, 1893. back to that period when the plants are taking their annual outing in the open air. Rainy weather is apt to be deceptive as regards the amount of moisture jilants in pots get. For days together rain may fall that will keep the foliage and surface soil quite wet, and yet not be heavy enough to penetrate the dense foliage in sufficient quantity to thoroughly moisten the compost. If this occurs, as is frequently the case in September when the buds are swelled up, they will be sure to sustain a check, which often will not be perceived until winter is far advanced. With plants in pots of considerable dimensions, it is well to tap them smartly with the knuckles now and then. If they give out the slightest ringing sound, they must at once be thoroughly soaked, even though the sur^ face soil be quite wet. When bud-dropping is cause d through defective root-action, this must in some way be restored. Fresh drainage and a clean pot will frequently do all that is necessary, but if the soil looks close and the roots are much discol- oured, something more than this will have to be done. When the compost consists mainly of peat, it is not often that it gets close ; but if loam is the principal ingredient, a too liberal use of the water-can will soon bring it into a sour condition. If this be the case, as much of the old soil as pos- sible must be removed, the plant replaced in a clean pot of the same size, employing fine sandy peat in place of the soil that was taken away. J. C. B. Callas. — Whilst there seem to be differences of opinion as to whether it is wisest to plant out Callas in the spring for the making 'of good sum- mer growth, or to retain the plants in pots, I find very many growers adopt the plan of keeping all their stoutest ones in pots, only turning them out at the proper season, removing side shoots, rubbing down the balls of soil, and repotting in so small ones as well can be at the first, keeping them in the pots all the summer, and pushing them along by housing early for the production of early flowers. In many cases a further shift into rather larger pots becomes needful during the sum- mer. The market growers regard this as the best course where Callas have to be forced. That the weaker or smaller stems or offshoots when planted out into highly manured ground do relatively make the strongest growth there can be no doubt, but as these, even if the stems and leafage have become ever so stout, still being newly potted in the autumn are less fitted to stand early forcing than are those which have been kept in the pots all the season. It is very important, however, especially that Callas are of a semi-aquatic nature, that very ample waterings be given, especially to pot plants, and also that the pots stand on a bed of ashes or cocoa fibre refuse. Liquid manures are of more service to pot plants where the roots are densely crowded than to plants outdoors, where because of ample manure and root room the chief want in hot weather is plenty of moisture. It seems absolutely improbable, come yellow or any other colour, that the cultiva- tion of the white variety will ever be materially lessened. — A. D. Indian Azaleas for early flowering.— Of these, the early- flowering character of Deutsche Perle is fully maintained upon plants several years imported. In my own case the plants of this variety will have had nearly all the flowers cut from them before any are open uponindica alba, which, though still an excellent variety, will not compare with Deutsche Perle either for earliness or quality, the purity of colour in the last named being superior, whilst the flowers are much finer and thus better adapted for many purposes. It is also very free flowering and of good habit, this latter advan- tage being perhaps more a point of management than anything else. As an assistance to this end no strong shoots should be allowed to take the lead ; if these be stopped it will be much better. Judgment is also required in cutting the flowers, so as to regulate the growth also. Unless everyi bloom is needed, it is not advisable to cut too hard, those being left where the wood is not so convenient for cutting of a good length. The flowers of Deutsche Perle are rather susceptible to bruising when they are packed too lightly together. — A. CLIMBERS FOR A GREENHOUSE WALL. I HAVE a lean-to greenhouse 15 feet long with a back wall 9 feet high, and wish to cover it with a flowering creeper, or rather with creepers, as I have thought of planting Asparagus plumosus on a part of it. There is a stage 2 feet wide, 0 inches deep and 2 feet 8 inches high. The stage has 6 inches of spar on it at the present time. This I intend moving, and think of making some brick pits, so as to plant the climbers out. The house is occupied with Begonias in the summer, Primulas and such like in the winter. Would some reader of The Garden recommend a climber or climbers that would do for cutting? I prefer something sweet-smelling. — High Peak. *„,* In reply to the above, I would advise the following selection for the purpose, not all, of course, but such as may be deemed the most suit- able as to the time of the year when most needed in flower. Of sweet-scented plants either a dark or a light variety of Heliotrope would soon fill up a good amount of space and be found very useful, bear- ing any amount of cutting. Rhynchospermum jas- minoides would be another serviceable plant, very sweetly scented, flowering from May to July ; being noted, its foliage being evergreen being also in its favour. Habrothamnus elegans is a very free climber, but it would possibly be of too robust a growth, and the same may be said of the Begonias. Attention might very well be directed to Bougain- villea spectabilis (see coloured plate January 7, 1893) note well there respecting its culture. Sola- num jasminoides is an exceedingly free-growing climber, and one that yields a wealth of blossom. The Passifloras and Tacsonias would neither of them do so well against a wall as upon a roof. Whatever climber is chosen from this list look well to the drainage and use the best soil that can be had ; this may consist of equal parts of loam and peat unless where otherwise specified. An- other point to observe is to secure plants that are perfectly free from such insect pests as mealy bug and white scale, both of which will give no end of trouble later on. — Geowbe. Garden Flora. ,.fe...^ , -.• -^ . -. L, -\':. i^^tes ^ / * ^^H ^tt (*' t i^^^Hi ^n ■hHmENmmhs IHHjb ^^^S ^^fc^ ^w hi^^^^^ psH^B R :^ ^^t^ Wahlenbergia (Edraianthus) dalmatica. an evergreen, the wall would be at all times covered with foliage. Jasminum grandiflorum is a very free winter-flowering variety ; it is well worthy of more extended culture. For the first year or two after being planted out it does not make much growth, but when once well established, it grows freely enough. Swainsonia Osborni and S. galegsc- folia are two very free-growing and profuse flower- ing climbers, making a Hne snow vvhil»i in uloom ; the former has purple blossoms, the latter red, there being also a white form called alba. Another sweetly-scented climber is MandeviUa suaveolens, which flowers in the summer, the blossoms being somewhat similar to those of an Ipom^a. Both Lapa- geriaroseaandL. alba can bestrongly recommended, but the flowers are not scented ; still, they rank amongst the very finest of all cool house climbers. Chorozema Chandleri and other varieties of this genus are beautiful climbing plants, but they lack perfume. Luculia gratissima is not, strictly speaking, a climber, but it may be trained to a wall ; its flowers are deliciously scented. An- other very suitable wall plant is Daphne indica rubra, which is not met with very often in a flourish- ing condition in a pot, but when planted out in a peaty soil it will thrive very well indeed. This being another sweet-smelling flower, it can be confi- dently recommended ; the plant is of rather slow growth, however. There are also Acacias suited to the purpose, viz., A. armata, A. Riceana, and A. Drummondi, all making a fine display with their^ yellow blossoms in the spring months. Choisya ternata as a comparatively hardy plant should be PLATE 894. TUFTED HAIRBELLS. (with a coloured plate of wahlenbbrgia (edraianthus) ruJIILIORUM.*) This is a charming and extremely useful little group of alpine.s, closely allied to the Hairbells, and mostly inhabiting the mountains of Dalmatia and Asia Minor. Taking it as a whole, the genus Walilenbergia num- bers over eighty species, but the section of which our coloured plate is an illus- tration is best known in gardens under the name of Edraianthus, and numbers not more than half a dozen good species, while two or three of those are so closely allied as to warrant us doubting there being as many as six. They are, how- ever, useful free-flowering alpines, and are well described as tufted Hairbells. They are all perfectly hardy, forming tufts from which spring the longish de- cumbent flower -stems, from each of which are produced large heads of pretty bell-shaped flowers, upright, and of vari- ous shades of purple. The chief elements in their culture are full exposure, plenty of sunshine, a free gritty soil, and rais- ing the plants above the surrounding level, so that there is no possibility of stagnant moisture remaining near them. W. PUMlLiouuM, the subject of our coloured plate, is perhaps the rarest of the species, and al- though little different from W. Pnmilio, it gives us a different shade of colour, smaller and narrower leaves, a more straggling habit, and longer-tubed flowers. We find it an excellent hardy plant for the rock garden, where on raised mounds of free gritty soil it grows and flowers vigorously. W. KITAIBELI is a sturdy tufted species, with large puq^lish blue flowers and crowded narrow, slightly toothed leaves. W. tbnuipolia is a dwarf compact growing species, with hairy stems and short slender leaves. The smallish flowers, six to ten in a head, are violet-blue or whitish purple, whitish at the base. W. graminipolia is the commonest and per- haps the easiest to manage. It forms tufts of long grass-like leaves, from which are produced bunches of large purple flowers, beautiful and very attrac- tive on account of the way in which they are set round the tuft. This species ripens seed freely, and that scattered about on the rockery usually germinates readily. W. seepyllifolia, with its small and Thyme- like leaves and abundance of purple-blue flowers, is exceedingly effective on ledges. * Drawn for The Garden iu the Roviil Gardens, Kew, liy Champion Jones, July 20, 1SU3. Lithographed and printed by Guillaume Severeyne. D > H O - o =0 m o ♦ January 28, 1893.] THE GARDEK. 69 W. DALMATICA, the best of them all, is a fine robust species, forming large tufts of somewhat hroadish linear leaves and numerous bunches of Jeep purple flowers. All the species are true perennials, easily cul- tivated, vigorous, and free-fiowerers, and well adapted for sunuj' open spots in the rock gar- den. They are dithcult to increiise by division on account of the long roots they make, but they ripen .seed freely, which if sown directly it is gathered rarely fails to germinate. D. K. The Week's Work. ORCHIDS. The time has now arrived when the Orchids will demand our most careful attention, not only to preserve the flowers which are developed, but to encourage tlie opening of others and the steady growth of the plants. The Cattleyas are very species has pure white fragrant flowers freely pro- duced ; the plants are growing freely in the warmest house. Who wouM be without the queer-looking Masdevallias, such as Chima^ra, Wallisi, bella, Backhousiana, and nycterina, which have to be wintered in the cool house ( They are basket plants, like the Burlingtonias, and require a good deal of moisture both at the roots and in the atmosphere. A rather dry atmo- sphere, %vhich might suit, and indeed is necessary for Cattleyas and Dendrobiums in flower, causes the leaves of these plants to become infested with red spider. Thrips, too, will not be long absent under such conditions. If it is necessary to re- basket or divide these chimaroid Masdevallias, it may now be done, and M. tovarensis, which has now passed out of bloom, should also be attended to. The last-named requires repotting annually. BoUeas, Batemannias, Pescatoreas, and plants of this class will now be starting into growth. They can be grown either in baskets or flower-pots, and should be repotted or placed in new baskets if this is deemed necessary. They require an ample sup- ply of good drainage and to be grown in the Cat- tleya house, especially in winter, but the treatment Wahlenbergia (Edraianthus) Pumilio. beautiful and showy at this season ; so also are the Dendrobiums. There are other curious, inte- resting, and even lovely Orchids that should be grown in every collection. The Rodriguezias or Burlington- las have, I think, not only pretty flowers, but most are delightfully fragrant. Some great Orchid authori- ties, amongst others Mr. H. N. Ridley, F.L.S., in his botanical report of the Orchid conference, says of them, " Few are showy enough to be deemed worthy of cultivation." It is this rush after the showy Orchids that has allowed many interesting and pretty things to be so much neglected. B. venusta and B. fragrans are now pushing up their spikes, and should have a warm light position in the house; they are grown in teak baskets well drained, and with a liberal proportion of good freshly-gathered chopped-up Sphagnum amongst the fibrous peat. When these plants are doing ■well the roots push freely through the sides and bottoms of the baskets. The plants do not always succeed, but I fancy the cause of ill-health is allowing the plants to become too dry at the roots. Let them have good peat and Sphagnum to grow in — more of the latter than the former. Mix with them clean potsherds and charcoal liberally, water freely when the plant.s are growing — in fact they may be syringed in summer— and keep them, suspended from the roof glass. B. pubescens is useful, as it flowers in October or November. This Cattleyas luxuriate in would soon destroy the Bolleas. The atmosphere should be well charged with moisture, and I would prefer a clay floor to anything else. They need to be kept moist at the roots all the year round, the ample drainage pre- venting stagnation, and although the plants do best near the roof glass, sunshine would soon kill them. A northern aspect is best. Epidendrum Parkinsonianum is a singular species, with fleshy pendulous leaves, and can usually be bought at a cheap rate. The leaves hang downward because of their weight, and the plants when attached to a block and suspended from the roof glass will some- times do well in the Cattleya house. The flowers are conspicuous by a distinct white labellum and by the perfume emitted at night. Two sturdy grow- ing Orchids which should be in every collection are Zygopetalum Mackayi and Peristeria elata. The former may now be repotted. It forms thick fleshy roots, and succeeds better in good fibrous yellow loam than in peat. I hive tried it in a mixture of loam and peat, but I find it does better if the compost is made up of the best jellow loam full of tough fibre ; plenty of clean broken potsherds, some coarse white sand and chopped-up Sphag- num Moss should be nu.xed with it. Fill the pots one-third with drainage and two-thirds wiih the potting stuff, pressing it in firmly. Any plants that have grown to a very large size should be divided. This is easily done, but it is better not to part them out too much ; a large plant ought to be made into two or three pieces only. The Peristeria flowers in July or August, and will now be in its resting period. It is l>etter to keep it rather dry at the roots until the spikes begin to appear. The Calanthes still make a brave show in the Cattleya house, and as the plants pass out of bloom they are laid aside under the stage until it is time to repot them again. I have often alluded to the value of these as winter-blooming plants. Calanthe gigas, exhibited by Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, the other day, is a magnificent garden variety. The spike of flowers is immense, and the large white blooms, with a lovely rose-tinted lip, are very beautiful. It is a grand addition to the deciduous winter flowering varieties. The pseudo- bulbs are of immense size. Cypripedium Penelaus would be an excellent addition to any collection of these Orchids ; it is also of Veitchian origin. I find Cypripediums are excellent as cut flowers, they last so long in good condition. I cut the other day fresh flowers of C. villosum and its va- riety Boxalli with flowers of C. insigne. They were cut with long stalks, and, with fronds of Pttris cretica intermixed, the effect was excellent. Such flowers will last a month in a cut state. It is too early yet to increase the temperature of any of the houses, and the minimum should not vary a great deal from 45° cool house, 55' Cattleya house, and 65° in the warmest house. J. DOUGLAS. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Early Peas. — Cultivators will now have to be on the alert to get their earliest Peas on the move. Not that it is advisable to be in too great a hurry, at least where sowings are intended to be made direct into the open ground, as the condition of the soil must be taken into account. This season it is not at all unlikely that it will be the middle of February before the seed can be sown. But with the aid of glass protection, cultivators will be enabled to make a commencement, leaving the sowing in the open for the first opportunity that offers after the soil is in a fit state. In making preparations for sowing under glass, the evil must not be made of hurrying the Peas on under the influence of heat, or very likely they will be much too forward. Peas badly pot-bound never succeed well. For sowing in pots, the dwarfs, such as William Hurst, Chelsea Gem, English Wonder, and such like are suitable, and should be more relied upon than the early rounds. Sowing Peas in the open.— Here, as I have previously said, we are at the mercy of the weather as to sow when the soil is in a wet and sticky state is only to court failure. Where there is a narrow and warm south border at command, this is just the place for sowing such varieties as those enume- rated above, as on account of their quality they are a decided acquisition. Where it is decided to grow taller varieties the rows must be set wider apart, the intermediate space being reserved for a few rows of Potatoes. These taller varieties may be sown more in the open, but for this early crop select an open spot so as to be well exposed to the sun. In sowing the seed, draw flat-bottomed drills, and if the soil should be lumpy some finer soil should be sprinkled along first, also taking t,he precaution to dress the seed before sowing with either red lead or petroleum, that is if mice are likely to be troublesome. The soil in any case must be in a fertile and pulverised state, a free use of good manure, burnt refuse, and a little steamed bone flour being just what is needed to impart a healthy growth, and such as will withstand a spell of dry weather when the pods are filling. LONGPOD Beans. — Longpod Beans are more often sown in November or early in December than Peas, but in all probability the greater bulk is sown at the turn of the day. In many districts there are fancy dates for sowing, but the condition of the soil from now onwards is the guide to go by. Valuable south borders should not lie given up to thi> crop, but select an open and sunny spot where 70 THE GARDEN. [January 28, 1893. the soil is in a free working state, as, unlike later crops, these must not be trusted to rough ground. Beck's Dwarf Green Gem is a good quality Bean, but along with this should be sown a good selec- tion of the Improved Longpod section. Beck's Green Gem should have the rows about 30 inches apart. The seeds may also be sown in pots in cold frames. This plan should be resorted to if the wea her should delay sowing in the open too long. Place the seeds two in a 4i-inch pot, or singly in a smaller one. Beck's may have three or four seeds in place of two. Early Lettuce. — To follow on the autumn- planted Lettuce, but which, no doubt, have been cut very hard by the recent severe weather, it is time a sowing was made both of an approved strain of Cos and also one or more of the Cabbage forms. If there is likely to be a break in the supply this can be easily rectified by forcing, as some of the Cabbage forms force most readily. The seeds if sown thinly in a box of light soil and placed in a fairly warm temperature will soon germinate. As soon as germinated, either the Cos or Cabbage forms, it intended to be eventually planted in the open, must 'oe brouglit on gently on a shelf near the glass in a cooler structure, but not sub- jected to cold draughts. Eventually these will also have to be pricked out into a low frame to prepare them for planting out. If for forcing, keep them going steadily in a fairly warm struc- ture. A. Young. PLANT HOUSES. Seed-sowing. — Amaryllis. — Those who did not sow any seed in the autumn to keep up a succes- sional stock will do well to lose no more time in the case of this handsome class of plants. Late sowing will mean a correspondingly smaller plant by the autumn following. The seed had better be inserted singly where the supply is limited, each one being placed on its edge to ensure greater success in vegetation. The seeds being of such a flat character, with so much covering to the vital part, yet of a perishable nature, are disposed to suffer it kept at all on the wet side before they are well above the soil. I have sown them on the usually adopted plan of scattering the seeds upon the surface and also by taking the greater pains as now recommended, finding the result all in favour of the latter mode of keeping the seeds edgewise. It makes all the difference between a successful germination and only a moderate one when dealing with the fine hybrid strains now grown. The warmth of an ordinary stove will suffice, bottom-heat not being essenti.al ; but a pane of glass should be placed on the top of the pan or pot as a safeguard against mice or other vermin, as well as to avoid watering as much as possible. A shallow soil is best, as it prevents the roots from striking too deeply; hence, when separated, there is risk of injury to them. Gloxixias and tuberous Begonias, &c. — For an early batch to succeed old bulbs, a pinch of the former should be sown, whilst in any case it is not advisable to defer sowing any longer seed of the latter. A brisk heat will suit in both cases, such, for instance, as where early Melons or Cucumbers are being grown, quick germination in the case of such fine seeds being much better than a pro- longed one ; but as soon as the seedlings are well above the soil, it is not advisable to hasten them in either instance to an excessive degree, more par- ticularly the Begonias. A finely-sifted soil will be the best upon which to sow the seed. This may very well consist of about one-third silver sand, the rest being well decomposed leaf-mould or a little cocoa fibre with some light loam. If the soil be well watered before sowing, no after-watering should be given if it can be avoided until the seed is seen to be on the move. Covering the pans with panes of glass should always be the rule towards this end. In the case of (he Amaryllis, sandy loam and leaf-.soil will answer best. Of other seeds an early sowing of Torenia Fournieri might be found useful ; whilst of subjects not so often raised from seed, note should be made of Aphelandra aurantiaca Koezli and Clerodendron fallax, both of which can thus be had in quantity if the seed lias been well looked after in the ripening. Those who have none of the beautiful hjbrid Streptocarpi should also sow at once, but where there is a good stock the sowing can very well be deferred a few weeks longer. Seasonable notes. — Insects. — After such a prolonged period of frosty weather, there will be the possibility of an increase in such insects as thrips and green-fly amongst Cinerarias, Calceo- larias, and Pelargoniums. For these a close watch should be kept at such times, as the warmth of the pipes, even if the house or pit be only about the normal temperature, always seems to facilitate their increase. Moderately strong fumigations, repeated two or three times, will be found better than an extra strong one. Do not defer fumigat- ing simply because only a few insects are to be seen ; it is better to kill the few than the many. In the stove there may be some green-fly upon Gardenias and other plants with the least disposi- tion to grow, whilst the thrips must still be looked after sharply. Red spider also must not escape notice; it will attack several of the Palms, the Alocasias, and other plants. For this, sponging should answer, using the syringe more freely where such is possil>le. _ Temperatures.— For the present it is not ad- visable to make any marked increase ; a degree or two more will not do any harm (if the severe weather does not return) in stoves and temperate houses. We may yet have some very cold weather, whilst those gardeners who come within the radius of fog and smoke, instead of the so frequent gleams of sunshine in the country, know full well what such attacks mean upon early growth. Any early forcing should, as far as pos- sible, be confined to close limits when under the influence of fog ; what is done may very well be in conjunction with early fruit forcing, that even being a risky process. When the temperature is very low early in ,'the morning it should be raised as soon as possible, but guard against a high standard at nightfall. Succe.ssional flower.?.— This should be looked after to the extent of keeping up the requisite supply, but any exce.ss should be avoided. A few at the time of early bulbs and forced shrubs is far more satisfactory than a larger number. To have to depend for a while upon flowers some- what staleis atany time bad enough, but when these are forced flowers the case is further aggravated. Any of the early potted Hyacinths which exhibit the most prominence should be selected for forc- ing, the same of Tulips and Narcissi. Nearly all kinds of these may now be brought on, but the too frequent error of hard forcing should be avoided. It is a good plan to have one batch coming on in a moderate heat whilst another introduced earlier is in an increased temperature. All of these bulbs should be kept as close up to the glass as possible, so as to avoid unduly long stems and foliage which only mean weakened flowers. As the flowers com- mence to open a slightly lower temperature will be better, more particularly when the plants have to be taken to a conservatory that is kept cool. Too sudden a change is felt by plants as well as by human beings. J. Hudson. FRUIT HOUSES. Hotbeds on Vine borders. — If 'Vines with their roots principally or solely in outside borders are forced, then ought some attempt to be made to hasten root-action ; otherwise if this is not done the chances are that top growth will be so far in ad- vance of root movement, that a serious check will be felt by the A'ines just at a most critical stage. A gentle hotbed of leaves and a little stable manure formed on the outside border would warm this up considerably, and have the effect of starting the roots almost as soon as the A'ines break. This may perhaps lead to a slightly weaker break, some of the liquified sap being diverted towards the formation of root fibres instead of being wholly concentrated on the top-growth ; but there will be ample compensation for this later en, sap being sent up by the active roots very much earlier than usual. A close watch must be kept on the hotbed, as should it become violently hot in mild weather — as hotbeds are very liable to do — this would quickly injure the roots in the border. These hotbeds also have the effect of attracting roots to the sur- face, and may well be formed on some Vine borders for that purpose alone. Hotbeds are more often formed inside newly-started vineries than outside. It is found that the vapour and ammonia given off by the fermenting materials soften the bud scales and greatly favour a strong early break. To be effective a portion of the bed ought to be turned every day, fresh heating material being added oc- casionally in order to keep up the fermenta- tion. After the Vines have broken, less moisture is needed, and it is possible to damage the tender leaves by subjecting them to an excess of ammonia in the atmosphere. It may be still desirable to re- tain the hotbeds for some weeks longer, and they will do no harm if no fresh material is added, turn- ing also ceasing. The first week in February is with many a favourite time for starting Muscats, and a mild hotbed is of marked assistance in effect- ing a good even break. First, however, see that the inside border is in a thoroughly moist state, a soaking of warm liquid manure not being wasted on it, and be careful to guard against injary to the roots from over-heating. Protecting exposed Vine stems. — All the while the sap is in a solid state it is not often that any injury accrues to the exposed part of the stems of A'ines planted in outside borders. Directly, however, the sap liquifies, that is to say, commences an upward movement, there is a great risk to be run if no protection is afforded the stems, a severe frost being liable to completely rupture the sap vessels. If, therefore, there is a considerable length of stem exposed, this should be closely bound round with dry hay-bands and further en- closed by sacking, the latter being necessary for the purpose of keeping the hay dry and non-con- ductive. Short lengths would be best enclosed by narrow boards nailed together, so as to fit up to the stems, the latter being then well surrounded by dry sawdust. Very short lengths of stem may be simply protected by a mound of leaves kept in their place by a covering of sirawy litter. Where the hot-water pipes or flues are close up to the front walls of vineries and the outside borders are raised up to rather higher than their level, this has the effect of warming the outside border considerably. In order to make the most of this heat, in addition to protecting the stems, also cover the border to a distance of 4 feet from the wall with about 18 inches of leaves, with either litter, boards, or strips of galvanised iron on the top to keep the wind from blowing them about. Raising Vines. — Ripened canes are most often planted, but newly-raised Vines succeed nearly or quite as well, that is it given the benefit of a start in a warm inside border. Thus if eyes were put in now it would be possible to have strong young Vines ready for turning out of G-inoh or slightly larger pots in May. It is also by no means a diffi- cult achievement to raise Vines from eyes and to grow them to a fruiting size in pots the same sea- son. Either short lengths of wood or eyes are suitable, the latter being most generally preferred. Eyes are simply single buds with about half an inch of wood left on each side of them, this being cut in a slanting direction on the under side. It good fibrous loam or turf is available this may be cut into 5-inch squares, the Grass side being placed down- wards, and a small hole made in thecentreof thesoil large enough to bury the eye in sand. If set on a gentle hotbed, the top heat not exceeding 05°, top and root-growth soon commences, and the young Vines may eventually be planted straight into a border or placed direct into fruiting pots. The older plan of placing the eyes singly into 3-inch pots filled with gritty loam, plunging these in a fairly Ijrisk hotbed, answers nearly or quite as well, the young Vines being shifted into ti-inch pots, and from these either to fruiting pots or borders— in each instance before they become much root-bound. January 2S, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 71 CuTBAi-K Vines. — When Vines aie raised aud not grown to a serviceable size in one season, these may be cut hard back at once prior to either planting them out or shifting into fresh pots. Dress the wounds with painters' knotting or styptic as a precaution against bleeding, and soon alter start in gentle heat. When the buds are bursting, shake the roots clear of the old soil, and either plant in inside borders or else repot, using pots large enough to hold the roots without unduly cramping them and a fairly rich loamy compost, making this firm. Vines thus treated and kept growing in a brisk heat will be well ahead of any raised this season from eyes, and are certainly tlie best for growing into strong canes for fruiting in pots ne.'it season. Not only can the stoutest canes be grown from these "cut-backs," but they will also start into growth more quickly when forced than will the one-year-old canes. Practical. Rose Garden. NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY. Northers Growers and Grower.s on Late Land v. Soctherx Grower.s. To THE Editor of The Garden. Sir, — I have carefully read Mr. Grahame's article on p. IG of your last issue, and also that one published on December 10 (t.c , just three days before the last annual general meeting of N. R.S.). After reading the latter-mentioned one I could scarcely expect to find the writer converted by any remarks from an individual such as mj'self, because he expressed himself so strongly opposed to the later dates for our metropolitan shows. But I must turn to Mr. Grahame's article published in your issue of the 14th inst. In using the expression northern growers and members (in mine publi.shed in your issue of 7th inst.) I really intended to in- clude growers on late land, for I was contrast- ing those two classes of growers with southern ones and growers on early land. I believe I have seen it somewhere stated (whether cor- rectly or not I do not know) that these two cla.sses of later growers do rejiresent about 30 per cent, of the roll of subscribers to the N.R.S. If those whom I had intended to include only represent 20 per cent, numerically, then they mu.st endeavour to feel 10 per cent, smaller in their own estimation and the more insignificant in the same ratio. I apologise for stating that which wa3 not, strictly speaking, a fact. I am much grieved to find the N.R S. is only credited with ninety northern members, but I do not expect to see that number increase till a date is fixed for the Crystal Palace show upon which northerners and southerners have more equal chances of exhibiting in an average season in something like representative form. Mr. Gra- hame says he could not follow my reasoning when I stated that I had " only budded a few of the early varieties (plenty of each), &c." This expression may sound what is sometimes called " Irish," but you will understand me, and so will Mr. Grahame, when I tell you I ought to have written " a few of the early va- rieties (plenty of plants of each)." I should like to know the names of " many varieties " of first-rate exhibition Roses, particularly Hy- brid Perpetuals, that would be of any assist- ance to me as maiden plants during the first week of Jidy. I prefer cut-backs of snch varietie-i as Viscountess Folke.stone at any date, but if 1 wish to compete in the leading amateur clas.ses (the only ones open to me on account of the number of plants of exhibition varie- ties I grow) on July 1, 1893, I shall probably have to look to my cut-back plants alone to supply the necessary blooms {i.e., if there are enough plants in bloom to make them worth looking at). I grow a good stock of all the best teas and hybrids that do well here, and if my hybrids are not in bloom I cannot exhibit forty eight di.stinct varieties that would bear comparison with such Roses as are ex- hibited by the leading amateurs now-a-days. It will have to be one of those exceptionally early seasons, so seldom experienced, if even my H.P. cut-backs get fairly in bloom by July 1, 1S03. I regret that by a slip of the pen I named July 2 instead of July 1 as the date of the next Crystal Palace show, but at the time of writing I was deeply engaged in thought about the last show in 1802. We certainly havesomo "facilities and advantages" oflered to us by N.R.S. as exhibitors, and we have a pro- vincial show ! I do not think there would be even ninety northern members if we had not. I am glad such a show will be held so near my abode on July 13 next, but I wish to inform Mr. Grahame that the committee of the Work- sop Rose and Horticultural Society (over which I have the honour to preside) decided unanimotisly to invite the N.R.S. to hold this provincial show in their town without the aid of any expression of opinion from me before- hand. I sincerely trust that the parent society will never regret having accepted the invitation. I did not know till two days after the annual general meeting upon what day this show would be held. Our Rose and Horticultural Society's show is usually held on, or about July 20, but I am well pleased for the sake of the Rose show that the N.R S. has fixed upon the date it has. I expect to see growers from north, south, east and west all competing at Worksop in strong force. I expect to see some of those exhibitors who are in favour of an early metropolitan show exhibiting from their maiden plants as well, if not better than northerners (weather permitting). Local thun- derstorms, or even tropical heat lasting four or five days, very quickly reverse the expecta- tions and chances of exhibitors. I believe that the latter kind of weather often materially hastens on the blooming season more than some imagine. I will say more : it often affects the chances of growers on light land more than those of growers on heavy clay or loam. Let us hope that the weather will be kind, not only before the show day, but actually on the day itself, and then we may hope to see all Rose districts fairly well represented, not only Eng- lish counties, but Welsh, Scotch, and last, but not least, Irish. July will not be half over then. The IGth was not too late for some of our best early exhibitors in 1892 ; why should the 13th be in 1893 1 Who could fix a better date for a provincial show, so as to enable members from all districts to exhibit (or as many as pos- sible), north and south alike ! Mr. Grahame refers to a grower of Roses in Essex on heavy land, and to his having ex- hibited Roses as early as June 20 ; but my Roses are not in bloom so early as those in Essex. I know that the Essex grower exhibited well at Leice.ster early in August, -and I may say that I cut the best twelve Roses (distinct) from my maiden plants that I have ever seen here on the 27th of that very month. Of course, we can prolong the Rose-blooming season to a certain extent by growing maidens, using diflferent stocks and planting in ditferent aspects, on difl'erent soils, and so on ; but this "lasting power" has nothing to do with our ability or inability to exhibit at the Crystal Palace. What we require is starting power, and if we northerners and growers on late land can- not get our Roses into bloom early enough for the first Saturday in July, except in very early seasons, such as we seldom have, then I contend that the chances oi northerners and growers on late land of showing in anything like representative form are exceptional. Wo may grow Roses in the north and midlands on the Manetti stock on light land, and we may have plenty of plants of the best varieties, l)ut what is the use of these when Roses will not bloom early enough, in spite of all our efforts.' I have light as well as heavy land, and south walls, too, and I have done all in my power to get Roses in bloom for the Crystal Palace shows, but have only been able to do so in exceptionally early seasons. In 1891 I budded 6000 Manetti stocks (besides others) on light land, but was only able to cut from them blooms of two varieties of Roses before July 10, 1892. Your readers must see now that the date of the Crystal Palace exhibition is of grave importance to the later growers, like myself. Neither the Drill Hall nor the Crystal Palace exhibitions can be said to be suitable to northerners as a rule, and although I confess that the later growers find the provincial exhibition more suitable than the other two, still it cannot be compared with the Crystal Palace one. Surely northerners as well as .southerners would prefer to show in " good form " at Sydenham rather than at provincial towns, particularly when the classes and prizes are so much more numerous and so much better than at the latter exhibitions. There is no doubt but that the metropolitan dates, as at pre- sent, best suit the majority of members of the N. R. S. , but it is a question whether or not it would be advisable for the majority to meet the minority half way in a national spirit for the future benefit of the society as a national one. I am convinced that northerners and growers on late land do not wish to suit " themselves alone " ; nor do they wish to discuss what they have done or not done for the society ; nor do they claim more consideration than metro- politan members. On the contrary, they ask a favour from the majority that rules them to a certain extent, and that favour is, "Meet us half way when next you fix a date for the N.R.S. Crystal Palace exhibition." I feel sure that we have some good supporters of the N.R.S. in the north whose names are on our roll of members, and surely there are many en- thusiastic Rose growers north of the Trent even whose names we should do well to enlist on the roll of the N.R.S. if only they would join. So long as the later growers are usually excluded from the Crystal Palace show by the earliness of the date we shall never get many of them on the list. I am confident that the northerners do not wish to have two N.R S. exhibitions to suit them alone to the destruc- tion, or even probability of damage to the later growers' chances of exhibiting in a representa- tive form equal to that of their northern breth- ren. I wonder whether Mr. Grahame has ana- lysed from the official return the results of the winning exhibits of the N.R.S. provincial show of 1892 .' If so, I beg to remind your readers that my good friend Mr. B. R. Cant (I believe one in favour of the early metropolitan show date) won the nurserymen's .lubilee trophy, and Dr. Budd, of Bath, won the amateur one, pro- bably with Roses cut from maiden plants. Mr. Grahame mentions the county of Nottingham as being represented by a winning stand at the Crystal Palace in 1892. But how represented f Why, by a neighbour of mine winning actudly third prize f'lr " Garden Rises." I think I am right in stating that this was the only winning stand from this county, but if I am not, will 72 THE GARDEN. [January 28, 1893. some kind friend correct me ? Now as garden Roses are in bloom before all others (here, at any rate), I do not see how a winning stand of the same can suggest to the public mind that Roses, generally speaking, were in bloom in this county. If it could, 1 wonder why our leading trade grower, Mr. H. Merryweather, of South- well, was not exhibiting. I will not admit that the Roses of this county of Notts were sufti- ciently in l:)loom, generally speaking, on July 2, 1892, to enable an exhibitor of H.P.'s and Teas to set up stands in anything like representative form. Mr. Grahame writes : — I cannot see that N.R S. northern members have any fair ground for complaint, Sec. They are in a very decided minority, and the southern members are undoubtedly entitled to a date which suits them. My reply is, that northerners are not the only members opposed to the early Crystal Palace show date, and that as members as far south as Essex find it too early, it is only natural that those in the midlands and north should find it still more early in proportion, as their Roses are later than those of the Essex growers. Surely the date of the Drill Hall ex- hibition is suitable to those in favour of the early dates, if suitable to anyone (i.e., if they grow Teas), as well as the Crystal Palace show, and such early growers as Mr. B. R. Cant, &c., could not be said to have been "deprived of their chances of exhibiting in proper form " at Chester as late as July 10, 1892. Mr. Grahame says : — The northerners have a provincial show specially arranged for them, and with good prizes given bv the N.R S. Certainly the date of the above meeting does suit northerners better than the dates of the two first meetings. Good prizes are ofi'ered, but, as I have said before, "far better ones at the Crystal Palace." Mr. Grahame writes : — The northern members have done nothing for our society which entitles them to more considera- tion than the metropolitan members. We do not ask for more consideration, but surely we deserve an equal share with others as members of a national society. If northern members of the committee attended all the meetings of the N.R.S. at Westminster, it would cost them a sum equal to a very hand- some subscription to the society. Mr. Grahame writes : — They have shown no reason whatever that they should have two Rose exhibitions at dates to suit them alone, to the destruction, or even possibility of damage to southern growers' chances of exhibit- ing in proper form. Surely the Roses of the majority of exhibit- ing members will not be much, if at all, past their best on the Saturday nearest July 6. As a rule the provincial meeting cannot always be called a northern meeting in every sense of the word ; for instance in the sense of position when held at Hereford (I do not complain ; I should like to see it held in Ireland if possible). Again, it is not northern in the sense of time, at any rate not so much so as to exclude some growers in favour of the early date for Crystal Palace show from exhibiting successfully, owing to the lateness of the date of the fixture, li southerners grew Tea Roses and budded H.P.'s, they might be able to show at all three N.R.S. shows, but not so with the northerner. We in the north and midlands look upon the Crystal Palace show as the meat in the sandwich, and who can blame us when we ask to share that meat with our southern brethren ? I wish well to the National Rose Society, and I sincerely trust that no remarks of mine will lead any-ine to believe that I do not, but I waiit the society to be as popular in the north as in the south. I have written enough and I hope all will be received in good part. I will stand down and patiently read the evidence of witnesses from all parts of the nation on this important subject pro. and con. Henry V. Machin. Gateford Hill, near IVvrlsup. THE GROWTH OF TEA ROSES. Soils, situations, and local peculiarities determine a great deal, and in some degree account for the varied experiences of different Rose growers. Reading the remarks of another rosarian and com- paring them with one's own experience frequently reveal so;ne decided differences so great as to be almost unaccountable. Observations, however, of the different growth of self-Fame kinds upon heavy soil in the south and in lighter soil in the eastern counties lead me to suppose that we err in trying to grow all the kinds under uniform con- ditions, more especially as regards soil. Now that ardent growers, not of Roses alone, but of other plants as well, do so much towards preparing for them a site and soil as congenial as it is possible to be made, I think it is quite an open question whether a bed of lighter soil than that usually sought after and considered the essential for Rose growing might not be the remedy for so-called delicate kinds and the means of inducing greater vigour. There would certainly be increased ability to withstand low temperatures, becau.se hardiness is very much proportionate to the capacity the soil has for retaining water— at least such is my idea. There is,"of course, nothing like uniformity as regards habit of growth, but there is a marked difference between the behaviour of Niphetos as recorded by Mr. Grahame on p. 15 and as it has grown and liowered with me. In my previous notes I have alluded to the fact that, being so largely grown under glass, it came to be regarded as a decidedly tender, if not absolutelv worthless, kind for open-air culture, and that this was very far from being the truth. In consequence of the pendulous disposition of the flowers, I made a group in a raised border, and a very pretty one it became. The bushes grew strongly and flowered most freely. The second lot of flowers came finer than the first, and some of them were borne quite erect on strong shoots. I used to think they had much more substance than the comparatively flimsy blooms I had seen under glass, but at any rate, especially towards autumn, in the cooler days the flowers were more lasting. The plants never showed any extra susceptibilities to cold, and they have endured the rigours of all the winters that have passed since they were planted entirely un- protected and without suffering. In a less favoured garden I have seen Niphetos at the foot of a wall growing vigorously and producing fine flowers. Mr. D. T. Fish used to praise Niphetos grown in this way, and I think the majority of rosarians will hardly go so far as to discard it for delicacy or poor growth. Souvenir de Paul Neyron has been mentioned in The Gaeden as a tender, un- certain Rose, but I have always found it the very opposite of this, and, growing in its own way un- disbudded? no kind could give a greater propor- tion of fine flowers than this has always done. My first experience of Innocente Pirola was in heavy soil, where it was most unhappy, but elsewhere it proved one of the very best Tea Roses, and the bushes grew quite a yard high. I am not sure of Cleopatra, but Ernest Metz last year proved that it possessed robustness. There is a danger of a fine Rose such as this being over-propagated at first, and it is a matter of two or three years be- fore it reveals its true character. Ethel Brownlow is held in high estimation by the exhibitors, and I must confess to being astonished with some blooms I saw cut from standard plants in one of the large Rose nurseries last year. With me, growing as a dwarf, its shoots have always been of a thin wiry character, and the flowers, though well formed, were small, with the lilac tinge rather too pro- nounced. A. H. MARECHAL NIEL ROSE. No doubt this will always be more or less erratic in its beh.-iviour out of doors. A few other Roses are somewhat so, but none to the extent that charac- terises Mar^chal Niel. Good free-growing, con- stant-blooming plants may occasionally be met with, but generally its behaviour is indifferent, and it does not always readily respond to our en- deavours to induce healthy, vigorous growth. Al- though I have not actually proved the cutting-down plan in the open air after flowering, as mentioned by Mr. J. C. Clarke in The Garden of Jan. 14 (p. 15), I tried an experiment in this way, and which perhaps was even more likely to lead to the same result that he sought. It seemed so in my calculations, but I failed to realise expectaticns. In my case six dwarf plants on the seedling Brier stock were planted in a very favourable position against a warm wall with a south aspect. They were rather close together, and as all made a vigorous growth, there was not room to train all the shoots properly. The idea then occurred to me that perhaps by laying in almost full length the shoots of three plants and cutting the others down to near the ground I might have them in succes- sion, assuming that the cut-back plants would, as the result of their hard pruning, make a vigorous growth to lay in for flowering the following spring. Those that were unpruned flowered well and finely, but the cut-backs only made a weak, puny growth, and therefore quite defeated my object. A va- riety of circumstances has to be reckoned with out of doors that do not interfere with or influence culture under glass. With so many really reliable first-rate Roses it seems almost a waste of time and space to attempt the growth of Mar^chal Niel at all extensively. I have had no experience as to whether it is long-lived as a standard, but it cer- tainly grows very well in this way. A number of standard and half-standard plants that I have seen in Mr. Frank Cant's nursery on several occa- sions always surprised me with their health and vigour, and they reward him with hundreds of per- fect flowers. Nothing like hard pruning is resorted to in spring, but the long strong shoots are brought down more or less horizontally and tied to stakes. So treated they flower almost their entire length. A. H. FORCING ROSES. A:mong the many things that are forced into fiower annually, very few, I think, require stricter attention to detail than the early forc- ing of Hybrid Perpetual Roses. The weather during the last week of 1892 and the first week of 1893 has been sufficient to test the ability of any who may have any such Roses under their charge. The very earliest batches, such as were intended to begin flowering at the end of the present month or early in February, would, of course, be just about showing their buds when the recent severe spell of weather began ; consequently they were in the most critical stage of their existence. Tlie change also was sudden, particularly in its severity. In the early forcing of Roses, endeavour to maintain a temperature of 45° to 50° ; then all will be well ; but do not be alarmed if, with the appearance of the sun for a few moments, the temperature rises to 55' or even more. This will be of benefit to the plants, but on no account admit air. If the sun be more than usually strong at this season, the fire may be steadied for awhile, but be careful this is not too long-continued, as the water cools quickly in such weather and the temperature of the house will rapidly decline when the sun has again disappeared. One very important item January 2S, 1893 ] THE GARDEN. 73 in the forcing of Roses early is obtaining the From September 15 to September 20 sowings fullest amount of light, and to ensure this, are made of the short thick Leek, which is the glass will have to be washed occasionally named " Poireau chaud,' in beds, the seed to clear off the soot which remains after a dense being scattered very thinly, as no transplanting black fug. Nothing short of hard rubbing will follows. It is covered in by raking the .soil remove this greasy black deposit, which so over it, and the bed is then beaten Hat with effectually excludes the light, and nothing is the back of a spade. The market gardeners better suited for the purpose than the brushes often sow over the Leek seed a little corn salad obtainable from any horticul- tural sundriesman. These af- fixed to a handle simplify the washing of glass roofs, having a lad with a coarse syringe to damp the glass in advance, and to return at intervals to rinse what has been washed. During the severe frost it was impos- sible to do this, as the water froze too quickly ; but advan- tage should be taken of the earliest opportunity, as the plants suffer considerably when light is thus obscured. Fumi- gation must be done in ad- vance, as it were, to keep in- sects in check. Once they get the upper hand it is almost im- possible to eradicate them with- out injury to the plants as well. It will be found better, as a rule, to fumigate twice moderately rather than attempt the destruc- tion of the pest at one strong application. A good preventive measure, and one by no means so much in vogue as its effectiveness and from plant to plant, and are watered just suffi simplicity merit, is that of syringing with clear j ciently to keep them progressing in good con Example of old topiary work. (See p. 01.) (which comes up and is gathered off during the winter), covering the seed of the corn salad by sifting some line soil over the beds. When the young Leeks have made some growth they are thinned out, leaving a space of 2 inches soot water occasionally, making the solution several days before use. Soot is especially valu- able in the Carnation house, and young plants I freipiently water overhead with it, particularly if red spider exists. Such simple means as these are too frequently overlooked, and those who have not tried the above in the way now sug- gested should lose no time in doing so. As soon as the buds are well formed and have emerged from the foliage, a little weak stimu- lant may be given, starting with soot water first, and afterwards about twice weekly, giv- ing some good artificial manure in a weak solution. It will be found advantageous to apply it in a weak state and frequently, rather than in stronger doses at longer intervals. It is also advisable to change the food supplies thus given, and when the buds begin to show colour, stimulants may be discontinued alto- gether. E. J. M. dition until the month of March, when, after the frosts are gone, they are watered more copiously, the beds at the same time being carefully kept free from weeds. During the first fortnight in May, the young Leeks which, it must be said, are not very large and have not much white stem, are taken size. This was grown much in the same way as tho.se already described, but the plants were set more closely together in the beds and were taken up for use earlier. The seed was sown in a hotbed in the latter part of December or dur- ing the month of January, and the seedlings were pricked out at the beginning or the middle of March, either in sloping beds in a favourable position or in hotbeds which had just been cleared of other kinds of vegetables, and from which the lights or coverings were removed as soon as the young Leeks had struck root. These were planted about 2 inches apart every way and very deeply in the soil, so as to leave only very little of the white part of the stem over- giound. These Leeks were tit for sale in June and July. They were not very thick, but hav- ing been planted closely together, the crop was quite as heavy as that from an e()Ual area in which the plants, although individually thicker, were set at greater distances apart from one another. At the present time we can have in the course of the summer white-stemmed Leeks as fine and thick as those which used formerly to be seen only late on in autumn. To obtain these the very large Rouen Leek is employed. This is now more and more grown by the Parisian market gardeners for the very earliest supplies, as it is the quickest variety in form- ing and more speedily increases in thickness rather than in length of stem. It is cultivated in the following manner : — The seed is sown rather thickly in a hot- bed from the end of December to the middle of January. As soon as the seedlings are up air is admitted more or less liberally, according to the prevailing temperature, in order to prevent the seedlings from becoming drawn, but at the same time taking care to give no check to their growth by exposing them to the effects of very frosty weather. Under all cir- Kitchen Garden. FORCING LEEKS. Nothing is more natural than the desire to have the best kinds of vegetables available for use at all seasons of the year in addition to those periods at which they are usually pro- duced, and to attain this object, gardeners resort to out-of-season sowings and also to various modes of forcing. But, although it Ls comparatively easy to force plants of rapid growth, such as Radishes or small Lettuces, it may be readUy understood that it is not quite so easy to do this in the case of plants which are slow and tedious in growing, as Leeks are for example, these taking, in the open ground, eight or nine months to arrive at their full development. In consequence of this, Leeks have for a long time been grown to only half their full size, or eveii smaller, for home con- sumption or for sending to market, and in the following manner :^ Clipped archea. Engraved for The G.\rden from a photograph sent by Lady Headfort. (See p. Gl.) up either for private use or for sending to market. Sometimes this Leek is sown very thinly under frames or cloches, together with the very short red frame Carrot. The seed- lings in this case also are not transplanted, but simply thinned out, and after the Carrots have been gathered off, the Leeks are sold just as they are, at the same time as those raised by the first-mentioned method. Leeks raised by this latter mode are called by the market gar- deners " Poireaux de semence." For a long time the variety of Leek named " Poireau long d'hiver de Paris " was forced in hotbeds for sale in market when, like the last- i mentioned, it had reached about half its full cumstances the frame must be covered with mats every evening. [ About the end of March or, better, some time in April, the seedling Leeks, although still of no great strength (being seldom more than a (piarter of an inch in diameter) are fit for planting out. For this purpose some good strong ground should have been well dug and worked at the close of the winter, and in this beds are laid out, the surface of which is well j broken up and covered with a layer of well- ; rotted compost about 4 inches deep, which is j then forked in. Rows 10 inches or 12 inches apart are then drawn in the beds, and in these , the Leeks are planted out 0 inches apart. If 74 THE GARDEN. [January 28, 1893. possible, a cloudy or even rainy time should be chosen for this planting out. The young Leeks are lifted from the hotbed in handfuls at a time, then, cutting oil" the ends of the leaves and of the roots, as is always done in planthig Leeks, the stems should be buried deeply in the soil, that is, nearly up to that part of the stem where the leaves com- mence to open out. The bed should then re- ceive a good watering and afterwards, when the Leeks have taken root firmly, the bed should be hoed and watered frequently — in dry weather copiously. Leeks are gross-feeding plants, and if it is desired to have very good specimens of them, their growth .should be assisted by fre- quent waterings of liquid manure made either from rape-cake, dried night-soil, or powdered fowl or pigeon-manure dissolved in water. The best way to apply it is to draw a furrow be- tween every two rows in the bed, and into this pour the liquid manure ; any residuum of it that remains on the surface can be covered with soil by drawing the hoe over it. No one will be surprised at the efforts which are made to obtain fine Leeks for the greatest possible part of the year, for they are cer- tainly amongst the best kinds of vegetables that are grown, serving not only to make the ex- cellent soups which everyone knows and likes, but also forming one of the indispensable in- gredients of the " pot-au-feu." Formerly, for a long period. Leeks constituted one of the best winter dishes that one could meet with, at least in country places ; I mean Leeks served up (I fa sauce hlaiiclte. They cannot, of course, be compared to Asparagus as regards delicacy of flavour, but all through the winter a very savoury and inexpensive dish can be made with them, all the more welcome because other kinds of vegetables are then either very scarce, or, in some cases, not to be obtained at any price. — Rcvua Iloiikole. Scarcity of I.ettices in early spring. — After such severe weather as we have just experi- enced there will be a scarcity of Lettuces during the next two or three montlis, as even tliose plants stored or planted out in cold frames when not much frosted have in many instances suffered from damp, as it has been impossible to admit light and air. Those who have a daily supply of green salad to send to table will do well to prepare for fresh supplies by timely sowing in frames, choosing an early quick-growing variety of the Cabbage type. A small quick-hearting kind, such as Veitch's Golden Queen, should be chosen. This forces readily and is of dwarf compact growth. Harbinger is also excellent for sowing in heat in boxes and cutting in a young state. This system is one that could often be made available in cases of a deficiency, sowing the seed in boxes and cutting in the same way as Mustard and Cress. Of course, the produce is small, but for the salad bowl it is equally useful, and in the early part of the year much appreciated. For the supply of single Lettuces a few plants pricked oGE into boxes or in a frame of the varieties named soon turn in. — G. Wythes. Beet Cheltenliam Green-top.— At page 14, " 1. JI. H." finishes his excellent note regarding Beet by saj ing that Cheltenham Green-top grows too large and does not do well with him. 1 am very fond of this variety ; indeed, I have advised its use in the pages of The Garden, and, like the writer of the above note, I had the same difficulty when I sowed it on good land. I find it best to sow it on rather poor ground. I never sow Beet till the second week in May, and find by so doing I get just the roots desired — neither coarse nor forked. When sown too early or on rich land 1 do not know of a worse kind for forking and splitting, but treated as advised it is all that can be de- sired. 1 consider the flavour supeiiir to that of DeU's Crimson and the colour is very good. The Cheltenham Green-top I have now grown for twelve years, and find no other kind to equal it for flavour. This kind originated in one of the large market gardens round Cheltenham, where immense quan- tities are grown for the midland markets. — G. Wythes. EARLY BRUSSELS^SPROUTS. The value of a few rows of e.arly sprouts is great where a variety of choice vegetables is required. I am well aware that some persons object to early sprouts before the frost has mellowed them, as it is termed, but much of this is owing to the method of serving or cooking and to the way they are grown, as though we have not too much praise to bestow upon cooks in general in the way of making the best of the garden products, to a certain extent want} of space, insufficient moisture, and feeding are at times the cause of poor vegetables. Early sprouts are at times strongly flavoured often through being boiled too long in one lot of water. If when partially cooked the sprouts are given fresh boiling water the strong flavour will here- moved and a better colour imparted to them. Of course it is a little more trouble. Not only sprouts, but many other vegetables need similar attention. By sowing early it is also objected to that the sprouts are too coarse or large. This can be avoided. I do not like large sprouts, though they seem to be much appreciated by the market people. Large sprouts soon fill the basket, but are not so good as a smaller bullet-like growth, hard, and without waste. To get a medium-sized sprout the grower should eschew the sorts recommended for size or length of stem ; they are no doubt profitable to the large grower or for exhibition, but for the latter purpose they are now even less grown. When Brussels Sprouts are served at table a minia- ture Cabbage is not expected, as it is impossible to serve these large kinds to the best advantage, so that in private gardens much of the delicacy is lost when large coarse kinds are grown There is very little trouble in securing a few early plants if seed is sown at the end of January or early in Feb- ruary. I prefer to sow on a mild he.at, that is, a bed made up with fresh leaves early in the year and allowed to settle down before sowing the seed. Others may not have similar accommodation, and may only require a small number of plants. In such cases a single box of seed may be sufficient, but with the latter greater care is required, as often the smaller quantity if placed in excessive heat is brought on too rapidly, with the result that the plants are weakly from the first and cannot give a fair return. When sown in cold frames the plants are sturdy, and better able to withstand our cold winds in the spring. I have previously ad- vised a dwarf variety, and for years have grown Paris Market, a dwarf early, small, solid sprout of good flavour, but no doubt there are others equally suit.able. Another important point is sowing thinly, as there are more plants ruined by thick sowing than anything else. Early transplanting is also necessary, lifting with as much care as possible. In exposed positions much can be done in the way of shelter by drawing deep drills before planting out, in all cases using a trowel to preserve all the roots possible. Another equally important point is deeply-dug ground with plenty of decayed manure. During the early autumn months in case of drought, a good soaking of water or liquid manure occasionally will do much to remove the strong flavour often objected to. I would also advise ample space at planting ; a yard between the rows is none too much, and 18 inches or even 2 feet between the plants. G. Wythes. moisture before putting on the Asparagus roots. Quantities of roots could be forced annually where tan is procurable, as it costs little and is of great value, and retains the heat for a long time. In all cases if a great body of tan is used there should be sufficient depth of soil put over the tan oefore the roots are placed in their forcing quarters and another layer over the crowns of the plants forced. If this is done there is little danger. On the other hand, if left exposed on the surface the growth is weak indeed, often much injured by the heat arising from the tan. — S. H. B. A good garden Potato. — Raised by some village cultivator at Fontenay-sous-Bois, this va- riety was first sent out by MM. Forgeot under the well-deserved name of Belle de Fontenay, and subsequently, when its merits were recognised by MM. Vilmorin, it was admitted by them into their catalogue. It is a productive and early kind, com- ing in at the same time as the Royale or even the Marjolin, handsome in appearance, being long and well proportioned in shape, with a smooth, yellow skin. The flesh (like that of all true French va- rieties) is of a pure butter-yellow colour, and the quality is first-rate. The tubers, when lifted, keep tirm and good for a long time in winter and are slow in germinating ; they can, consequently, either be planted for the earliest crop, or later on as a main crop for autumn and winter use. — Iiii'iic Horticolc. Asparagus forced by tan. — At the meeting of the R.H.S last week there was an interesting exhibit by Mr. Balderson of Asparagus forced by tan without any other heating agency. Of course, the forcing by tan or spent bark is well known, but it rarely occurs that such results are secured as to get ch nice vegetables so early by using tan as the heating medium. Mr. Balderson covers the tan with enough soil to counteract the great heat and THE CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES. A UENTLEMAN who is intimately connected with the culture of vegetables recently re- marked, "I observe that of the numerous papers to be read before the Fellows of the Royal Horticidtural Society during the ensuing year only one is devoted to vegetables." He might have added, and only two specifically to fruit. In regard to vegetables, it is very doubt- ful whether in these days young men in gardens have anything like the needful opportunities offered them to become expert cultivators. Nearly all their time is expended in houses, in the flower garden, or in the domestic decorative department, and thousands of these youths who are looking forward to become some day head gardeners have the most imper- fect knowledge with respect to vegetables through no fault of their own, but because they have so few opportunities. Fruit culture is perhaps better understood because so much of it now is performed under glass, but outdoor culture still remains to many an unexplored field. Perhaps next to vegetables there is no department in which young men have oppor- tuuities to learn so little as of the hardy flower garden, for very few indeed can undertake the sole charge of hardy flower gardens, rock gardens, &c., and be fully familiar with hardy plants, their names, requirements, &c. So far as re- lates to vegetables, there are few head gardeners who have not found it of the highest import- ance that a good supply of these should be fur- nished all the year round. Even in the dexd of the winter, when the ground is locked in frost and snow, it is held imperative that an abundance of vegetables be furnished, and what cannot be supplied naturally must be furnished artificially. It is easy enough just now to have plenty of Asparagus or Seakale, pro- vided during the spring and summer ordi- nary courses were adopted in the one case to maintain a succession of roots, and in the other of root stems. But there is far more ability needed to furnish these root or stem stocks than is required for the successful forcing of them. It is easy to go to the store and obtain ample supplies of Potatoes in the winter when there, but it requires some knowledge to grow a large and healthy crop of good tubers and to properly store them. We find it easy enough in January 28, 1893] THE GARDEN. winter to cut heads of Savoy Cabbages, Broc- coli, Kales, or to gather Brussels Sprouts ; but there woulil have been none to gather now had not jiiili,'uu'ut been ju'operly exercised in tlie sowing of the seed in the spring, the proper put- ting out and culture of the plants. The same may bo saiil with respect to all kinds of garden roots. Too many persons are apt to think that anyone, however ignorant, can grow vegetables. That is not, I an sure, the opinion of our leading gardeners who do grow them well, and who know not only how much of skill and experience is required, but also how very im- portant to them in their places is that know- ledge. Even in connection with our exhibi- tions, too often any encouragement found in connection with vegetable classes has been fur- nished in the shape of prizes ottered by seeds- men, and although no one doubts but that these prizes are given for trade purposes, yet have they in the past done wonders in pro- moting better-class vegetable culture, better selection of sorts and higher appreciation of what constitutes quality and beauty in vege- tables than formerly existed. It is to their credit that our rural cottage garden exhibitions do far more for vegetables than do many of the pretentious or high-class societies. A. Autumn Mammoth Cauliflower. — When recently in Hampshire one of the best vegetable growers in the county told me that he had never before seen such superb white and perfect Cauli- flowers as were the heads of Sutton's Autumn Mammoth shown at Winchester in November by Mr. Best, of the Vine Gardens, Basingstoke. I am not surprised that such encomiums should be uttered, as when I saw the variety growing at ReaJing last autumn I could not but notice how very fine a strain this was, and how perfectly white were the heads. The yellowish tinge so often found in the old Autumn Giant was lacking, whilst the heads of the former from plants raised from seed sown at the same time and subject to the same treatment were much larger and more evenly so. That may not be a recommendation in all cases, but then the large-headed sort may be cut earlier than smaller ones, and that is much in favour of the Autumn Mammoth. — A. D. Dwarf Gem Brussels Sprouts. — I saw this variety growing in a garden recently in company with some of the taller exhibition and Matchless varieties. In common with these sorts, the sprouts were somewhat loo ?e and open, because grown in sucli very deep rich holding soil. That is far from being the best condition for the successful production of good sprouts. I prefer hard soil, which causes the stems to grow more slowly and be harder also, in that way producing very hard medium-sized knobs or sprouts on them. But the Dwarf Gem form, which is some G inchei to 8 inches shorter than are the tall growers, is specially suited for small gardens, where it may be planted out more closely together than can tall ones. Under proper culture on hard firm soil and got out early, the stems reach about 18 inches in height, and are clothed from bottom to top with close-set solid sprouts that are not so strong- flavoured as are larger ones. Any good breadth will give sprouts from October tUl the end of March. —A. I). The longest Cucumber. — I cote the query by " W. A. P." as to a Cucumber attaining the length of (J feet 2 inches. This would not be a Cucumber in the general acceptation of the term. More than likely it would have been a specimen of the Snake Gourd, which will reach that length when well grown. I very well remember to have seen a remarkably long specimen of this latter member of the Cucurbits; family some years ago in a large group of Gourds, &c., shown at South Kensington. Kven it it were a Cucumber there would be no ad- vantage in the length, b.it a decided disadvantage, unless we are to cut off as much as may be re- quired for each day's consumption, a plan not likely to be adopted by any practical gardeners. liong Cucumbers are not of any use for the supply of a gentleman's table ; two at least of moderate size may be grown where one long one is produced. A Cucumber of from 15 inches to IS inches in length is infinitely better than one of from '21 inches to HO inches. Large Melons are really fine ornaments to the dessert, but long Cucumbers are no advantage whatever, and where a constant sup- ply is kept up they will rarely be found. It is true that large Melons may not be of such fine flavour as those of medium size, but they serve a useful purpose ; whereas the long Cucumber does not, and the less we see of the latter in private esta- blishments the better in every respect. Cucum- bers are frequently allowed to hang too long before they are cut ; they are much better in flavour whilst the seed is still in the embryo state ; when cut in this condition the plants will continue to bear much longer.— GROWER. SHORT NOTES.— KITCHEN. Pea Wordsley 'Wonder. — Like " W. I.," I am surprised that Wordsley WouJer has not become more popular. It is with me an excellent second early, growing and beariujr freely. Peas being just the righli size when cooked. Its long narrow pods are crammed with Peas to almost bursting point. — A. Y. Pea Telephone.—" W. I." in his article at p. 2-3 says that the above Pea is as yet indispensable. True, it isa good grower and bears freely, the pods being of large size, although the size would lead one to expect that more would be inside than there is. My reason for calling attention to it is with regard to its edible qualities when cooked, as I have heard more complaints of this than any other, it being far too sweet. — A. Y. Orchids. ERIOPSIS RUTIDOBULBON. This plant has long been known to be a native of Colombia, where it is said to be found grow- ing on the stems of Palms in the province of Antioquia. I have received a small plant of it from Hermann Haak for a name. He says his friend found it growing in the full sunshine, and thinks it must be new, as he has never seen such a curious warty pseudo-bulb. I have known the plant about forty years. It was first discovered by Purdie, well known as a collector for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and is stated to grow at between 4000 feet and 5000 feet altitude, so that it would not appear to require great heat. This Eriopsis I have found to revel in strong sunshine, and I think if it were to be subjected to a brighter light, it would be more easily grown than it appears to be, for it has always been a difficult plant to manage. When seen in flower it is really a beau- tiful plant, and I trust H. Haak will be succe.ss- ful with the plants he has, and that we shall have the pleasure of seeing the plant more often than we have hitherto done. The only example that I have seen of late years is in the collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence at Burford Lodge, Dorking, where I saw it flowering. The flowers, which are borne in a dense raceme, which is erect and arching, springing from the side of the pseudo-bulb at its base, are each nearly 2 inches across, sepals and petals nearly equal, orange-yellow in the centre, the outer part being of a reddish brown. The side lobes of the lip are large, erect, dark reddLsh brown, the middle lobe white, spotted with blackish purple. These flowers are very conspicuous and they last a considerable time in full perfection if properly cared for. I have seen it treated as a pot plant, but I fancy it does better ia a bas- ket. The pot or basket must be well draiued. using good brown peat fibre from which all the fine soil has been beaten, mixing with it some clean chopped Sphagnum Moss. This plant during its period of growth appears to enjoy a liberal amount of moi.sture both to its roots and overhead. 1 like to hang it up near the glass and to let it have the full sun, .saving just through the hottest period of the day, at which time the thinnest shade is sutficient. During such weather as we have been receutly getting I like to take it down to the level of the stage, for I think it is a plant easily aflected by too low a temperature, and in the winter I think 55° is quite low enough for it, whilst in the summer it may be kept in a good heat with plenty of moisture. Wm. Hugh Gower, ■White Lselia anoeps. — A magnificent form of this plant now lies before me from the collec- tion of Mr. J. T. Gabriel, Palace Road, Streatham Hill. It is apparently between the varieties Stella and Williamsi, the sepals and petals being round and full, of good substance and pure white, the lip also being white, the side lobes on the inside lined with crimson-purple. It has not the radiat- ing streaks of purple on the front lobe. — W. II. G. Megaclinium purpuratum. — " H. B." sends a specimen of a plant from Western Africa which I take to be this species. The fact is the genus is but imperfectly known, and it is diflicult to decide. The scape is flattened, green, speckled with brownish purple, bearing the flowers on either side down the middle. The flowers are small ; in fact, I could make nothing of them with the naked eye ; but upon using a powerful glass, I see they are yellowish white, freckled with reddi-h purple. It is an exceedingly curious plant, nearly allied to the West African Bolbophyllums, and as it does not require much space, it deserves to find a home in your collection, which you say is not confined to showy plants. — G. Cypripedium insigne Amesianum (//. IT.). — This is a beautiful flower, with somewhat of the shape of C. Maulei, the dorsal .sepal having the whole upper portion pure white, the lower part green shaded with brown, the lower sepals large, similarly coloured. The petals, too, are more deflexed than in the ordinary forms and beautifully undulated on the margins, the lip yellowish. This is one of the varieties imported by Messrs. Pitcher and Manda, of New York. — H. Odontoglossum crispum (fine variety). — I have received from Mr. S. Kerslake, who has charge of the Kev. E. Handley's collection at B:ith, one of the most beautiful flowers of this species I have seen. It has very broad sepals and petals, both much undulated, the latter being dentate and of the purest white saving a few spots of chestnut on the sepals ; these, too, on the outride are faintly tinged with rose. The lip is white with a large blotch of chestnut in front and a few smaller ones beside the yellow crest. I am told there are nine flowers on the raceme. The flower sent measures just upon 4 inches across. — W. H. Cypripedium Constableanum.— This is a new hybrid raided between C. Fairrieanum crossed with C. Dayanum, and it approaches nearer to Fairrieanum than do any of the hybrids raised from it. Leaves short, pale green, faintly tessellated ; flower at present small ; dorsal sepal incurved, whitish, flushed and veined with apple-green, lower sepal small, green ; petals white flushed with pale green and marked with lines and dots of purple, the ends reflexed and lined with hairs on both upper and lower edge ; lip green flushed with brown. This beautiful hybrid has been raised by Messrs. Pitcher and Manda, of Short Hills, New Jersey, U.S.A., and is named by them in honour of F. A. Constable, of New York City.— W. H. G. liselia albida varieties. — I have received from " T. 0." several forms of this beautiful old plant, which has now been grown in our gardens for about sixty years. It is astonishing what a quan- tity of this species has been imported from Mexico, 7(J THE GARDEN [January 28, 1893. for it never has been, and it is not now a plant that is retained long under cultivation. Four of the flowers sent represent good forms of the typical plant, which is always charming. No. 1 is the va- riety bella, which has the sepals and petals of a soft rose, becoming deeper at the tips, the lip wholly deep rose. No. (J is the variety sulphurea, the flowers being pale yellow. This species, although so well known and so long cultivated, does not last above three or four years in our collections, so that the finer varieties are soon lost. — W. SHORT NOTES.— ORCHIDS. Laelia superbiens (dark var.) (D. JI7.).— This is a vory good form of this plant, hut inferior to the fine form called Quesneliana, grown in the collection of Mr. Gaskell, of Liverpool. Yours is a very dark form of the typical plant and is flowering very early. The flowers, too, last a considerable time in full beauty. — G. Aeranthes grandifiorus.— This plant is nicely in flower with Mr. Seeger at Dulwich, and it proves to be a much better plant than I had given it credit for, producing a succession of blooms, which are very sweet and creamy white. This genus comes very near to Angraecum. If the flowers of this plant had a tak- ing colour, they would have many admirers. It is a native of Madagascar. — W. H. 6. Dendrobiuni Cassiope. — This fine hybrid ap- pears to be flowering very freely with Mr. Cypher, of the Queen's Koad Nursery, Cheltenham, judging by the quantities of blooms sent me. It is one of the most beautiful kinds that I know. It is a cross be- tween D. japonicum and D. nobile albiflorum, the blooms, which are of good size, being pure white, sav- ing the dark maroon blotch at the base of the lip. — W. Phalaenopsis Sohilleriana splendens (.7. i/.).— This is a grand vai-iety of tuia beautiful spe- cies. You say there are a dozen blooms on the spike, but I think I have seen this same variety carrying more flowers when Mr. R. Warner had his fine lot of plants at Broomfield Lodge some twenty.two or twenty-three years ago. I am very glad you have taken the Moth Orchids in hand, and shall be glad to hear from you occasionally respecting them.— W. H. G. Ferns. FERN NOTES. Old PL.^nts versus youxi: ones. — When one compares the small or decorative stamp of plants as grown by the trade with those of a similar character to be usually seen in private establishments, there is a great disparity in the two as it relates to the f reshne.ss of the growth, speaking in a general way. This failing, me- thinks, results from two distinct causes. One of these may very fairly be designated the " avoidable," wliilst the other, in contradis- tinction, can be suitably termed the " unavoid- able.'' I wUl deal with the avoidable first. Gardeners in private places are at times given to the mistake of retaining their plants too long. I mean by this that, instead of casting aside a plant when it has either become ex- hausted or is too large for its purposes, it is retained, to manifest disadvantage. If the plant from any cause has lost vigour and is so weakened as to need considerable nursing to bring it round, then I say it is better not to wa.ste time over it, but to look to a younger stock to supply its place. Instead of doing this, however, the old plant is, even if ever so shabby, still kept on with hopes of complete recovery in due time. The room now-a-days in nearly all cases is far too valuable to counte- nance this mode of procedure. Shabby or half-starved plants are no ornament, whilst they occupy space and time also. Thus, for ini-tance, to grow on a young stock of the decorative species of the Pterises, the Davallias, and the Aspleniums is much Ijetter than retaining the same number when they have attained to the limit of size in any given case. Healthy and growing plants are much to be preferred to starved and stunted ones. Then, too, there is the matter of room, the larger plants occupying valualjle space, yet oftentimes not so useful or so ornamental as smaller ones. The overcrowding in itself being injurious to all soon makes a bad matter a worse one. The moral of this is to always have a few plants of a kind coming on to supply the places of those that are losing their attractiveness. In doing this one need not fear if an old plant or two is killed at times through hard usage in a cooler house or in unsuitable positions. There [ is to my mind a deal more pleasure to be had in plant culture by growing on a young stock than there is in retaining such in a healthy state when the limits as to size are reached. When there only happens to be one or a few at the least of tial ; whilst on the other, quite the opposite is the case. This difficulty is furthermore added to by the construction of the houses in which the plants are grown. In this the trade grower has the decided advantage as houses are now built, the contrast between the average run of plant houses in private establishments and those devoted to trade purposes being so palpable as to convince all that have any prac- tical knowledge of their construction. In private gardens where the houses are old ones, their construction is oftentimes such as to render the cultivation of small or medium-sized plants almost an impossibility. It must not, then, in such cases be wondered at if gardeners cannot produce such satisfactory results as their more fortunate brethren in the trade. For instance, the beautifully compact, neat and useful plants of the Pteris fatnily, as grown in nurseries, could hardly be got with twice the ingenuity devoted to their cul- Italian garden at Mr. H. H. Hunnewell's, Wellesley, Mass., U.S. America. An example of modern and ugly clipping of trees of naturally good form. (See p. 01.) any given kind, each one has, of course, to be kept for further increase. In most cases of Fern propagation, .speaking of kinds best known and most useful, the increase by means of spores, by division or offsets is comparatively easy ; as it relates, however, to the increase by means of spores, sufficient advantage is not at all times taken by gardeners to keep up a stock of young plants to succeed others. In dealing with the other aspect of the ques- tion, " the unavoidable," it must be borne in mind that plant culture of any description is rendered very much easier where such large numbers of any one given kind are grown as to lay claim to a house exclusively to one species, or to such collectively as thrive well under the same conditions. This it is hardly ever possible to do in a private garden, hence the large trade grower has always in this matter a clear advan- tage. One's difficulties are considerably in- creased in growing in one house several plants whose special needs are widely divergent. Mois- ture and shade on the one hand may be essen- ture in a private garden. The growth in the latter would be in most cases more attenuated, giving the idea that the fault lay in the treat- ment alone. What refers to the Pteris does also to many of the Adiantums and to the Gymnogrammas ; it is next to impossible to get the same results in one case as in the other. In private gardens it will oftentimes pay to grow small Ferns in heated pits where they can be got close to the glass rather than keep them at that stage amongst other and larger plants. This I have seen done with good results in more than one case ; shelves also, where possible, might be made use of to the same ends. In the case of those who grow largely to supply the market, the object is to have the plants as good as they can possibly be got in small pots. To effect this some growers feed the plants to such a degree, that when they do change hands there must soon follow a decline in the healthy look of the plants. Rather than buy the most vigorous- looking plants, I would prefer those which Januauy 28, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 77 have a hardy look about them, even if they be not of sucli a deep green shade or with such large fronds. The more natural the treatnient has been, the better will be the results after- wards. PoooiA. Notes of the Week. Narcissus monopliyllus ia a lovoly plant, auj whfii in \ii;in its cjTnmmcement to end oj IS'. '2, forty hro tots, price, cloth, IM \i :. "Gardanlng lUastPatsa" Honthly PaT-ts. — r.it» journal is published in neatly bound Monthly Parti, ii which form it is most suitable for reference previous to the isiAt of ihe yearly volurms. Price 5d.; poitfree, 8d, "Fa?m atH Home" Monthly Pa.vls.—lhit journal is publishii in ne.itly bouni Monthly Parts, in which form it it most suitable for referenee previous to the ilsu; of the yearly vo'.umes. Price 5i.', post free, 8 i. •'Hapdy Flowers." — Giving descriptions of upwards r, thirteen hundreil of the most ornamental species, with dirsctijns for their arrangement, culture, Jcc. Fifth and Populcr Bdition, ls.;postfnally, I have never yet been in a iinsitiun to cut this to an un- limited exteut, and very many otlier gardeners, professional or otherwise, are in the same pre- dicament. A mixture of good garden soil and the best fresh loam (fibrous or otherwise), mor- tar rubbisli, with small brick ends or smaller pieces of stone retained, wood aslies, charred soil and rubbish, and a liberal sprinkling of half-inch bones, would form both a congenial and lasting compost, such as would long grow Grapes to perfection. Even the bones can be dispensed with, though I should always prefer to mix a G inch potf ul of these with every bushel of compost. Nor are large borders indispensable. A small border, raised or otherwise, and pro- perly managed may suit the Vines better than those of much greater extent and in whicli the roots are not nearly so much under control. Some of the bsst (irxpes I ever cut were from Vines tliat had their roots in a raised inside border 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep, and in this they had hien confined for six years previous. I need hardly add that they were kept well sup- plied with water, liijuid manure and nianurial top-dressings, more depending on these than anytliiug else. All this is mentioned in order to show that if a border cannot be constructed on the usual lines, it may lie formed in a le.ss common manner and in a diti'ereut position to that generally assigned it. Succulents are becoming quite the rage among amateurs, there being as many as four houses in this locality largely or wholly de- voted to them. One of the first to collect this class of plants found that they thrived admir- ably in a house the roof of which was lightly covered with (irape Mnes. The shade afl'orded by the latter during the summer did not prove in the least detrimental to the succulents, nor were the latter injured by the maintenance of a n oister atnophtre than is generally thought desirable for them, but which is very necessary to Grape Vines during their growing season. Succulents naturally thrive best in a dry atmosphere, but do not object to the opposite if not over-watered at the roots. In the autumn, or when the Grapes are ripening and ripe, a circulation of dry air must be kept up, if nece.ssary with the aid of fire-heat, this also suiting the succulents better than any other class of plants growing under similar circumstances. During the winter, or while the Vines are resting, a temperature ranging from 45° to 50", accompanied by a dry atmo- sphere, does not hurt them, and appears to suit the succulents well. Let the owners, therefore, of succulent houses thinly cover the roofs of these with Black Hamburgh or other varieties of a similar accommodating habit, and the grate- ful shade afibrded by these, to say nothing of the luscious fruit, will add greatly to the attrac- tion and enjoyment of the house, more especially in the case of the least enthusiastic admirers of the quaint slow -growing succulents. Potting sheds or houses are places where one would scarcely expect to find Grapes growing and fruiting in a very satisfactory manner, yet there was a time when I could point to a potting house in which there was a strong Vine growing in each corner. The varieties were Black Ham- burgh, Madresfield Court, Buckland Sweet- water, and Foster's Seedling, and all produced Grapes equal to anything grown under more favourable conditions on the same place. As a matter of course the roof was glazed and the head room ample, and the question I have often asked is, why should those who plan potting sheds or houses make these so low and dark ? Glass is one of the cheapest coverings for a roof, and ought always to bo used on potting sheds in preference to tiles or slates. It may be urL,'ed that there are too much dust aiul such like in potting houses for these to be suitable for Grai)e culture : but why should there be? Conservatories with very high roofs and any glazed witli rolled glass are not well adapted for Grape culture, but these, as a rule, are only found adjoining the mansions of the wealtliier cla.sses who can atibrd to provide the requisite number of vineries proper. When wo consider the case of the less wealthy occupiers of private places and amateurs generally the case is very difiereut. Instead of clothing the pillars and roofs of small conservatories and greenhouses that are kept gay during the greater part of the year with inferior climbers or starvelings, why not try what can be done with a few or several Grape Vines f These would obviate the use of blinds and prove both ornamental and useful. A single strong Vine, if need be, would soon spread thinly over a roof, the main rod being trained along the front wall plate of the house, and rods taken up the roof from this at 5-feet intervals, or wherever the rafters occur. I readily admit that very few really good ex- amples of conservatory Grape culture are to be met with, but this is largely due to ,so few making an intalligent attempt. The sunny roofs of verandahs might hi .similarly clothed with advantage, the common Sweetwater being the best variety for the purpose. At Cranmore Hall, Shepton Mal'et, a fully glazed corridor is principally devoted to Orange trees in tubs, while on the high roof overhead are trained several rods of Lady Downe's and other Grapes, wliich when I saw them several years ago were carrying good crops. Grapes and Peaches succeed well together, always provided one is not allowed to uuduly shade the other. Supposing the rods of the former are trained about 0 feet apart up the rcofs, Peach and Xectarine trees again.st the high back walls of lean-to houses might thrive and produce heavy crops of good fruit for many years in succession, but they would eventually fail to do so if the rods were grown more closely together and allowed to extend the full length of the rafters. It would be more satisfactory to utilise front semi-circular trellises and the back walls of three-quarter span-roofed houses for Peach and Nectarine culture, and to train a Vine to three wires strained along the ridge at about 18 inclies from the glass. Grand crops of Grapes, Peaches and Nectarines were for many years and probably still are annually pro- duced in a long Peach house at Ashton Court, Bristol, the Vines being trained along the ridge only. M. H. Pear Marie Louise.— Although this is a grand Pear on walls, and perhaps in some favoured locality in a genial soil it may succeed in the open as a bush or pyramid, to recommend it indis- criminately for any garden, especially in a limited collection of forl.s, is wrong. Until two yeais since I had several trees of it growing, at first in pyramidal form ; afterwards they were allowed to extend their branches until they could hardly be cal'ed of that shape, assuming more of the freely growing bush tree. During the whole of the twelve years they occupied the ground I never once gathered a decent fruit from any of the trees. li cannot be said that it was owing to any defect in culture, but .'•imply a matter of unsuitableness to this particular soil. The trees generally grew fairly well during the summer, but much of the current Tear's growth was injured by the following winter's frost. Not only were the roots kept near the surface, but some of the trees were lifted and planted on the tops of the natural level, mounds being made about them to cover the roots but all to no purpose. When they were at last destroyed they were fully l.i feet high. On an east wall 1 annually have good crops of fruit of fair size and quility, although not large. The trees on this site make moderately strong growth, and the foliage is very healthy. In the open the trees are a decided failure, owing mainly, 1 think, to the cold state of the soil during the winter and spring, the growth made the preceding summer i ot l;eirg sulliciently matured to withstand the frost of the succeeding winter. — E. M. VINES MIXED IN VINERIES. I HAVE read with great interest the notes by "W. I." in The Garden of January 21 (p. .53) on the aliove subject, and in the following notes have detniled my own exferienca. In gardens of moderate extent it is the ru"e ratlier than other- wise to see the vineries occupied with mixed va- rieties. Muscat of Alexandria is, parhaps, the variety which receives the most attention as re- gards a separate house, and rightly so. I have seen many very tine examples of this Grape cut from Vines in August which were growing along with such sorts as Mill Hill and Black Hamburgh, Buckland Sweetwater, Trentham Black and White Frontignan. Four miles from where I write this occurred last year, and so good were the examples of this Grape, thtt they wore awarde 1 the Oar- dc'iierx' Miiijn:i)ic medal for any kind of fruit that exhibited the highest cultural skill. The Vines in question are not less than 20 years old. I attri- bute the success attained to a common .sense method of mrmging the growth of the Vines, as to stopping the shoots and allowing as much folia2;e to exist as can be thoroughly matured instead of being so overcrowded as to render it useless for supplying the wants of the Vine. Abundance of heat was available at the most critical periods of growth, the vinery being situated in a garden which is well shelterel from north and easterly winds, a fact which is most essential where this Grape has to be ripened in August, which is early for this variety. I mention these facts rather at length to prove that it is possible even to cultivate this variety in a mi.xed house with success. In the vinery in question Black Hamburgh isalso grown successfully ; so much so, that bunches annually take first prizes at local shows in July. From the foregoing it may be assumed that I advocate the planting of Muscat of Alexandria along with other varieties but I do not. All I say is that where there is no choice if situation and convenience I prefer to have a rod of this — the best of Grapes — along with others rather than be without it. I have for years grown Madresfield Court in mixed houses both early and late, and with con- siderable success ; indeed, I have only twice seen a whole house devoted to i'. The bes' example of this method of cultivating the variety was at The Vineyard, Garston. The Vine was originally planted by Mr. Meredith. It soon occupied the whole of one small house, and so well did it succeed, that the adjoining comparlment was added. As fine as the Grapes were resulting from this particular Vine, I have many times teen iimch superior e.t- amplcs cut from Vines in mixed houses both early and late. There is no occasion whatever to fear the cracking of the berries where the Vines are planted in mixed houses, whether the borders are all inside or the reverse, or, indeed, if they are on the cimbinatinn principle of half in and half out. The point to observe is to maintain a good lateral growth with a due regard to the atmospheric con- dition of the inside of the vinery. Although so many persons fail to colour really well fairly large bunches of Gros Colman, some of the liest examples of this Grape I have seen came from a mi.xed house, Muscat of Alexandria being one of the sorts grown along with the Gros Colman. Foster's Seedling is one of the most accommodating of white Grapes with regard to planting it in a mixed or a house to itself. Alicante will both colour and ripen with the least trouble of any srrt black or white. The finest sight in Grape culture that I THE GARDEN. [FiBHuARY 4, 1893 have ever seen with one variety was in the case of Alicante. It was at Roubaix, in the north of Francs, at tlie establishment of M Cor.lonnier. The vinery in question was span-roofed, both the crop and the colour of the berries being marvel- lous. The foliage, too, was in that stage when changing to the deep yellow which it assumes pre- piratory to falling in the autumn. In the la'e vinery here we have one rod of Mrs. Pince, the berries of which seldom fail to colour fairly well. In the same house, growing alongside this variety, are such as Laly Downe's, Trebbiano, Gros Guil- laume, Gros Colman, Madresfield Court and Bla"k Hamburgh. The two List were planted with a view t) continuing the Grape supply through Sep- tember after thoie in another house were ex- hausted in August. E. M. EFFECT? OF GRVFTINCx OX GR.4.PE5. AVh.vteve'.i may be the opinion as to tlie effect of irraftin^ as regards other subjests, I think it must be admitted that in the case of Grapes there is very often a change for the better. In the majority of instances no special stocks are planted for the sake of their being re- worked with other varieties, as grafting generally is the outcome of wishing to change the exist- ing varieties from what was intended at the time of pl.antiug Gr.ifting is of use in many w.iys ; the while cliar.iBter of healthy Vines "rowing in a suitable border may be altered without the trouble of pulling out the border and replanting Of the varieties adapted for grafting, the old Black Hamburgh and the Muscar of Alexandria are those generally operated upon. Not that the quality of the latter can be improved upon by any other variety which may bo worked upon it, but it is valuable as a stock, for such as Grrs Guil- laume, the benefits of which union were recently pointed out by Mr. J. Day. This variety is often disappointing by its refusal to show a sufficiency of bunches. It is only by exporimen's of this nature that we are likely to find out the causes which will lead to the best results being obtained. A gardener of my acquaintance found out quite by accident that Gros Maroc was vastly improved by its uuiou with Madresfield Court. The best coloured Lady Downe's I have ever seen were from rods grafted on the old West's St. Peter's. The fault of the Madresfield Court when grown on its own roots is that after the first few years it becomes weaker. The bunches are smaller, although they may colour admir- ably. Now to obviate this want of strength, I have so far had good results by grafting on young and vigorous Black Hamburghs. In fact, as far as strength is concsrned, they even outvie their neighbours, the Black Hamburghs. Some people are of the opinion that this extra vigour would have a tendency to cause the berries to crack, but this I never fear, as I have long since found out that no extra increase of sip force cau'ies this which is entirely brought about by atmospheric influence. Madresfield Court grafted on Foster's White Seedling will not succeed at all. The reason I think why some grafted Vines lack strength is because the scion is spliced to the stock at the bottom of the rod, and no attempt is made to check the rising sap into the parent rod. It will take readily enough, but the after growth is very slow, and in the end it lacks strength. The best results are always to be had when the young rod is vigorous from the first, and this can only be obtained by checking the rod it is to be grafted on. Some people leave the parent rod to perfect a crop of Grapes, or until they think the scion is larg^ enough to bear. If such is depended upon, I am afraid the operation will not be considered successful. Some people object to grafting, thinking that a better union takes place by what is termed inarching. I am not at all averse to grafting, as I think a stronger and earlier rod is so obtained. In either c;i,se it depends upon whether the operation is successful, although with inarching when carefully per- formed a union is sure to take place, and this neatly and perfectly. When I intend grafting a Vine I make preparations also for in- arching if the former should not be successful by inserting a few eyes as early in the season as possible so as to get a suitable scion, or, better still, by having cut-l)ack pot Vines ready. A Vine which is to be grafted should have been par- tially headed back ere this, although in a late house it is not too late now if care is taken to dre-ss the wound over with styptic. The Vine should be headed down to within three or four spurs where it is intended to insert the graft, which should be about 2 feet from the surface of the border and on the main stem. The grafts or scions should now be heeled in in the open borders, the aim being to keep them as backward as possible, as it they should happen to ba laid in within the structure very likely they would start in advance of the stock, when, of course, no union would take place. The scions must also be perfectly straight, especially wliere they will have to be placed in contact with the stock, as unless the bark of the scion is placed ininunediate contact with the inner bark of the stock no union can take place. The grafts maybe soon brought to the desired state when the stocks are ready. The stocks .are in a suitable condition for grafting after the shoots have grown about 7 inches or 8 inches. I have been the most successful by what is termed bottle- grafting. Y. A. H. extend so as to occupy neatly all the soil, it will be found best to let the fruit trees, or, as they mny perhaps more correctly be called, bushes, have all the space, the manuring and annual forking bein^ coirtinued as before. Some people tay these dwarf trees cannot produce crops equal to large stan- dards, but my contention is that by no other plan can so much really marketable fruit per acre be grown. Three hundred good bush trees on an acre of land woulrl yield more bushels of first-cla=s fruit than 100 large standards at 20 feet apart. Gooseberries and Currants at G feet apart in full sunshine will yield crops a'together superior to what they do in semi-darkness, and my experience is that if they will not pay for good culture and liberal root-feeding, they had better be left out altogether. James Gkoom. Gosport. FRUIT TREES T'. FRUIT BUSHES. The orthodrx way of arranging fruit gardens is to have rows of standard and dwarf fiuit trees with rows of fruit bushes between them. As a rule, they get on pretty wt 11 together for the first few years, but by the time the fruit trees get to what should be their prime, they are prematurely ex- hausted, and not only in growth, but in smnll and scabby fruit they show unmistakable signs of starvation. The simple fact is that Currmts and Gooseberries are such gross feeders and strong rooters, that they w 11 weaken almost any kind of fruit tree. Hundred-i of acres of fruit gardens are spoilt by this luixed kind of planiing, for neither the fruit from the trees nor that from the bushes comes to perfection. In de:ding with such or- chard.*, the first thing I should do would be at this time of year to grub up all the bush fruits, as they would be useless for transplanting after they had been planted a dozen years, burn them in the open spaces and scatter the ashes over the roots of the trees, then give a good dressing of manure. Be- fore forking it in, see that the centres of all the trees are cleared of usele-s, spray-like, half- ripened wood, as the fruit that will be fit for market will be borne on the outer branches of the trees. If any insect pests are established on the bark, paint it with soft soap and paraffin oil, and if Moss grows on the stems, dust with freshly- slaked lime when the branches are damp, then lightly fork the manure into the soil and le ive the surface bare. In arranging fruit gardens I s-hould adopt a diffe- rent plan altogether, for I would have each sort of fruit" iiy itself, so that its roots would have the allotted .'pace. Apple-:, Pears, Plums, Cherries or Damsons would be planted as bushes about 12 feet apart each way, and for the first ten years light crops of vegetables, rows of Violets, Wall- flowers or any hanly market Dowers could be grown between the trees. Aft'r the bushes begin to THE GOOSEBERRY CATERPILLAR. When speaking to cottagers and allotment-holders on the culture of bush fruits, especially of the Gooseberry, I hear constantly melancholy accounts of the ravages made by the Gooseberry caterpillar. If it be true thit the Gooseberry has fewer enemies or pests to contend with than most fruits, it can be said that the caterpillar is a host in itself, so completely does it denude the trees of leaves when it gets the upper Innd, and when this occurs while the fiuit is maturing it does not ripen, but drops off prematurely, vvii lit he additional result that a certain amount of vigour is lost by the trees. One great preventive lies in the destruction of the caterpillars when I hey are active. Entomologi.'-ts tell us that the cVerpillar descends to the earth in the au'umn, burying itself within .a few inches of the stem of the tree vn which it had b?en feeding, becomes changed to a chrysalis, where it remains until the following spring, when the chrysalis ch u'ees to a fly, and the female deposits its eggs on the undersides of the leaves. With the saw-lik3 appendages with which the insect Is provided the fe.-nales commence cutting into the leaves and stalks and in the opening deposit thiir eggs. The cultivator of Gooseberries notices small specks and warts upon the undersides of the leaves; they are readilv perceived, and in these lie the cause of so much mischief. If the leaves could be picked off as soon as these spots .are perceived much of the d.amage done to the trees might be prevented. The larvre are hatched in about seven or eight days, and commence feeding upon thT leaf, which is speedily anatomised. The cater- pillars, i' ceasing in size, frequently change their skin until they are about three-quarters of an inch in lenzth. Caa anything be done while the chrysalis is in the soil? One cultivator re- moved the soil about each plant during the winter, doing so t") the depth of about 4 inches and to a riiameter of some 2 feet, and in doing so, manyof the chrysalides were captured. This soil was bulled to a great depth or burned and fresh soil added, which proved a useful fertiliser. This pro- cess was carried out about every second or third year with decided success. The broods of caterpillars appear successiocally, but generally in June, and sometimes in July and August. Many remedies have been suggested, such as hand-picking, dusting the trees with lime, placing a layer of lime under the trees and shaking the caterpillars on it, syringing the trees in the evening, sprinkling the foliage with salt or soot and with finely powdered sulphur. Another remedy frequently adopted is that of tlusting the bushes with white hellebore powder as soon .as the first caterpillar puts in an appearance. This remedy is pretty much a question of expense, but as it is said a pound of the powder can be purchased for a few shillings, and that this quantity is sufficient for fifty bushes, those who have experimented with the powder say there is scarcely a neces- sity for a second application. The bushes should be dusted with the powder during dry weather, or rain will quickly wash it off and destroy its effi- cacy. All traces of the powder should be carefully washed off the berries before they are eaten. February 4, 1893 ] THE GARDEN. 85 I was recently informed by a grower of Goose- berries that he made a point of allowing: a hen and chickens, as soon as possible after the latter were hatched, to have the run of his Gooseberry planta- tions, and with great advantnge too, for they gathered un large quantities of the larvie. As soon as the chickens began to attack the fruit the hen is cooped. A liranch of Furze placed in the centre of a Gooseberry bush is said to be a good preven- lire of thi-i pest. Has any reader of The G.\kuen tried this plan ? K- D. GOt^D L.\.TE KEEPING GR.\PES. The only way to keep up a supplj' of Grapes is to grow sorts that keep well in houses exclu- sively devoted to them when they are ripe. For general purposes the Black Hamburgh is still our best Grape ; but, unfortunately, its best season is over before Christmas, although good examples of it are frequently preserved even later than that. That is only so, however, under exceptionally favourable circumstances, and as we Lave not all got Grape rooms, it follows that a Grape that, with careful ventila- tion and a dry atmosphere, will keep on the Vine is what the majority of cultivators require. For this purpose (of keepmg) high temperatures are not required ; only a little warmth in the pipes is needed — just enough to make the atmosphere light and buoyant. I have tried most of the kinds of Grapes worth growing, and have proved over and over again that the following may be relied on to keep well until the end of February or early in ISIarch (provided they were well ripened in autumn) even without a widely known as others — Prince Albert, Lord Derby, Bismarck, and Hoary Morning- being very conspicuous, and the large and highly-coloured \ ^SBBtKt s^i^pl^^ 0^ such choice dessert ) S^^^^M fruit iis Cox's, Adams' Pear- main, the Melon, and Cornish Aromatic. Two exceptionally good dish es of Annie Eli zabet h were shown. What is the general experience of this Apple ? There is no question as to its handsome appearance and keeping qualities, but personally I cannot say much for it as a cropper. A few pyramids now nine viars jjlanted have never Carried a full crop. I believe it has a similar reputation to ihe Blenheim, that one has to wait a long time for thoroughly good results. Ore of the most sti iking fruits exhibited was that bearing the name of Blue Pearmain, a large Apple of good flavour and exceptionally fine ap- pearance. It is said to crop well, and should prove a \aUiable dessert fruit. There were few interested in fruit culture who did not make a special note of this variety, with the idea of adding it to their collection at no distant date. It is certainly a veritable King of Pearmains. Valuable, how- ever, as such exhibits as the one under consideration are, the question arises whether it is advisable to retain year after year varieties of inferior meiit either from a quality or size stand- point. For instance, why retain sorts of tliird size either for dessert or kitchen purposes when large fruit of equal merit is obtainable, or sorts in old orchans whose only good point is their free cropping qualities? I write rather feelingly on this topic, having had on two occa- sions to take over old orchards that contained a number of worthless varieties. I particularly remember noling a row of fine trees to which I paid a considerable amount of attent'oa through the winter, to find when the fruit was ready that my labour had been spent on what was little better than an ordinary cider Apple. Unlci-s required for special purposes, I question if the number of varieties in most places might not very well be reduced by one half. E. Bukrei.l. Claremuiit. Training Apple trees.— Although much may be done towarus the formation of busli trees by judicious pruning, yet some varieties owing to their manner of growth cannot be l)roui;ht into perfect form simply by pruning. Take lor instance 86 THE GARDEN. [Februaly 4, 1893. those varieties of upright growth, such as Annie Elizabeth, Waltham Abbey Seedling, Baumann's Ked Keinette, Cockle Pippin and Golden Spire. If a little time were spent annually in training the main branches in an outward direction, not only would the shape of the trees be improved, but much benefit would accrue by the admission of a greater amount of sun and air to the body of the tree. Without a thorough maturation of the shoots every year it is not possible to have fruit of the best quality. A handy man can very quickly go over a number of bush trees, adding much to their appearance as well as their utility. If a stout stake is thrust into the foil at about 15 inches or so from the stem of the tree, it will not damage the roots to any appreciable degree. The lower branches should te drawn down and made secure by the aid of a piece of stout tar cord to the stake. The point to observe is not to bend the branch too low for fear of its splitting from the main stem. In no case should the point be brought lower than a horizontal position, but seldom indeed will even this be required unless the tree is very full of branches, and in that case it may be an advantage to remove some of the weaker ones entirely, admitting more space for better branches. The age and size of the tree will of course guide the operator. In cases of bushes from four to si.x years eld, about four or si.t stakes to each will be sufficient. These need not be as a rule left more than 2 feet^ out of the ground. If there are other branches in the body of the tree that seem to need assistance in this way, instead of adding more stakes a longer piece of tar cord fastened (o the existing stakes will generally suffice.— E. M. PEACH CULTURE FOR PROFIT. "Y. A. H." (p. 18 The G.vrde.n) is a very fortunate individual, but I .should like to know in what market he has "invariably obtained high prices." Not in Covent Garden surely, as it so, his e.xperience is in remarkable contrast to that of the London market growers of the present day. I do not wonder that " Y. A. H. s " friend.s have "expressed surprise" at such returns as lOs. to 153. per doz. for outdoor Peaches. If such prices could be assured, it would pay to build walls expressly for profitable Peach culture. At an average price of Is. per Peach, 100 yards of w.all well managed would be a tine source of revenue. " Y. A. H." s,iys, " Of course gluts will oc3ur in the supply." I am sorry to say that they are more the rule than the exception now-adays. As long as I cin remember, there have been glutted markets, and at the.-ie times of repletion the prices necessarily drop to a very low point, thus considerably lowering the average for the season. I have seen Peaches sold in May for 30s. per dozen, and 1 have known them sold for .'^s. per dozen, well-grown fruit sent to market in the best possible con- dition. This was of course later in the season, but the disparity in price shows how little high prices can be depended on, taking the se.ason through and one year with another. The demand for high class, expensive fruit is limited, and, according to my exp2rience, has not kept pace with increased production. The con- sumption of fruit grown under glass is infinitely greater than was the case twenty years ago, but this has been brought about by such reduc- tions in price that admit of its purchase by people who could or would not have bought at the prices which formerly prevailed. Tlfe pro- duction of fruit being so much greater than a few years since, first-class samples are neces- sarily more plentiful, and consepiently cannot so easily be disposed of at good prices. The abundance of really good fruit ofi'ered now at low rates has made the sale of extra fine samples at high prices very difficult. I was lately shown some magnificent bunches of Gros Colman (irape in a fruiterer's shop in Covent Garden. I was assured that a few years ago they would not have remained three hours there ; whereas now if they were disposed of in the course of a week it would be good work. How does " Y. A. H." reconcile the as.sertion that "Peaches and Nectarines make as much as they ever did " with the statement that they are not sent into market in such quantities as formerly, the reason probably being that growers are disappointed with the returns .' It is perfectly correct that the returns are fre- quently unsatisfactory, but not because the fruit is badly grown or not sent to market in good condition. Men who have been growing Peaches for profit for a quarter of a century or more are not likely to be deficient in the know- ledge of how to grow and pack their fruit. One has but to look through the Central Avenue in the month of May or June to be able to form an estimate of the quality of market Peaches. There will be found Peaches which in size, colour, and perfection of condi- tion leave nothing to be desired, and yet the growers will tell you that they realise from oO to 50 per cent, less than a few years ago. It would indeed be strange if the Peach grower had escaped the general fate. The amount of glass devoted to fruit culture for profit has increased so wonderfully during the last few years, that prices cannot be maintained at their former level, and now the English Peach grower has to contend with foreign imports which threaten to cripple him. It is the opinion of the Covent (iarden .salesmen that Peaches from the Cape will bring prices down to so low a point, that Peach forcing in this country will soon become extinct. J. C. B. MAKING THE MOST OIT THE FRUIT GARDEN. The regratting of trees in a garden requires to be carried out on rather different lines than in farm orcliards, especially as regards varieties, as good dessert Apples for home consumption, or those kinds that combine dessert and cooking properties, should be the desideratum. Amongst these as strong growers suitable for large trees may be mentioned Rel Astrachan, King of the Pippins, Royal (or Herefordshire) Pearmain, Peasgood's Nonsuch, and Lord Derbr, and there will probably be one or more good local sorts worth increasing. I may say that, next to planting dwarf trees on the Paradise stock, the quickest way to get a supply of Blenheim Orange is to graft on large trees, a fair crop the fourth or fifth year being by no means rare. If sufficient grafts are not available, one half or a portion of a tree may be grafted and the remain- ing part the following se.ason. When the grafts send up very strong shoots these should be thinned, cutting aw.ay the inner growth down to the graft and the remainder will be more secure from high winds, the thinnings making capital material for scions. Ep.aliers which are unsatisfactory may be cut down to the lower branches, and grafts in- serted along the whole length. These are capital stocks for the best dessert kinds (of which we can never have too many), such as Beauty of Bath, Golden Pippin, Cox's Orange Pippin, Royal Pear- main, Blenheim Orange, &c. A variety may be properly pla?ed in the gar- den or home paddock which we could not recommend fi r the farm orchard or for market, fine quility not necessarily meaning market value. As nn instance I will mention Royal Peaimain. This Apple, which is, unfortunately, rather devoid of colour, realises about half as much as the attractive King of Pippins with its wax-like appea'-ance and rich colour, yet the quaMty and flavour of the former are altogether superior. We want a good supply of such fruit as will tempt one to eat. To the lover of a good Apple L'ox's Orange Pippin is delicious, and anyone accus- tomed to such fruit will not cire for American productions. How often have I entered a first-cla's 'ruiterer's shop as'iing for good eatirg Apples, to find them, if not uneatable, to say the least by no means pleasant to the palate. I am forming an arch over the centre walk of my garden with various kinds of Apples and Pears. Espaliers and pyramids have been allowed to grow high for this purpose. As I have material at hand the expense will be small. Light iion supports are placed at every 2 yards and wires stretched 1 foot apa:t over the whole length. With refere.-.ce to Pears, it is astonishing with what foice the sap will flow, the scions put on even an old Pear tree forming large boughs in a few years. Jargonelle takes well, but does best against a wall. It frequently happens that a wall Pear tree bears well near the extremities of the branches, but it is barren near the cei.tre. In that case insert a few grafts, low down near the trunk, of some other free-bearing variety. A low wall or fence which does not give rcom for larger fruit can well be utilised by planting Gooseberries a yard apart each side; even in the shale or under trees will do. When these are brought to bang over the wall little more attention will be required, except shortening the annual shoots to within 3 inches or ti inches of the wall, allowing the growth to extend above if you like. 'The long green kinds a'e most suiiable for this purpose; they areof very straggling growth and make poor bushes, but soon go ahead on a wall or supported in any way. Give plenty of liquid manure, soo^, or some oiher stimulant, and thin out three-fourths of the crop as first earlies, leaving the remainder to swell into fine fruit. Trained up wires in any situation the Gooseberry answers well as a summer screen to hide any objsctiJLable object, being profitable as well as u-eful. To form a fence (and why shoulel we be confined to unpro- ductive fences .') Whinham's Industry is first-rate, being a strong upright grower. Stretch a few wires across up to 0 feet high, plant the bushes 1| feet apart, and in a few years you will have abund- ance of early green Gooseberries and a good bar- rier against poultry, &c. Whinham's Industry is the most profitable variety we can grow, being hardy, early, and very prolific. It will withstand frost better and form large bushes sooner th m the older favourites. I have noticed a branch 7.| feet long on quite a young bush. B. W. Bbavbn. llolmcr, llL'Tcforcl. STARTING NEWLY-PLANTED VINES. L.\ST week I p'anted some Vines. There are six old Vines in the same house, and as I am anxious to hurry oa these latter, I am thinking of com- mencing to light fires. Would I do any harm to those lately planted by doing so 7 All the Vires are planted in the outside border. - Inquikee, *f* There is no reason why " Inquirer " should not start his vinery at once. He must not, however, maintain high temperatures, or the top growth will soon be far in advance of root-action, ow- in" to the coklness of the outside borders, the conse- quence being the probable loss of many embryo bunches on the old rods and the premature harden- ing of the young growth on the newly planted Vmes. Stored-up food is usually sufficient to sup- port the young growth up to the time the leaves ate well develope.l, but if by then the roots have not commenced forming fresh fibres there will be a seiious check. In this case the leaves will fail to quickly assume a rich green colour, some of the bunches very probably running to tendrils, the crop in any c :se suffering. In the case of newly- planted Vines the roots of which have of necessity or from choice been shaken out and somewhat damaged, the effect of their failing to keep pace with the top growth is even more marked. A strong first top-growth may be made, but in the inter\al between the first and second rush of sap this may harden to such an extent as to fail to swell away again properly the same season. Therefore, I strongly a-lvise " Inquirer " to commence with a Febrda^y I, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 87 night temperature not exceeding 55°, and if ripe Grapes are not wanted before the middle or end of June, o° less would be even better. During warm or sunny days ttie heat may be increased about UV, closing early and syiinging freely so as to create a wa-iii moisture-laden atmosphere, such as causes Vines to break strongly and evenly. If the border or even the half nearest the house could be gently warmed from the surface by means of a mild hotbed of leaves and miinure, this would greatly hasten root-action and minimise all dan- gers resulting froai a too forward top growth. Es- pecially would the young A'ines pay for this treat- ment, and the least that can be done in their case is to ward oft" all snow water and heavy rains from the fresh soil in which they are planted. Newly- started young Vines are liable to bleed badly, es- pecially if the pruning Ins not long been done. Once bleeding starts there is no stopping it, and the best preventive measure is a timely dressing of all wounds with eiihcrstyptic or painter's knot- ting.—W. I. Strawberry Jolin Ruskin.— In answer to Mr. Leach (p. 52) re John Ruskin and Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, a small house was filled with these two about the first week in February. The plants were treated alike in every way, and were not removed out of the house. Fruit was picked and sent to table April 27 with the result men- tioned at p. 5t;7, John Ruskin being mildewed a little, none appearing on Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury. I threw Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury away in my last situation, but am pleased to see haw well it does here.— J. L.\.mbeut, Ponis Onsth; .V. mi Iff. Ferns. CIBOTIUMS. Must of these are native.s of such climes as readily render them fit .subjects for the cool house ferneries of this country. The majority of the species are Tree Ferns. One species, however, is not an erect plant. It is a native of South China and various islands. Cibotiums are of easy culture, requiring plenty of root room and good drainage, and for soil loarn and j)eat in about equal parts, the whole made fairly sandy. In the summer they like an abundance of water, and thrive best in the cool fernery. During the winter much less water is necessary, and the temperature should not fall below 50°. C. ScHlEDEt. — This plant, a native of Mexico, f'oes not make a stem higher than some 10 feet or 15 feet. A plant that I have known for about twenty years has only attained a height of about a foot, so that a speci men of I he size named must be very old. It is nevertheless one of the most beau- tiful Ferns in cultivation, the fronds often being 8 feet and 10 feet long, and from 2 feet to 4 feet in breadth. Tl ese are pendulous, the colour being pale green on the upper side, glaucous beneath. It is the most pendulous Fern I know, and for this re:ison it would be better if the stem were formed more quickly. C. BAnoMKTZ. — This, which has been grown in this country for about sixty years, has a woolly decumbent stem and fronds some 8 feet in length when at their full length. They are shining deep green and very glaucous beneath. It makes a very handsome specimen in a cool house. C. KEGALK. — This plant, introduced and put into commerce by M. Linden, makes an erect stem, and that more rapidly than the first species here re- ferred to, the crown being densely hairy. The fronds are very large, arching, and light green. C. Menziesi.— This plant is a native of the Sandwich Islands, and with some others was dis- covered by Menzies at the beginning of the present century. Since then the species of Cibotium in these islands have become scarce, through tlie collection of the chaffy hairs of the crowns which were sent away to California urder the name of Pulu where it was used for stuffing bed.s, pillows and chairs. This is a very li:indsome species, the croan of (he plant- being clothed with whitish woolly scales or hairs, the fronds being long and b'oad, tripiimate and bright shining green in colour. There are one or two other species, and all reciuiro the warmth of t'le stove to grow them .successfully. W. H. GoWEU. THE FERNERY. TriE time is now at hand when all Ferns will re- quire attention. Those planted out in rock fer- neries should be carefully gone through. A good many of the old fronds may b3 removed before the new ones have started. I do not like to take too many off until the plants have started into new growth, but if thinned out, the new fronds will have a better chance, besides which it is difficult to clean the pl.ants later on without damaging the tender young fronds ; this, of course, more par- ticularly applies to the denser-growing Adiantums and Plerises. Any of the vigorous-growing vaiieties which are likely to over-grow the choicer sorts should be taken out and replaced by younger plants, or in some cases the Ferns may be divided and roplanteil. When this is done, as much new compost should be used as possible. In re-arrang- ing the fernery, care should be taken to give those which 1 ava any coloured tints in the young fronds the most exposed positions. It will geneially be found that those with deep green fronds delight most in shady nooks; while those with red-tinted fronds thrive best when exposed to some sunlight, the tints also being brighter. All the Ferns which are not replanted should have some of the surface soil removed, replacing this with some fresh com- post. Many of the I'terises, Aspleniuras, &c , re- quire fresh compost at the base of the stems, for as they advance in growth they form a stem. The new roots come from the base of the fronds, and unless provision is made by adding new soil, or, in the case of pot plants, potting deeper, the young roots perish before they reach the soil. The Tree Ferns will derive much benefit by having some Sphagnum Moss bound round the stems. In the case of Lomarias, this is the only way to keep the plants in a vigorous and healthy condition. The Dicksonias, too, are much improved by this treat- ment. Sphagnum may also be used for the base of .Vsplenium nidus and any others which make those woolly-looking surface roots. Later on, when the plants are in active growth, a litt'e artificial fertiliser may be sprinkled over this Moss, but only in moderate quantities. Most Ferns are benefited by the application of a little manure while they are in a growing state, but it should never be used while they are dormant. I may here refer to the necessity of giving Ferns plenty of light. All the woodwork and glass of the fernery should be kept as clean as possible. Of all errors in the culture of Ferns, I consider the gieatest is the use of green glass, or grren shad- ing of any kind. Undoubtedly the green shade casts a hue over the foliage which hides some of the defects which would be seen in clear daylight ; but put plants which have been grown under the influence of this objectionable shading beside those which have been grown under clear glass, and the difference will at once be apparent. I should like to have the opinions of other practical growers on the subject of green shading for Ferns. A. Hemslet. Aspleniums.— Several of the Aspleniums may be recommended for winter use. Where plants aie required for indoor decoration the Aspleniums of the bulbiferum type will be found very service- able, provided the atmosphere is not very dry and the temperature does not fall below freezing point. A. laxum pumilum is one which may be particu- larly recommended, being one of the most elegant in appearance, of free growth, while stock may be obtained from the bulbils, though these are not so plentiful as in some species. A. biforme is an- other useful species. In a young state this is rather thin and straggling, but for larger speci- mens it is one of the best, and very prolific in bul- bils. As a small pl.ant A. Colensoi is serviceable, but rather more tender than some. A lucidum has fronds of groat substance, and will last in a room almost as well as the Aspidistras. The species does not produce bulbils, and spores do not germi- nate freely. A. flaccidum makes a fine basket Fern ; the long drooping fronds can only develop properly when the plant is suspended. Bulbils are produced in great quantities, and these develop into fair-.sizcd plants while on the p:ircnt and add to the appearance of the p'ant. The true form of A. bulbiferum may also be included in this list. The Aspleniums all like a peaty compost, and dur- ing the summer-time require more shade than the Pteris, ,to. The plants required for winter decora- tion m.iy be grown on through the suramrr in a moist, sh.idy position, and later on in the autumn they should have a drier place and plenty of light. If more attention were paid to hardening plants off there would be less cause for complaint about Ferns not lasting well indoors. This applies par- ticularly to Aspleniums, for though they un- doubtedly like a moist, and rather shady position while they are making growth, they will, if gradu- ally hardened off, last better than many Ferns.— F. H. Rose Garden. PRUNING ROSES. If any apology is needed for treating upon this subject thus early, it mu-t be that it is of liitle service to tender advice after the knife has once been among the plants iu such a ruthless manner as many still adopt. First of all, we must; bear in mind what the object of pruning Roses is. Ther-e is a considerable art in pruning Roses, and it needs a wide experience of such work if one is to secure the very best results. The peculiarities of each vai it ty, also whether quality or quantity of flower is to be the main object, or whether a medium result is wanted, all have to be considered. Among the numerous varieties of Roses now culti- vated there are some which bear scarcs-ly any pruning, while others need to be cut back hard if satisfactory results are to follow. I v/ill not touch upon Roses grown under glass, as in whatever temperature these may be growing, they should all have been pruned before the.e notes can appear. Then the lime of pruning must depend in a great measure upon the season, also the (!i-trict and situation that the Roses occupy. In the wa'iii southern counties like Devonshire, Dorset, and Cornwall, also those in the western part of England, such as Somersetshire and the southern portion of Wales, prunir^g may be done quite two to four weeks earlier than in the mid- lands and eastern counties ; while further north it would be a little later still. From these data my readers will discover that no hard and fast lines can be laid down. Indeed there aie few things in the cultivation of Roses that rosarians differ upcn so much as the time for and method of pruning. I propose to divide this paper into three sections, first treating upon the earliest flowering varieties like those of the China, Banksi.in, and Austrian Brier classes; next upon the Teas and Noisettes; and lastly, the Hybrid Perpetuals and Bourbi ns. The first of these classes contains Roses that need pruning in distinctly different wajs. The compact- <'rowing Chinas should have all of their weak wood removed, and the remaining growths cut back to about one-third of their original length. Weak growth will only produce a few inferior blooms, and these will be amply made up for by the better quality of those produced upon the stronger wood. The stronger -growing Banksians and Austrian Briers, on the other hand, will only need to have their shoots thinned out and the irrrmature points of the strongest removed. Although all three classes flower best upon the ripened growth of last season, the Banksians and Austrian Briers more particul-irly reed to be well ripened if a full crop 88 THE GARDEN. [Februabt 4, 1893. of bloom is to be'secured. A good time, one sea- son with anotfifer, for pruning these is the end of March. The Teas and Noisettes also need two different styles of ' pruning. The shorter the grower, the haj-dec it should be pruned. Such va- rieties as Anna,.Ollivier, Mme. Lam bard, Marie van HouJ.te, &c.,,iifiay be pruned similarly to that de- .scribe_d, .^(5r the Chinas; while Souvenir d'EIisc • Varddn, Comtesse de Nadaillac and others should be pruned closer. In the.-e classes, too, we find some extra strong growers like Mar&hal Niel, Mme. Berard and William Allen Richardson ; these need pruning in the same manner as the Bank- sians, but not quite so early, the middle of April being a good all-round time. But, as I have pre- viously remarked, this must be regulated somewhat by the season and locality. We now come to the Hybrid Perpetuals and Bourbons, and I will dismiss the latter class at once by saying they should be pruned rather harder than the medium-growing Teas and Noisettes. The Hybrid Perpetuals also contain weak, medium and extra strong growers. The two first need some- what hard pruning, but in the last, which contains such varieties as Mme. Gabriel Luizet, Magna Charta and others which make long flowerless shoots from their base, the older wood should be removed and full scope be allowed to the younger growths. These should be pegged down in as hoiizontal a position as possible, and will then flower throughout their whole length ; while at the same time plenty ot room will be left for more long growths, which will also spring from the base. Always cut back to a sound eye, and if possible let it have an outward direction. R. THE DATE FOR THE " ROSE DERBY." As prominently connected with the question of the date of the metropolitan exhibition of the National Rose Society now being so vigorously discussed in the gardening pnpers, may I be permitted to offer a few remarks and a friendly criticism. We must not individualise. It is not a question of what date suits Smith, Jones, or Brown. We must take a broader view than this. The case for the later date rests principally on these grounds: (1) The society c'aims to be " national." (2) The metropolilan show is the "Rose Derby" of the year. (3) The "Hose Derby" should be held at the height of the Rose season of all England; not a small part of it, for the society is "national." (4) Tlie " Rose Darby " this year is fixed for July 1. (5) Can eir-her July 1, 2, or 3 be considered the height of the Rose season? When is the height of the Rose season ? If the most popular date.'i, if the dates on which there is the greatest clashing of Rose shows be any criterion as to the height of the Rose season, then from a return based on the last eight years, July ,S and It are the most popular dates, more shows clashing on these dates than on any other, and, therefore, presumably the height of the Rose season. I have exhibited at erery "Rose Derby "from the first show held in the St. James' Hall in 1S77, and my experience leads me to the same conclusion, viz., that the height of the Rose season is July S and 11. Now for a litl le friendly criticism. What special advantages does Mr. Grahame possess whereby to form his opinion as to the height of the Rose season '.' Has he a lengthened experience 1 No ; his name first appears as a member of the National Rose Society in 1889. (2) Has he a large Rose garden, growing plants in different situations? No ; he describes his garden as " being of the most diminutive size." (3) Does he grow his Roses in sich a way as to lengthen his Rose season, cut- backs followed by maidens? No ; he says in refer- ence to maidens, " I have no room to try such ex- periments." (4) Does he visit, other than the two provincial shows of the N.R.S. in 1891 and 1S92, the Rose shows north of the Trent and so ascertain the high st.andard there attained in the latter half of July? No; he says in reference to attending these shows, " I am not anxious to compete out of myproper district." Herein, I think.lies the reason for the course he has taken. If liis" proper dis- trict" was less circumscribed, if he ventured once now and again to visit northern shows, he would know the strength of the north. He would know on whtit date the northerners are at their best. He would not class Messrs. Burch, of Peterboro', with "oiher northerners," seeing Peterboro' is 70 or 80 miles south of Worksop. He would know that the midlands, except in certain locilities, is the latest of all districts. He would know the Cants do not show north of the Trent "late in the season." He would know the grand displays of 72's exhibited at the late shows by Messrs. Hark- ness, Merryweather, Perkins, Dickson and Cocker. He would remember if he had been there the mag- nificent Charles Lefebvre exhibited by Mr. Machin last year on July 30, and when he knew all this he would desire to see such Roses exhibited at the " Rose Derby ' of the year. I am sure Mr. Grahame will take my criticism in good part ; a difference of opinion should not make us worse friends. But I cannot forbear speaking my mind when I observe him stating time after time that which I feel sure he would be the last to state we.e he not drawing upon his imagination rather than speaking from experience. Joseph H. Pemberton. NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY. The Northeun and Southebn Exhibition CoNTnovEiisy. I THINK those on the southern side may consider they distinctly scored by Mr. Machin's acknow- ledgment " that the metropolitan date at present best suits the majority of members of the N.R.S." This is a very important concession on his part, and it is what I have contended throughout, its import- ance being in the fact that if the present date in July suits the greatest number of our society's ex- hibitors, it must, as a matter of course, also almost assure us the very best show of Roses possible at the Crystal Palace— a matter of the utmost import- ance to the society itself, and also to those members who are not exhibitors. But I go even further than this, and hold that if the date be on or about Jidy 8 in an early year our metropolitan show may be a failure, because the northern members, who are under 20 per cent, of our subscribers, and half of them not exhibitors, could not possibly make up for the absence (which will be inevit ible in an early season) of the southern growers on light land. In order to prove that I have goo J reason foi making this statement, I will here give an extract from our oflicial report on the metropolitan exhi- bit;ions of 1887 and refer to that of 1889, these being the last two years when we had early seasons. The report ot committee for year 1887 (show having been held July 5, 1887) said :— The mftropolitan show was uearly as exten.sive as iu recent years, but the quality and size of the flowers, owing to the severe drought then prevailing, proved much hflow the average standard. In the report of committee for year 1889 it is stated that the Sheffield show on the 18th proved a poor one, " owing to the earliness of the season." Last year (1892) was said to have been a late season, but the Crystal Palace show on July 2 was by far the largest on record. The classes were very well filled and the competition keen. I know that in two out of five classes I entered iu there were thirteen competitors, and I think eight or nine in the other three classes, these numbers being ex- ceeded in others, showing that the date suited most rosarians. I am glad to hear that Mr. Michin thinks the date of the provincial show at Worksop will suit the rosaiiins in his district and be likely to attract a large attendance, but unless it be a very late seasoa the southerners are not likely to be in good form at that date. The question of the retention or otherwise of the Tea Rose show at the Drill Hall, Westminster, is o.ie that 1 must leave to others to discuss. I would myself prefer the money value given there in prizes being either transferred to the National Rose Society's provincial show for extra compe- tition— by which that show would be much improved and made more attractive to everyone — or that it be given later in the year to a new Rose meeting in London at the end of July or beginning of August, more especially for growers on late soil and large cultivators of maiden plants. The subject should be well thought out and some alternative plans prepared for discussion this autumn. ChAS. J. Grahamb. Croi/doii. Kose Her Majesty.— I believe this Rose to be better adapted for growing on a pillar than in any other form. I have one plant growing in this way. This was planted five years ago, and al- though there are better pillar Roses than this one, I get a greater number of flowers from it than I do from examples growing as bushes. As a piUar plant Her Majesty shows its perpetual character more than in any other form. I invariably get two or three flowers in the autumn. It must also be a very hardy Rose, for it stood uninjured through the past two winters, while on pillars each side of it climbing Bessie Johnson and Princess Louise Vic- toria were nearly killed. 1 1 is very clear that this Rose resents hard pruning. Hard cut-back plants may perhaps give one or two larger flowers, but there is a less number of them. The fact that this fine Rose is so subject to mildew, and that the growth is exceedingly stiff, makes the plants when grown as dwarfs anything but attractive. The best way to treat it is to well nourish the roots, and only cut the branches back sufficiently to bring the plants a little into shape. When it was first sent out I grew a plant under glass with its roots in a good border, but during the summer the growth was constantly white with mildew, so at the ecd of two years I rooted it out. — J. C. C. Garden Flora. PLATE 895. EVERLASTING PEAS. (with a COLOntED PLATE OF LATHYRUS GRANDI- FIJIKl'.S.*) The genus Lathyrus, which now includes Urobus and Platystylis, is a very large one, comprising, acc(jrding to some authorities, about 170 species, although Bentham in " Genera Plantarum" reduces the number to 100. These include a large number of annual species, very few of which are worthy a place iu the flower border, the be.st by far being the Sweet Pea (L. odoratus), uf which we have innumerable distinct and very beautiful varieties in our gar- dens. The section Orobus differs from Lathy- rus proper in the absence of tendrils. In the following notes we have confined our remarks entirely to the perennial Peas of a tall growing or twining character. L. rotuudifolius, Sib- thorpi, grandiflorus, latifolius, magellanicus, and tuberosus we consider the best selection, and if confined to three we should choose grandiflorus, latifolius, and rotuudifolius. They are all per- fectly hardy, and require no special attention when fairly started into growth. It is neces- sary, however, to see that they are staked as soon as they begin to grow, and it may be necessary to assist them in getting attached to the supports, whether stakes or trellis. They may thus be used with good efl'eot in mixed borders, and as they flower freely they are valuable for cutting from. Most of the species ripen seed freely, but all may be divided either in autumn or sjning. * Drawn for The Garden in the Iwiyal Ganl.'ns, Kow, Iiy t'hamiiinii .1 -s, Junr 20, 1892. Lithographed auj printed by Uuillaume Severeyns, 189? LATHYRUS G-RANDIFL' February 4, 1893.] THE GARDEN 89 L. GR-SN'DIFLORUS, as may be seen from the ac- companying coloured plate, is one of the choicest of Everlasting Peas. In many respects it resembles the Sweet Peas of our garden:^, but differs chieliy in having a perennial root, the stalks neither winged nor flattened, the leaves bro.adly oval, not lanceolate oval, the flower-stems shorter, and the flowers considerably larger. Its introduction is somewhat ob.-cure, the raisers believing that they received the seeds fiom Leghorn. It is certainly. however, a native of Europe. Italy, Sicily, and other parts of the Continent are given in botanical works as localities for this handsome Pea. It is ccrtiiinly one of the hardiest of the genus, and from its neat and extremely free flowering habit a very useful and attractive border plant. The stems are muchhr.mched, climbing, square, with some- what rounded angles not at all winged or hairy. The flowers are very like those of the Sweet Pea, but larger and of a brilliant bluish crimson. Ij. grand fiorus well dc-eres a place as a choice bor- der plant, and if a little pains be taken to train the plant early up branches or trellis-work, it forms a neat and very attractive object. L. i..\TiKof.ius is the Everlasting Pea of our cottage gardens, where it may be often seen cover- ing the doorways or trellis-work wiih its lovely large rose-coloured flowers. Its broad ample foliage yields a sweet fodder, and it has often been re- commended for this purpose, but as a field crop we believe it has proved a failure. There is a white- flowered variety in gardens. L. ensifolius is a va- riety with very narrow leaves and sm^tller flower.-^, and platyphylUis, a useful variety, differing from the type in its longer stalks and absence of reticu- lation in the seed-pods. L. .si"LVi:.-iTnis is infeiior to L. latifolius as a garden plant, but the variety Wagneri is largely grown on the Continent as loMer, and is, we be- lieve, higlly recommended. LoKU Ansjx'sPea (L. magellanicus) is the most beautiful of blue-flowered Peas in cultivation. In many gardens a particularly bright form of L. sativus will be found doing duty lor Lord Anson's Pea, which is a trae perennial, almost ever- green, glabrous and glaucou?, the stem and leaves being covered with a bluish bloom. It gro»-s from 8 feet to 5 feet high, the stems fur- rowed or triangular and woody. The flowers, many in a bunch, are of medium size, bright violet-blue with darker veins. Few plants of this class are more worthy of a place in the garden than Lord Ans. n's Pea, as much on account of its neat habit as the striking beauty of its flowers, which open in June and continue until the end of July. This species is said to have been originally introduced by the cook of H.M. ship Centnrion, commanded by Lord Anson, in ITU, and was cultivated by Philip Miller in the Botanic Garden at Chelsea. It appears, however, to have been lost shortly afterwards until re-introduced by the Royal Gar- deLs, Kew, a few years ago. Miller called it P. sum americauum, and both his account and that of Lamarck are imperfect, but there is little doubt of its identity, as the wild specimens gathered by Sir J. Banks and Solander differ from cultivated fpecimens only in being much smaller. It is nearly related to L. sessilifolius, a Chilian species. and, together with other species from Chili and our native L. pratensis, forms a distinct group. At the Fulham Nur.-eries in the early days it stODd the winter against a wall. It is a maritime species, and a little salt may help its growth under culti- vation. It ripens seed freely, by which means it can be readily increased, as it may also be by division. It is a native of Port Desire, in the Straits of Magellan, and is probably not hardy unless planted near a wall or t:ouse. L. PRATE.\.-5is (the Meadow Vetch) is a well- known plant in gardens. It is the Ramping Wild Vetch of Parkinson because of its being the "most pernicious herbe that can grow on the earth, killing and strangling corne or any other good herbe it shall grow by." It is common in moist meadows and is useful for damp shady places on the rockery or border, where its particularly bright golden yellow flowers are very attractive. It is excellent for banks, rooteiies and suchlike place-. L. ROTITNDIFOLIUS. — This very beautiful peren- nial Pea, though introduced in 1S22, was not no- ticed by Alton. It is the \i. miniatus of Stev. and pedunculaiis of Poir., and is certainly one of the most charming plants of its kind in cultivation. Its (lowers, produced in great abundance, for bril- liancy and de'.ioacy are unsurpassed by those of any other Pea known to us. It is a widely distri- buted species, and may bo variable both in habit and flowers. It is well known throughout Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and, according to Boissier, it extends to Northern Persia. The leaves are nearly round, and the flowers, which are produced in large clusters, are bright rose-pink, about an inch in diameter, and open in early June. The variety ellipticus is inferior to the type, the flowers being smaller, darker, and wii ha decided purple tinge. It appears to have been cultivated in the Birmingham Botanic Garden in 1831). L. Drummondi seems to be sy- nonymous with L. rotundifolius. L. SiHTHOKPi. — Although substantially little more than a variety of L. rotundifolius, it is dis- tinct enough for all garilen purposes. It is in fact intermediate between that species and L. latifolius, atid has not, so far as we know, been matched with any wild specimens. It has been in cultivation at Oxford Botanic Garden for many years, and is said to have been introduced by Sibthorp. Boissier in " Flora Orientalis " gives Constantinople as alocality (or L. rotundifolius, by which he may mean the form known as L. Sibthorpi, the true L. rotundi- folius being confined to the Caucasus and the Crimea. The stems are twining, broadly winged, the pair of leaflets oblong, about twice as long as broad, the stipules nairowish with large spurs, the numerous racemes of five to six flowers being of a beautiful mauve-red, fading to violet. It flowers a month earlier than L. rotundifolius, and may be increased by division or seed. L. TUHEEOSUS (the tuberous Vetchling) is a charming low-growing species, producing numerous flowers of a bright dark pink, it is found in many of our cornfields, and is cultivated in Holland for the tuberous roots, which are said to be edible. The tubers are about 2 inches long, broadest at the rcot end and tapering to the apex. It will be found a useful plant for the flower border, it being a true perennial, of neat habit, and very free flower- ing. Other .species are palustris, heterophyllus, and the charming maritimus, which is well worth a place among marsh-loving plants. D. K. The Week's Work. HARDY FRUITS. Raspberries. — It is not often that well-matured canes are injured by frosts, but they were badly crippled during last winter, and for this reason it has been advisable to defer the final thinning out, shortening and training till there is less likelihood of damage being done. It ii worthy of note that the canes of the tall-growing varieties and which were closely tied to a stout wire fence, suffered the most from the frosty w'nds experienced last winter, not a few of them being ruined outright and many more badly weakened. The same varie- ties bundled up to tall stakes were less afl'ected by frosts. All the same, the fence system of training is that most generally recommended and adopted. For the taller growers, such as Prince of Wales, Rivers' Hornet and S.iperlative, these being planted in rows not less than 5 feet apart, strong stakes of a similar height are neede 1, disposing these about 15 feet apart. A strong wire should be strained or light stakes be fastened along the top of these, and another one 2 feet lower down. To these the best-placed canes may be tied G inches apart, or, better still, be arranged 4 inches apart and shortenei to different lengths, only about half being left to the full height of the fence. Thus treated, there will be quite a perfect hedge of fruit, tiie fruiting shoots being produi-ed by the hardest pruned canes right down to the ground. When the clumps have each a strong stake given them, select about six of the best canes, shorten- ing these to different lengths, as advised in the case of those fence-tiained and for a similar reason. Such sturdy growers as Baumforth's Seedling, Fas- tolf and Carter's Prolific, if given good room— the rows being not less than 1 feet apart— really re- quire no supports of any kind. The canes should be freely thinned out and then shortened, the strongest to. a length of about '.'> feet and the rest to 2 feet or thereabouts. During the summer the heavily laden canes may spread out somewhat, but they never break down to the ground. NKWLY PLANTED RASPBERRIES. — In no Case ought these to be allowed to bear fruit this year. Unless the canes are cut down to within (! inches of the ground, the chances are no suckers will be thrown up, and it need hardly be added that there will then be no fruiting wood for the following season. Too often newly -planted canes are allowed to be.ar fruit the first season, and never recover from this senseless treatment. Nor is it always advisable to heavily crop any canes that may have been produced the first summer after planting. Unless exceptionally strong, the latter should be cut down to within IH inches of the ground, with the result that a few bunches of fruit and a very much stronger sucker growth will be obtained, those owning them being considerable gainers in the end by this treatment. Novices ought, perhaps, to be told that canes which have borne or at- tempted to bear fruit last season ought ere this to have been cleanly cut out, as these have done their work and are deael. AUTUMN-FEUITINCi RASPBBREIES. — Autumn crops are sometimes produced on extra stroiig early canes of the current season's growth, but in order to be more certain of this occuiring, the ripened canes now existing should be cut back to within (j inches of the ground. Baumforth's Seed- ling will frequently give both a summer and au- tumn crop without any cutting down being re- sorted to, but when the canes fruit the same season as formed, they cannot be depended on to fruit freely again the following summer. The October Red cut down now will not fail to give a good aritumn crop, and is quite worthless for summer fruiting. Manuring Raspberries. — Although Hasp- berries are apt to fail on cold and rather wet ground, they yet require plenty of moisture during the growing period. Nor ought they to be starved at the roots. A heavy mulching of strawy manure applied after the pruning and tying have been com- pleted will serve to conserve moisture, and the juices from it being washed down to the roots by spring rains will greatly stimulate a healthy, productive growth. Unless the beds are so mulched the chances are the fruit daring a moderately tlry season even will fail to s.vell to anything like its full size. On no account should any manure be dug in. Raspberries are essentially surface-rooting plants, and if either a fork or a spade is used between the rows large numbers of surface roots will be destroyed and much harm done. STR.iWBEREiES. — Sevc-re frosts without any snow on the ground have had the effect of greatly loosening the young Strawberry plants, and seeing that these require to be both firmly fixed and to have a rather so^id root run, something ought soon to be done to correct the looseness now apparent. When the ground is in a fairly dry state, or will not lift up badly when trampled upon, all small Strawberry plants should be refixed, a heavy rammer being better for the purpose than a man's foot, after which the surface of the bed ought to be lightly stirred with a Dutch hoe. A light mulching of short litter would effectually prevent any further loosening of the ground by frosts. On deeply-dug, loose soils Strawberries are apt to form more strong leaves than desirable, this usually being at the expense of the crops. It ought not to be possible to easily drive in an ordinary walking-stick to the full depth of the cultivated ground, but if it is, then ought steps to be taken towards making the ground firmer. The grounil not merely abjut the plants, but throughout the beds being heavily trarupled, tlii-i firming v.ill conduce to The formation of very many more 90 THE GARDEN. [February 4, 1893. root fibres and a far sturdier fiuitful habit of growth, the bunches of fruit being thrown out well beyond the leaves instead of being smothered by the latter, as heretofore. Where too much leafy growth is usually produced, there should be no surface manuring or mulching done as yet, but strong old clumps that are showing signs of ex- haustion may well shortly have a mulching of half -rotten manure. If this is deferred much longer the chances are the plants would derive no benefit from the manuring beyond being kept in a moist state; whereas the roots require some food washed down to them directly, or even before active growth commences. A good soaking of sewage water or other rather strong liquid manure given now or when there is no frost in the ground would not be wasted on old Strawberry beds. W. IGGULDBN. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Spring Cabbage. — These have evidently in some quarters had a decided check, the recent severe weather having left its mark, especially on those in a forward state. On some soils, especially those of a light description, the root-hold will have been greatly weakened by the upheaval of the soil caused by the frosts, and as this is much against the plants becoming quickly establiahed, the soil should be closed in about the stems. The root-hold being so loosened hoeing may be deferred for a short lime longer, but directly fresh growth is seen to be taking place, then is the time to encourage the crop as much as possible by giving a thorough hoeing, growth, weather permitting, taking place freely afterwards. A little guano and sootsprinkkd about the plants will greatly assist the growth, this being followed by another hoeing, the soil also being drawn up to the stems on each side. Nitrate of soda, if it is thought other assistance is needed, may be given a little later on. If there is the least tinge of blue in the foliage it is a sure sign that such assistance is needed, and the crop will be benefited accordingly both in quality and earliness. Plants left over in the autumn and pricked out come in useful for filling up gaps or forming an- other breadth for succession. More seed should be sown in heat either in a box of light soil or on a gentle hotbed, the latter for preference, as the little plants will grow ahead, and after being har- dened off may be planted out direct. Spinach. — This crop is greatly depended upon eluring the early months of the year. Taking it altogether, winter Spinach was good before the frosts came on, so with ordinary care it should now do well. The whole bed should be gently trodden over, pressing the foot against the plants so as to fix them thoroughly, afierwards lightly hoeing the surface. As soon as growth commences a little soot and guano will be beneficial. If the plants have been hard cut do not be in too great a hurry to pick eveiy leaf that forms, as it is this close picking which prevents the plant from being quickly re-established. The plants from the late sowing not having a deep root-hold will be sure to be considerably loosened, and if not made firm they will fail to become established. It will de- pend upon the weather whether seed may be sown now, but if the soil is in free working order a sow- ing should be made on a south border, this ensur- ing early germination. Large Onions. — If anyone desires the very large Onions as seen at exhibitions, the seeds will now have to be sown in pans or bo.xes wliich should be elhciently drained and filled firmly with soil. A gentle watering s-hould be given and the pans placed in a fairly warm pit or even on a gentle hotbed. Grow the seedlings on steadily near the glass, eventually potting otf singly into 3-inch pots, or if sown in boxes they m.ay be allowed to remain and be planted outdircct from the boxes after being hardened off. Thete Onions require well looking after and good cultui-e after they have been planted out. The autumn kinds may also be sown now thinly in boxes, to be planted out when large enough. These in the end will catch up those sown in the autumn, that is under good treatment. If by any chance the autumn sowing was neglected, the deficiency should now be made good in the way stated. Early Celery. — A row or two of very early Celery will prove acceptable in the majority of establishments, but unless it can be well cared for it may turn out useless in the end by running to seed, and this perhaps through a check received in its very earliest stages. To ensure this early Celery proving serviceable, a little seed should be sown thinly in a pan or box. The seeds should be sown as thinly as will enable each little plant to stand out by itself. If placed in a gentle heat the seeds will not be long in germinating. The seedlings should be grown on near the glass in the same temperature, and not be exposed to cold draughts in a cold house. Keep them well supplied with water-, afterwards placing in a cooler structure. Eventually prick them out into other boxes of rich soil, or even low frames where they will suc- ceed well. If kept well supplied with water and grown in a genial temperature, free-growing plants that will not bolt will result. A. Young. PLANT HOUSES. Potting bulp.s.— Amaryllis.— All needful work in the way of potting in the ease of the fine spring- flowering hybrids should be proceeded with at once. In some cases itis just possible that signs of activity have already manifested themselves. If, however, it is but little advanced, no harm will come to the young growth, which in the case of flowering bulbs will or at least should be the flower-spikes in advance of the foliage. In dealing with such it is advisable to be cautious, not resorting to the extreme measures of removing all the soil if it and the roots also are still in good condition. The large growers of these handsome bulbous plants make it a custom as a rule to entirely shake the bulbs out every spring when they have once had a resting period. This is done most success- fully without the slightest doubt, and can be gene- rally adopted where a sufficient number is being grown to allow of a compartment to themselves, so that the bulbs after potting can be plunged in a gentle bottom-heat to induce fresh root-action after the change of soil and the loss also of at least a few roots. When, however, a few dozen only are cultivated, it is hardly advisable in my opinion to shake them out entirely every spring. In such cases the bottom-heat accommodation cannot always be conveniently spared, without which after potting they will not start away so kindly. I cannot say that I am converted to the annual change of soil in every case ; hence I have given the foregoing opinion on the subject. One great mistake most undoubtedly is that of over- potting ; no greater blunder could hardly be made, save that of excessive watering, in the ordinary course of cultivation. Once over potted and the roots in a bad state as the result thereof, it will take a season or two to bring the bulbs round aga'n. When shaken out entirely, all the dead scales and unhealthy or dead roots can be removed effectually, but this is hardly needful every year. The soil I use for them is chiefly loam, and that as good as I can get it ; silver sand or road scrapings should also be added. If the loam is not of the very best a little peat should be added, being belter than leaf-soil for fear of wireworm in the latter. A small amount of cow manure that has been dried might be added to the loam as first advised, but rather than have any excess it had better be absent altogether. Those who have not this material at hand suitable for the purpose had better use a small amount of bone-meal instead. After potting, when no bottom-heat is employed, a sunny position upon a shelf with a temperature of about 55° at night, or at the most Ij0°, will suit them very well ; less than this will sufllce with a gentle bottom-heat. Watering must be performed with veiy great c.ae for some weeks ; in fact at all times this advice is applic- able. Young plants that have not thus far had any rest at all from the seedling stage should, if in need of a shift, have it given them at once. I have some in this state now which will be transferred as soon as possible from 3-inch into 4i-inch pots. Others in 2^-inch pots from seed sown last autumn will soon be fit for 3-inch pots, whilst flowering bulbs which have only had one rest will be partially shaken out and repotted, possibly giving from (J-inch to Si-inch pots in the case of the larger ones ; beyond this latter size even more discretion is needed. Gloxinias. — The most promising of these may now be shaken out and repotted ; the best in all probability will be those started the earliest last year. If tbe bulbs have been kept tolerably cool and not excessively dry, they wi 1 not be found shrivelled. Where, however, any do not handle firm they should be soaked in warm water before being potted afresh, this being altogether better than giving water directly afterwards to gain the same ends. Whin potted keep them well up to the light in an ordinary stove temperature. If stood under other plants that are being syringed they will receive more water than is good for them, whilst the growth in such cases becomes drawn at the very first, a circumstance that should be avoided. Failing room in the stove, a vinery shelf where the temperature is nearly about the same will suit them quite as well. Leaf soil may be used with these, or, failing that, some peat, good loam and sand forming about two-thirds to one- third of either peat or leaf soil. Pot firmly and keep the bulbs just buried in the soil to encour- age surface rooting as much as possible. Caladiu.m.s. — Where there is a good stock of these, a portion at least may now be started. Jf shaken out in the autumn, it is easy to see which are the best suited to starting now. Sm.all pots in comparison to the bulbs are better for starting them in than larger ones, even in the case of intended specimecs, it being an easy matter to put two or three together a'terwards. The soil should be as good as possible, although it need not be so fibrous as in the case of plants that make a more enduring growth. In addition (o loam and leaf soil, some horse droppings may le used or spent Mushroom-bed manure. I have found them to take kirdlyto the latter when I was growing specimens. The warmest place in the stove should be given them, with a little botlom- heafc if available. In the case of C. argyrites, it is just as well to defer starting for a few weeks yet. Miscellaneous bulbs.— Of these, Urceolim, aurea and Giiffinia hyacinthina should now be potted, treating them similarly to the Amaryllis in this respect, but keeping them a'terwards in the stove. Montbretias anti Tritonias should also be potttd up in good time where grown under this method, being afterwards kept quite cool, plung- ing over the surface of the pols in cocoa fibre being a very good plan. The latest of Gladiolus The Brii'e (G. Colvilli albus) shou'd now be potted, or they will suffer a check not easily got over afterwards. J. HUDSON. ORCHIDS. We have now arrived at the time of the year when it will be necessary to see that the shading is pre- pared. Some persons use the shading in winter, but I do not thiuk this is desirable, and have always recommtnderi it to be taken off to prevent its decaying. The shading material is well dr-ied before taking it down, and we keep it in a dry airy shed. A note is made of all the blinds that can be repaired, and alsoof those that must be renewed, and they should all be seen to before the middle of the present month. After the middle of February it will not be safe to leave the cool house un- shaded—that is if it is exposed to the sunshine. A lean-to house with a north aspect woulel not re- quire to be shaded for a month or six weeks later. Some persons are not in a hurry to get up (heir blinds, and in truth they are not much Leeded at first, but in early spring we have in the same day bright sunshine and keen frosty winds ; therefore, it is better on such days to use the blinds than to ad- mit air too freely to keep down the temperature to what ii thought the right thing for the season. Febrcary 4, 1893.] THE GARDEN 91 All our Orcliid houses are provided with laths fixed on iron standar.ls about 0 inches long; the laths run parallel with the rafters, and support the blinds above the glass, allowing the air to circulate freely between the blinds and the glass. This arrange- ment keeps the temperature much lower in summer than if the blinds were allowed to rest upon the glass. The shading for the cool house and the East India house might be a little thicker than that used for the Cattleyas. The Mexican Cattleyas and La-lias need the very thinnest of shading. Out- side lilinds and rollers that can rcac'ily be run up and down are the best. It is better to dispense with pulleys, which are liable to rust and s-tick fast. The blinds should be nailed to rollers at the end of which is a deeply grooved wheel. The cord in- tended to draw up and let down the blind is fi.Ked in the grooves. The wheel must project beyond the ends of the house. Some persons fix shad- ing inside the house, others pnint the glass with some kind of mixture, but all these permanent shadings have the serious objection of excluding the light in dull cloudy weather; whereas the movable shading is only used when it is actually needed. At midsummer it is much needed, but in March and April as well as in the autumn months there are days together when the shading is never used, a> d even in the early and late months when the wt at her is clear the blinds are not needed above four or five hours each day. It is not safe to ex- poFe any Orchids tco freely to sunlight early in the year, for they are rather sensitive after having parsed through a long period of rest, it not being po6s-it)le to air {rc^ly in winter, and for a week or so at a stretch they have had scarcely any light. Now, with the longer days, they will gradually be inured to bear the full amount of light. We have finished the surface-dressing of cool- house Orchids, and a few of them have been repotted, amongst them some Masdevallias of the M. Harrvana, M. A'eitchiana and M. ignea types. It is rather curious how the variety M. ignea superba grows out of the soil ; each new leaf produced grows more and more upward, and the plants require to be more deeply planted in the peat and Sphagnum at each time of repotting. This and next month all Odontoglossums, such as 0. crispum, O. gloriosum, O. hystrix.O. triumphans, O. Pescatorei and others of this type, should be re- potted if they need it, or are likely to need it. Spring or autumn is the best period, perhaps, to repot these Orchids, but I have repotted old-esta- blished plants and newly-imported ones in almost every month of the year with success. It is difti- cuU to make some people believe that the pots and drainnge material thould be sweet and clean if anything like permanent success in Orchid culture is to be obtained. New flower-pots should be soaked in water ten or twelve hours and be allowed to become quite dry before being again used. The smaller cool house Odontoglossums, such as 0. Rossi and 0. Cervantesi, may be planted in the small shallow pans now so much used, or in teak baskets, and be suspended near the roof glass. Since finishicg up the work in the cool house we have had work for some days amongst the Cat- tleyas and other plants in the Mexican house. Some persons can afford an entire large house for Cattleyas alone, but we grow nearly all Orchids requiring a Cattleya house temperature in thi- house, besides numbers of Ferns in variety and other ornamental folinged and flowering plants. To the Orchid fancier a house entirely set apart for his favourite plants is eminently satisfactory. They are interesting to him at rest and in growth, as well as when they are in flower; but for general purposes Orchids can be grown quita well with a collection of other plants, that is if they are kept clean. I have discarded several plants from the house because they are liable to be attacked by thrips. This parasite should be kept out of the Orchid houses at all costs. We I ave been dipping the entire stock of plants of Miltonla vex llaiit. This is more liable than any other occupant of the Cattleya house known to me to become infested with yellow thrip-. My plan is to dip the plants about oLce in six wetks o- two months as a pre- caution. Some of ti.e Milton'as are sh jwing their spikes. M. Roezli has also been attended to by dipping, and all the plants have been surface- dressed. Odontoglossum ciirosmum is now start- ing to grow, and the plants will need a fnir supply of water at the roots. They have been kept quite dry during winter, care being taken to give them enough water to prevent their shrivelling. It should be noted that with the growths the spikes also appear and they are very slender; instead of pushing upright they hang, if not supporteel, down- wards over the sides of the pots. In fact, they are much more effective when planted in teak baskets and the spikes allowed to hang down. J. Douglas. Stove and Greenhouse. THE TREE OR PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATION. Tube ourERPETUALi-LOWEitlNG Carnations re- quire good cultivation tobring them upto the stan- dard of excellence we tee in the best flowered plants, and such as were exhibited by Mr. Jennings, gar- dener to Mr. Leopold ile Rothschild, of Ascolt, Lei^hton Buzzard, at the Royal Horticultural So- ciety's meeting at Westminster on January 17 and on other occasions. Amateurs attend the meet- ings and see the plants exhibited, and think that all they have to d > is to order so many plants, and fancy that they also should have such in their gardens in due course. An amateur wrote me the other day inquiring what kind of house he ought to construct in which to grow his winter-flowering Cirnations. The form of the house is the first consideration, and all my experience shows that the span-roofed form is the best. The Carnation likes free ventila'ion on all sides, and no other house gives this so well as the span-roofed one. Light is also of much im- portance, for in winter we get all too little under the most favourable conditions, and the span- roofed house admits the largest proportion of light to the plants, exposing, as it does, the most glass surface. On the other hand, it requires more hot- water pipes to heat the same number of cubic feet of space in a span-roof than it does in a half-span or lean-to. This is a small matter, the first extra cost not being very much. Next to the span-roof, I prefer the half or three-quarter-span, and lastly the lean-to, and good winter-flowering Carnations can be grown in all of them. We have two span-roofed houses here, and both of them answer admirably for Carnations ; we have flowers of ihem all the year round. The length of the house dees not matter so much. Ours are 50 feet long; one of them is 12 feet wide and 9 feet from the floor-line to the apex of the roof. There are 2 feet of brickwork from the ground-line, and on the top of the biickwork comes the staging for the plants. The side sashes are 2 feet G inches, woodwork and gla's included. There are four rows of 4-inch pipes under the stages, which are 4 feet wide, and close to the glass roof, near the base of the rafters, are t(vo rows of inch pipes for hot water. When I say four rows of pipes under the stages, I mean two rows on each side. There is wtat is termed a lantern-roof, the top of which opens the entire lengih of the house all at once by a rod and lever. The side upright sashes open all together in the same way, and they can be opened to the smallest or their utmost extent. The larger house is 20 feet wide, with stages all round it and one in the centre. The glass upright sashes are 8 feet high, but all the arrangements are the same in other respects ; there are also six rows of 4 inch hot-water pipes. The houses have been well constructed of the best seasoned timber by a first-class firm of hothouse builders, a^.d have been no trouble to us whatsoever. It may be that such houses cost a little more at first, but they are the chenpest in the long run. We are just putting in our cuttings, and at this season of tf.e year it re- quires a frame or propagating house for them From the time the cuttings are rooted until the plants are in flower they should receive no c'-.eck to their growth, and it is here that the patient, careful cultiv.-itor has an advantage over the care- less man, for if checked in their growth at any lime they lose vigour and lequire time to legain it. The small side growths are slipped off, pl.anted in fine sandy soil, about a dozen of them in a 5-inch pot, and plunged in a gentle moist bottom-heat until they are rooted. Some varieties form roots more freely than others, and it is well not to put more than one variety into each flower-pot, for it is awkward to have one set with roots and the others in the cutting state at the same lime. As soon as it is seen roots are formed, the young plants should be placed on a shelf near the glass roof. Pot them off singly into small pots three or four days after and place them again in a po-ition near the roof glass for a week or ten days. They will be well established by that time and should be removed to the greenhouse, where air must not be admitted loo freely at first. Repot them when they need it, for if the young plants become pot-bound, this will be another check for them. I have before given full details of the culture of these plants, and can only say again that success depends entirely on careful attention to all the details of the work. For instance, when the plants are under glass, especially in heat, and where air is not freely admitted, they become infested with green fly, which does much ha'm to them if it is not carefully removed either by dipping the plants in soft soapy water or fumigat- ing them. The next point is to gradually inure the plants to stand first in an airy greenhouse, and after the middle of May in the open air. The plants sliouIJ remain in an open position outside until the middle of September, unless some of the flowers open by that time, when they should be placed under glass to cause them to develop better. A good deal depends on the quality of the potting soil ; it should neither be too light nor too heavy. We use good fibrous yellow loam mixed with decayed manure and a little brown fibrous peat ; leaf-mould and enough coarse sand should be added to keep the compost open. As soon as the plants are placed on the stages in the house it is better to fumigate them as a precau- tion. A temperature of about 50° to 55° as a minimum is the best for them, and the atmo-phere should be rather dry. Admit as much air as possible even on cold days. J. Douglas. The Cyrtanthuses are an interesting family of Cape bulbs, and at Kew C. carneus and C. lutescens may be seen in bloom. They are not ditticult to grow, and if the pale flesh and yellow- coloured flowers of C. carneus are not very attrac- tive, those of C. lutescens are remaikably pleasir g. They are of a rich yellow colour, tubular, iiiid borne freely on the stout stems. A few plants in pots make an attractive show in the Cape house during the winter months. C. carneus is of more robust character, the scape is taller, stouter, and the flowers are larger. It is not so useful and pleasing as C. lutescens. We see very little of such bulbs in English gardens, but they add much-needed variety to the cool house. Brownea Crawfordi is a feature of interest in the Palm house at Kew, where a specimen is in full bloom. It is a hybrid between B. grandiceps and B. macrophyllrt,and bears large compact heads of vivid scarlet flowers, so densely produced as to form quite a dense mass, the stamens protrudicg from the segments some distance. The Browneas are gorgeous plants in the stove by reason of the splendour of the flowers. They are allied to the Amherstias, the flowers of splendid colour an 1 size. Representatives of the family have been long in cultivation in English gardens ; _thus B. ccccinea was introduced as far back as l~'X^, and B grandiceps, one of the parents of the hybrid B. Crawfovili, in IHii'.i. Cyrtanthus carneus.— This plant is in flower in the T range at Kew. It belongs to the same sec'ionof the genus as C. obliquus, having large bulbs, bro.id strap shaped glaucous leaves, and a 92 THE GARDEN. [February 4, 1893. tall stout scape nearly 2 feet high, beaiing an elegant umbel of drooping urn-shaped flowers 2 inches long, and coloured pale ochreous red with a tinge of rose. It might be worth introducing- in quantity as a winter-flowering plant it only it would bloom more regularly than its beautiful, but shy- flowering ally, C ol)Uquus. It is a native of South Africa, the home of all the Cyrtanthi. There is a picture of it in Lindlej's Bvtuidcal Hef/htcr, t. 1462, which was prepared from a plant flowered at Chiswick in 1830. Capsicums, two good. — Berry-bearing plants are always useful, more especially during the autumn and winter. Having to provide a large quantity of material for decoration duiing the last five months of the year, I find Capsicums very useful. Having tried several kinds, I find Prince of Wales and Little Gem the most useful. These two are quite distinct in colour and habit. The former has bright yellow berries, and when well grown and strong on stems, say from 8 inches to 12 inches high, the effect is very good. Little Gem has bright red berries produced freely over a bushy plant. My custom is to sow seed in March, When strong enough the seedlings are potted olT, and when well rooted tliey are again removed into 4.^-inch and (j-inch pots. When full of roots the plants are kept well fed with manure water, and it is astonishing what fine plants can be grown in this way in these small pots. As the weather becomes colder they are removed to a warm house and used as wanted. I have now (January 21) some good plants that have been ornamental for four months past.— F. A. C. Reinwardtias. — So far as is known at present the genus Keinwardtia comprises three species, but it is with only two of them — R. trigyna and R. tetragyna — that horticulturists have to deal. The former was figured in the Botanical Maqazinc many years ago (plate 1100) under the name of Linum trigynum, by which title it is still, perhaps, better known than the correct one. The value of these two species is not only due to the beauty of their flowers, but more especially to the fact that they appear at a season when flowers are most needed, that is to say, throughout the winter. The flowers of tlie two species do not differ very much from each other, being in both instances about an inch and a half across, with five obovate petals of a bright yellow. In R. tetragyna they are, how- ever, of a perceptibly lighter shade. With regard to foliage and habit, they are very distinct. R. trigyna has a clear erect stem, bluntly oblong leaves, and the flowers are borne in the leaf-axils for a foot or more down from the ends of the branches. R. tetragyna, on the other hand, is somewhat spreading in habit and suckers from the ba=e ; the leaves, too, are lanceolate, pointed and serrated ; whilst the flowers are produced in a terminal cluster. Individually, the flowers are short-lived, but both species are remarkable for the number they produce, the succession being kept up for months. The best temperature for them at this time of year, when the flowers rapidly succeed each other, is an intermediate one, say averaging 55° Fahr. If this is not available, the warmest part of an ordinary greenhouse should be used. In the case of both plants we prefer to renew the stock annually. Cuttings should be made of the joung growth as early in spring as possible and kept growing in a genial intermediate temperature till summer, when they may be placed in a cool frame and given plenty of air and light. R. trigyna should )je carefully watered; if too much be given, the roots of the plants decay and the base of the stem gets loose in the pots. Red spider is the only troublesome insect, and it should be kept under by the syringe. As autumn advances the plants should be returned to their original quarters. The soil I use is a mixture of loam, leaf soil, a little peat and abundance of sand. A close heavy compost should be avoided.— B. Clivia miniata.— During the last few years a good deal more attention has been given to the improvement of this old garden plant than was formerly the case. Those who visited the Royal Horticultural Society's meetings last year had several opportunities of judging the newer varieties, some very fine forms having been exhibited by Messrs. Laing, Williams, and others. A good many named varieties have also been sent over by Belgian growers. But even in its original unim- proved form the species is one of the most bril- liantly coloured of warm greenhouse plants, and from the beginning of February up to April no garden with accommodation for its cultivation should be without its beautiful orange-scarlet trusses. It is a very easily grown plant, and one of the best for amateur cultivators. It should be potted in a rich open loamy soil, and whilst grow- ing, strong-rooted plants can hardly be overwatered. Towards the latter part of the year they should be kept on the dry side, but as soon as the new year arrives they should be kept moister, as the spikes then begin to push. The plant is well adapted for forcing, and by giving it stove heat and moisture it may be had in bloom a month or more before the normal time. I have grown the plant in a cool greenhouse with a winter temperature of 40° to 50°, but although it flowers it is nothing like so satisfac- tory as in a house say 10° higher. Like two other beautiful plants allied to it — Vallota purpurea and Agapanthus umbellatus — it is a native of South Africa.— W. B. Trees and Shrubs. CONIFERS IN WINTER. As nearly all our hardy conifers are evergreen in character, many of them present much the same appearance at all seasons of the year ; while, on the other hand, some assume such different tints in the winter to what they do during the summer months, tliat to the uninitiated it will be difficult to recognise the same individual if seen at diffe- rent seasons of the year. As a rule this feature is principally confined to the small or medium-grow- ing forms, though a few larger kinds must be in- cluded, most prominent among them being the red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and the Japanese Cryptomeria elegans. Some of the Biotas and their near allies, the Thujas, change a good deal during the winter, most prominent among them being the following : Biota elegantissima, a variety of the Chinese Arbor-vitic, which differs greatly from the type in being more fastigiate in growth and altogether a smaller-growing plant ; while the foliage, which is during the summer of a rich golden hue, changes in winter to a kind of bronzy orange, often with a suspicion of red. Individuals vary somewhat according to the position in which they are placed, but a sunny spot is the most favourable for depth of colouring, and when seen during the sunshine of a clear bright winter's day, a specimen of this is really very beautiful. The form so well known as the golden Arbor-vitai, a low, compact - growing variety, becomes suf- fused with brown during the winter, but is al- together wanting in the warm glowing colour of the preceding. Another Biota that changes con- siderably in colour is the variety meldensis, whofe ornamental qualities are, however, of no high order. It forms a somewhat upright, but loose, irregularly growing specimen, whose foliage at this season is of a reddish brown hue. The leaves of this are longer than in any of the other forms of Ar- bor-vi•a^, and this, combined with its winter garb, causes it to bear a certain amount of resemblance to the red Cedar ; in fact, it has been regarded as a hybrid between this last and the Chinese Arbor- vit.-e. It is, however, now, I believe, pretty gene- rally acknowledged to be a kind of juvenile or immature form of the Arbor-vita;, as cases of even large plants retaining their juvenile foli- age is by no means uncommon among coni- fers, especially in the case of some of the Relinosporas. Next to the Biotas come their western representatives, the Thujas, most of which become more or less brown during the winter, but the colouring is dull. There are, however, two varieties of the American Arbor-vitiu to which this last remark will not apply. They are 'Vervn'neana and lutea, this latter having during the summer the young shoots of a golden hue, which bfcomes bronzed in the winter; while in Vervajneana, which is a more compact growing plant, the golden yellow hue which it assumes during the growing season extends over the whole plant, and changes in winter to a warm brownish orange. The Retino- sporas include among their number one whose tint at this season is quite distinct; from any other. This is Retinospora ericoides, a small compact somewhat upriglit -growing shrub, seldom seen much more than ?• feet or 4 feet high. This, which is thickly furnished with rather long leaves, is deep green in summer, and becomes of a peculiar brownish purple in the winter. Though included in the genus Retinospora, this is now regarded as an undeveloped form of the Chinese Arbor-vitas, but it has been so long included in the Relino- sporas, that it will in all probability be generally known by that name. Criptomeria elegans is a very pretty conifer in the winter, and in fact at all seasons of the year, for it forms a very handsome specimen, whose foliage, which in summer is green, changes in winter to a kind of bronzy crimson with, when viewed from certain standpoints, at times a suspicion of pirple. The Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) varies very much in its winter tint, some individuals changing but little, while others become deeply suffused with brownish red. This is especially noticeable where numbers are grown from seed, it being often po.ssible to pick out many diverse forms. Among the recog- nised varieties there is one, Schotti, whose foliage during the growing season is of an unusually bright green, and it changes but little during the winter months. In the case of the Pines, Spruce and Silver Firs very little change in colour takes place in the winter, unless in the golden-leaved variety of the Scotch Fir, which wears its most attractive garb at that season. T. SOME TREE WILLOWS. Five years ago we planted a moist slope with Red Willows, and ever since then it has been a plea- sure to see them. In various lights of late the effect of these red Willows is the most beautiful thing in woods and plantations, containing many hardy trees. In the summer-time, when the deli- cate leaves partly obscure the red of the stems, the effect against the sky is often very beautiful. At present, also, the soft yellow Osier is charm- ing where in quantity, and even one Osier tree by the waterside will often form a picture. But where planted with judgment in some quantity, the effect will be charming. The rel Willow we refer to is sometimes called the cardinal Willow, and is, so far as we can ascertain, a variety of the Salix alba, which is also a noble tree, not so effec- tive in winter as the yellow or red Willow, but in summer remarkabl? interesting, and perhaps best of all for the marsh or waterside. When the gardener plants a Willow, it is gene- rally some curious thing with a mop head, like the American Weeping Willow. Country gentlemen should therefore take the Tree Willows under their own care, and plant them in bold groups and colonies here and there, by water or in wet, marshy and often useless places. A marshy place planted with underwood formed of the yellow or red Wil- low we have mentioned would be charmingly pic- turesque in winter— indeed at all times There is no dilBculty in getting any of these Willows by (he hundred or thousand, and they are very cheap. The red Willow is oftener seen in French nurseries, but we have seen something like it wild in Ireland. In any case the common yellow Osier should be planted. A red kind of 0.-.ier is often seen in Covent Garden, so that anybody getting a bundle of tree shoots would have all he wanted for pro- pagating. Generally, however, it is best to buy young trees, which should be very cheap. We find that in places which are much haunted by the rabbit, young Willows of these kinds go very rapidly, and that, planted by streams in meadows where there are cattle, they are more nibbleil down , so that in certain districts a little care may be wanted to protect them. But in the whole range of plant- ing, we know nothing give more satisfactory re- Fkbruaky 4, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 93 suits than these forms of our native 'Willow. There are Americrin and other European Willows that ought to be plante 1 with tliem, but i-prtainly nothins; we have seen is quite so good. We huve lately planted a considerable qiantity of the pretty grey dwarf Willow, called the Kosemary Willow, which is much seen in French gardens ; but though i's effect is distinct, it is not nearly so stately and free in growth as the ones we have mentioned. Another interesting point about some of the Willows we have mentioned, particularly the Osier, is their use for tying, which we are sorry to see often forgotten now. There used to be many things done in the country place and garden in which these Willow shoots were used for tyin^ and pack- to unfold its yellow flowers. The crimson-stemmed Dogwood and the Aconite create a chnrming con- trast. This reminds us how little the winter Ac. mite is used to good purpose in gardens. It should be planteJ freely as a surface covering to beds filled with other things, and has a remirk- ably pretty appearance at the base of standard Koses. Daphne Genkwa. — Although the proper flowering season out of doors of this Japanese shrub is March an 1 April, it may evidently by gentle forcing be used to good purpose for blooming in the greenhouse during January. It is very free-flowering and pretty, although its decorative value may by some be considered Lilies of tte Valley arranged loosely in a glass. ing, .'.nd now we notice wire, tarred twine .".nd other manuf-ictuied articles ia use instead — a niis- take, we think. Home-grown materials of this kind should gft the preference when, as in this ca'e, they are the better thing. We know nurseries where millions of young trees are sent away every month in winter, all securely tied with Willow. It is not one sort only that may he planted for this purpose, but there are probably in all half-a-dozen kinds which are useful for tying, in a'ldition to the common Osier. — FiiUI. Sibarian Dogwood is of note for the beauty of itsciimsrn srems ia winter. A group of this shrub on the outskirts cf the lawn is interesting throughout the winter, as the shoots are of a deep telling colour. We saw a mass of it rece.-tly in a Surrey garden, the hardy winter Aconite which covered the surface of the soil just commencing spoilt on account of the absence of foliage. The flowers are in clusters of two or three pairs, springing from every noie almost to the base of the la-t made shoots. The tute of the perianth is half an inch long and it measures about the same across the petals, which are four in number. The colour is a beautiful bright lilac, which has a very enlivening effect at this season, especially if the plants are backed by some cool Ferns or other greenery. Tne fragrance so charac'eris'ic of Daphnes belongs also to this species, and gives it an additional attraction. In the outdoor garden it should be grown on a wall, or be otherwise pro- tected during severe weather. It was brought from Japan by Fortune in 18GS. Juniperus rigida. — This Japanese species of Juniper need not be confounded with any other, for ic possesses several very distinctive features, and as a medium growing conifer for a sintle spe- cimen it is well suited. Its usual habit is to form a broadly pyramidal specimen, somewhat irregular in outline, owing to the principal branches varying a good deal in length. While the luain branches have a somewhat upright tendency, the whole of the branchlets and young shoots are strictly pen- dulous, thus imparting a very graceful feature to the specimen. The leaves are about half an inch long, rigid, and very sharp-pointed, so that a spe- cimen of it is almost as spiny as a Furze bush. The foliage of this is of a soft green tint, the young shoots being somewhat paler in hue than the rest of the plant. It changes but very little in colour during the winter months. This Juniper, which is perfectly ha'dy in England, was intro- duced from Japan in isiil by Mr. John Gould Veitoh. It stands pruning well, and cuttings of it are by no means d fficult to root.— T. LILIES OF THE VALLEY LOOSELY ARRANGED. Snii'i.iciTV ill arrangepioiit as it pcrtain.s to Bowt-rs is not nearly c-nough adoptt-d. Some would be horrified if they had to depend upon such a common thing as a tumbler wlierein to arrantro Lilies of the Valley. If, however the tumbler be a plain one and not too wide at the top, it will make an excellent receptacle for them. In its use there is one most essential advantage that often escapes notic9. It is that of being able to employ a good riuantity of water, without which it i^ next to impo.ssible to keep the spikes fre.sh for any length of time, more particularly in the case of foro d ones. These latter, having been brought on so rapidly, re- quire a deal of sustenance. When, therefore a good depth of water can be had, it i.s all the better for them, this being further improved upon by using the stems at full length. In the case of the forceil single crowns, it is even po.ssibletotake the crowns and a few roots also. Thus employed, there is every prospect of the spikes continuing much fre.sher than would otherwise be the case. If looked at in a sensible light, it will at onc3 bo seen that forced flowers of any kind require more water to keep them fresh than those which open in a natural manner. This, therefore, should be the aim of all who have to arrange forced flowers. An- other essential point to observe is not to ex- pose forced flowers to the draught. For in- stance, if stood near to an open window the inevitable must soon- follow as a matter cf course. When sending forced Lilies of the Valley any distance, the time taken in transit being sulhciently long to cau.se them to suffer by far the best plan is to tie them up in bunches t'a'itly, but not so much so as to injure the footstalks, and then to bind damji Moss around the stems, this afterwards being dipped iti tepid water before packing is finally completed. By taking these precautions the flowers will be found so much the fresher. It ought also to be said that it is not merely the time taken in transit, but there is also the time lo.st between arrival and arrangement, and that possibly after the flowers have been unpacked and then left exposed. I am led to make these remarks now as it is the season when more forced flowers are used than at any other time. It is simply waste all round to spoil flowers at such times after their production has cost considerable trouble to the gardener. As to the forcing of Lilies of the Valley, there are a few points that are more observed sometimes in their omis.sion than in their per- formance. These are the followint^ : In the case of single crowns, the crowns and the few roots attached to them are oftentimes left ex- posed, and thus they sutter considerably from becoming too dry, the future growth being 94 THE GARDEN. [February 4, 1893. consequently weaker ; then, after the spikes are well advanced with the bells showing col- our, it does not always occur to those in charge to give more air if they are in a pit, to stand out of bottom-heat if still plunged in it, or to remove to another house if needful, so that the flowers through opening rather slowly may bo possessed of greater substance, thus lasting longer in perfection. In order to bring the single crowns on rapidly and regu- larly, bottom-heat is decidedly an advantage. My plan has been to plunge in a fairly brisk heat, 80° or thereabouts, covering the pots and crowns with about an inch or so of cocoa fibre, which is kept continually moist. They should on no account be allowed to suffer from drought at any time from potting to cutting the spikes. When received and before jjotting, the crowns should, if at all dry, be allowed to lie in tepid water for a little time. This will assist in plumping them up. It is almost immaterial what soil is used ; well decomposed leaf-mould and some light loam will answer very nicely. From a dozen to twenty crowns will make a good potful when in flower. Failing the cocoa fibre, some fresh green Moss will answer. I prefer the former, however, as it lies closer to the crowns. If the requisite number to keep up a supply be introduced into heat once a week there will not be much fear of a break in the yield, some generally opening earlier than the others. The same plan of covering is also to be recommended for clumps when they are introduced a little later on, the reason being not only to conserve moisture, but to accelerate the growth of the flower-spike before the leaves get the ascendancy. Simplex. Orchids. AGANISIA CCERULEA. "J. E." sends me a newly imported specimen from the river Amazon asking its name and what treatment it requires. The plant I have little doubt is the beautiful species named above. It was found by Dr. Spruce en the Rio Negro, and appears to grow upon the bare stems of trees and to throw out roots very freely. These plajits have arrived home in capital condition, and I should fay in excellent time to become established, if not to flower this .season. To grow this Orchid .succe.s.sfully it requires to be kept in the moist part of the East India house, or, better still, to be grown with the Phahenopsis. It also enjoys an abundance of light, but during the hottest part of the day a thin shading must be used to prevent the sun's rays .scorching it. It has naturally a creeping stem, climbing and run- ning about over the stems and branches of the forest trees. Under cultivation it does best in a hanging ba.sket. It should have very little soil about its roots. In a natural state the trees that it grows upon are living, and the roots cling to and creep beneath the bark, so that there must be a great diflference between these and the bare blocks of dead wood upon which the majority of our Orchids are fas- tened. This plant must have a liberal quantity of water to its roots when growing, and there also should be a good amount of moisture in the atmosphere. This must be maintained, but in a less degree, all through the season. This plant has a creeping rhizome, from which pro- ceed many roots, and at intervals numerous somewhat Pear-shaped pseudo-bulbs, bearing usually a pair of leaves on the apex. The scape bears several flowers, each of which measures nearly i! inches across ; the sepals and petals pale lilac or blue, the lip bright brown. The flowers appear about the end of May. I have seen it in one or two collections, but not always looking so robust as it should do on account of the growers not being atten- tive enough to avoid the rapid evaporation of moisture which I before drew attention to. I have observed this plant thriving well in Sir Trevor Lawrence's collection, from which a plant was exhibited some two years ago at the Temple .show. VVm. Hugh Gower. DENDROBIUM AINSWORTHI AND ITS ALLIES. Hybkid Dexdbobiums do not as yet form a very important group from a horticultural standijoint, but the first place amongst them must without question be given to D. Ainsworthi and the two or three other hybiids which have subsequently been raised from the eume species. It was first raised in Dr. Ainsworth's garden near Manchester, the seed having been sown in 18G7, the first flowers appearing in 1874. Its parents are the two well- known species D. nobile and D. aureum (or hetero- carpum, as the latter is frequently called), and so ir-.termediate is it between the two, that it would I'e difficult to say which of them it most reseinbled. The flower.*, which are occasionally nearly 4 inches across, have whitish sepaU and petals, in some va- rieties tinged at the p'ints with rosy purple; the lip is also white or yellowish white at the margin, the centre marked with a blotch of reddish purple, from which spread numerous lines of the same colour. In the year 1S79 another hybrid, finer than D. Ainsworthi, flowered in Messrs. Veitch's nursery at Chelsea. Reichenbach named it Dendrobium splendidissimum. Its flowers, as a rule, are close upon 4 inches across, the sepals and petals being of a somewhat enamel-like wliite, but shaded with rosy purple at the tips. The lip is broader and larger altogether than that cf D. Ainsworthi, but the scheme of colour is the same, the purple on the disc, however, being much deeper and the marginal area of a yellower shade. The variety named grandiflorura has the largest flowers of any in this group of hybri'ls. Mr. ^eden's hy- brid was followed by a third, which flowered at Fallowfield in 1882, having been raised from the same species as the two previous ones by Mr. Swan. Although bearing a strong family resem- blance to D. splendidissimum, it was considered distinct enough to deserve a name of its own, viz.. D. Leechianum. The colour of the sepals and petals is the same as in D. splendidi.ssimum, but they are not so broad and are more pointed ; the lip, too, is more lobed. Although tie typical forms of these three hybrids are easily distin- guished, each one of them has varieties merging towards the others. During the early part of last year, for instance, some plants were exhibited at the Drill Hall, Westminster, which might as pro- perly have belonged to D. Leechianum as D. splen- didissimum. But to whatever place in the group they may belong, they are invaiiably beautiful, and there is no doubt that they represent some of the finest work of our Orchid hybridisers. The mere fact of the widespread culture of D. Ainsworthi is a conclusive proof of its garden value. In its amenafiility to cultivation it evidently inherits a good deal from D. nobile, for D. aureum, after a few years' cultivation, requires much more careful treatment to keep it up to the mark, D. Ainsworthi has itself been used for hybridis- ing both as a pollen and seed-bearing plant. In 1887 Sir Trevor Lawrence flowered two of its pro- geny, which had been raised by him from crosses with D. Findleyanum. The one in which D. Ains- worthi was the seed-bearer Reichenbach named D. chrysodiscus, and described it as a " lovelv thing." It was rather remarkable that in the re- verse cross, for which D. Ainsworthi supplied the pollen, the flowers did not differ materially from its own. In most hybrids where the characters of one parent predominate, it is as a rule those of the female. Other instances besides the present have, however, occurred to the contrary. The normal flowering season of the aureum-nobile group of hybrids extends from the beginning of January to the end of February, during which time it would be diflicult to point out a prettier Orchid than a well-grown and well flowered specimen of any of the group. B. SBORT NOTES.— ORCHIDS. Odontoglossum Edvirardi Klaboohorum (0. Unniii). — This 's a very good an J highly coloured form of this variety ; the flowers, although somewhat small, are numerous and deliciously scenteil, whilst the colour is all that could be desired, being deep violet-purple with a blotch of yellow on the lip. — W. Cypripedium Morganise.— This fine hybrid is now Howering for tlie first time with Mr. Oshorue. It IS from some seed sown many years ago when he was with Mr. Buelian, of Southampton. The flower was irqt open enough at the time of my visit, Irat it bids fair to be a very fine ropresentativo form. — W. H. G. Cypripedium Lathamianuni. ~ From Mr. Seeger, of Dulwicb, comes .a very tine variety of this hybrid, across between C. Spicerianum and C. villo- sum, tlie dorsal tepal being wliite, tinged with liglit green at the base, and having a dark chocolate line up the centre. The upper part of the petals is pale yellow at tlie base, l)ecoiniiig ijnite brown at the tips, the luwt'i- luilf paler yell'uv. — 'W . H. U. Lsslia anceps Williamsi.— J. Brown, of Ard- darroch, sends me a superb form of this. The plant has thirteen such flowers, which arc of the pure-e of the hey the time planting has to be done. I plant the first earlies out of doors, as n, rule, about the middle of March, and am enabled to dig new Potatoes by the end of May. The main crop I do not plant until the 1st of April, and perhaps a few dai. ercelsh, and the effect is as ugly as it is carious." .... "A drawing of the clipped alley at Melbourne exhibits one of the dangers of formal gardening, as the masses are not straight or vertical, but tumbling about. This sort of formal work must be kept absolutely formal, or it loses its special effect and charm." Heating greenhouses.— Perhaps one of the most common errors in the building of horticultu- ral structures is that connected with the boiler and piping, and because this or that house is only re- quired for such things as Roses, which do not need a great heat at any lime, the boiler and piping arc reduced (o a minimum and regarded as sufficient for main'aining a given temperature even during the most severe weather. It is just possible that they will do so when the test comes, but at what risk and at what cost is a point rarely discussed. It is, I owever, a most important point, affecting not only the boiler and the coke heap, but the stoker, and not least (he plants themselves. A house having four rows of 4-inch pipesdestinedfor Roses, Carnations, or plants requiring a similar heat, could be kept at 4.5° or 50° during severe weather, and suitable for the crops mentioned. But to maintain this temperature nothing short of con- ^tMntly driving the fire will suffice. This, of course, na'urally leads up to a very hot, dry, fiery heat being given off from the pipes, the worst possi- ble, not only under the circumstances suggested but for plants growing under any conditions. The atmosphere is most uncongenial for the plants themselves, and at the same time the most calculated to create and propagate red spider and other pests. It would be very different, how- ever, had the same sized house contained six rows of pipes instead of four, and, of course, a boiler slightly larger in proportion. This arrangement means a little more outlay in the first instance, but I believe the difference of cost would be more than met in the first severe winter, because such an ar- rangement would consume less fuel simply because all the h«at would be utilised instead of, as before, a great proportion passing away into space from the very fact that the damper must be very widely open. Inside the house the temperature would be much more congenial to plant life.— E. J. H. No doubt there will have been many com- plaints during the last year about gas bills where this has been used for greenhouse heating. The weather during the year 1892 has been most ex- ceptional. We expect in this district on an average about forty nights and twenty days below freezing point, when firing is necessary to prevent damage to plants in a cold greenhouse. Instead of this average there were eighty-seven nights and fifty days when the thermometer descended below freez- ing point, and twenty nights on which the tem- perature ranged from 20° to 11° Fahr. The dura- tion of the frost and the continuous very low temperatures recorded mean that the gas consump- tion in plant houses would be nearly treble the annual average. — T. Fletcher, Warrington. Anthracite coal and garden boilers — Has anyone usedanthraciteorsmokeless coal for heating garden boilers ? If so, with what success ? I have tried it, but found it of no use. the air current or draught entering the furnaces being insufficient to cause its combustion. That having failed, and to do away with a smoke nuisance in f he gardens here, it is proposed to remove the boilers (two) heating some 3000 feet of 4inch piping in our forcing houses to a site 50 or (JO yards distant from these houses. Will these boilers, augmented so as to meet the extra piping put on them by the lengthened underground pipes, heat these houses as efficiently as when the boilers were placed close to them? The reason of my asking is, that the water must lose a considerable amount of its heat before it gets to the most distant point of the underground pipes, that being about 100 yards from the boilers. — G. C. L. Growing Mistletoe.— A relative of mine, an authority on gardening and botany, says Mistletoe will grow on anything. My experience is not so wide, but I have seen it on the Black and Lom- bardy Poplars, on the True Service tree, and on the Sweet Chestnut, in the last case, however, only in Italy. — G. K. Trees overhanging garden.— A neighbour having planted some very tall Lombardy Poplars so close to my garden, that I have had to lop them, although they have only been planted a few weeks, I wish to know whether I can compel him to put Ihem further back, and, if fo, what distance? They are planted againt a parting wall 8 feet high, and the trees are about 7 feet above the wall. Eventually they will do my garden a con- siderable amount of harm by shading everything. There are about a dozen of these trees in all. I should be obliged to you for any information you could give me in your next issue of The Garden. -Subscriber. *,* You can call upon your neighbour to remove any overhanging branches, and if he does not do it, you can cut them off yourself. But you cannot prevent him from growing trees up to the edge of his boundary. — Ed. The weather in "West Herts.— The long frost of the present winter broke up on January 18, since which time there has scarcely been a single cold day or n'ght. As the ground had become frozen to the unusual depth of 15 inches, and the thaw proved at first a very gradual one, the temperature at 2 feet deep has taken nine days to rise from 35° to 40°, while at 1 foot deep it has, during the same nine days, been rising at the average rate of a degree a day, and now stands at 42°. During the past month the falls of rain and snow have been unusually frequent, but the total measurement is only about 2 inches, which is three quarters of an inch less than the average. There occurred fifteen days when no sunshine at all was recorded, but on the other hand on five days the sun was shining brightly from four to six hours a day.— E. M,, Bcrlkamsted. Effects of the winter.— I think that on the whole, plants, especially of the biennial character, have come through the winter very well. Un- doubtedly we had pretty well a month of severe frost off and on, and its persistency was very trying to some subjects, but the frost followed a spell of fairly dry weather, and when foliage and ground are both dry, the plants offer a better resistance to the frosts. It is when severe frost follows soft, mild rainy weather and everything is moist that great destruction is wrought. The reason appears to be that even in winter the tender vessels of plants are filled with sap, which ex- panding into ice at the time of frost, breaks them, and thus injures their whole internal organisation. But some plants have greater resisting powers than others, and the weak ones go to the wall. In travelling about the country one can perceive great destruction has been wi ought in cottage gardens among the Broccoli and Cauliflowers, but the hardier members of the Cabbage tribe, Kales, Savoys, &c., have stood remarkably well. The fact , is, the open heads of Cauliflower and Brcccoli form basins in which water lodges, with the result that acted upon by frost the plants perish. — R. D. RAINFALL IN 1892. CURRYGnANE HoUSE, LONGFORD. Number of days oo Month. Total depth. Greatest fall in wfiieh "01 24 hours. or more fell. Inches. Depth. Date. Jan. ... 1-21 -20 27 16 Feb. ... 1-74 -50 7 18 March ... 96 -37 14 6 April ... 108 -44 25 13 May ... 4-41 78 29 21 June ... 2-85 -(i? 1 17 Jnly .. .Sll 122 3 12 Aug. ... 761 191 7 21 Sept. ... 4 56 1-..6 1 '.2 Oct. ... 223 -53 14 19 Nov. ... 8-47 -35 17 2i Dec. ... 224 35 8 19 Total ... . M. \\'lLSO.v. 36 47 207 Growing Lavender— In The Garpen, Jan. 21 (p. 57), 1 notice a correspondent, C. W. Payne, asks about Lavender. If he will visit Fleet, Hants, by appointment, our Fleet director. Mr. H. Wigley, F.R.d.S., will meet Lim, and perhaps help him. — Charles Hicks. Removing Moss from lawn. — Would any reader kindly rccommeinl the best way to remove Moss Diul weeds from a lawn without breaking or otherwise disfiguring itp 1 have tried the chain harrow and soot, but without success. — W. C. Names of plants. — E. R. B. — Any of the London nurserymen will supply you. Corl Qotisdialk. — 1, Tillandsia splendens ; 2, T. psitlacina. — J. Earl. — 1, La?lia albida ; 2, Cyprifedium t'oxalli, poor variety; 3, C. venustum. Emma tichnficld.—i, Microlepia liirta cristafa ; 2. Asplenium Belangeri ; 3, Diplazum conchatum ; 4, Myriopteris elegans ; 5, Deimstsedtia Pavoni. J. F. — 1, Odontoglossum Edwardi ; 2, 0. Cervantesi decorum; 3, Dendrobium Hnguaeforme ; 4, Coelogyne spcciosa. if. B. J. — Conifers came with all the numbers off; send again.— — /. Scherborne. — Hermannia ahhseifolia. "The Garden" Monthly Parts— ThU journal « pud- lished in neatly bound Montkiy Parti. In this form the coloured plated are best preserved, and it is most suitable for reference previous to the issue of the half-yearly volumes. Price \s. 6d. ; post free, Is. 9d. Complete 3^t of volumex of Thk Garden JVOTH its commencement to end oj 18 '2,fart^ l"o lols., price, cloth, fail I2i. "Gardsnlni I!IustPil3l" Monthly Papts. — TAii journal is pujlishei in n'.ally bound Monthly Parlif in which form it is most suita'tle for reference previoits to the issue of the yearly volumes. Price 5d. ; po{t free, 8d. "Farm a-d Home" Mo.nttily Parts.— 3*i! jo'imiiis publishti in m tly bonnl Miilhly Part', in wt.<.c\ fom it ts most suita')le fj- referenze prei^ious to th: issu'. of the t/n.'-ly volumes. Price ftd.', pntt free. Si. ** Hardy Flowers." — Giving descriptions of upward* r, thirteen hv.ndr&i of the most ornamental species, with directi tns for their arrangement, culture, Ac. Fifth and Popular Edition, l.«.; vo-it fie'- Is. ^d "The Garden Annual' f ■ P WiZ.-Contains Alpha- betical Lists of all branches of the Horticultural Tra^le. The Lists 'f Gardens and Ctiinilrji Seats tcontaining over 9000J have been very carefully and fjtuinvely revisea, on,i are a/imittei- to be tlu mont roinvl^te erir pub i^h^d.. Frve Ik. . tv lu>itl.. 1«. ?d. All of our rtadiis who ore interested in the inip.overuenl oi cottage hones are inviied to hip vs to make Co.tage Gar- dening hiown. It is published at Ike very Uiicest pri-e to mett the wants of those for whom it is intended, and copies will be sent for dist ibuiion, free, by the publishers, Messrs, Castell ond Comvanv, ta HelU Rauvaae Lndgate Hill Ji,l\ The Engl'sh Flower C&rden. — Design, Views and Plants. Third iditton, revisul, with many new Illustrations. London: J- Murray, and through all book-setters. THE GARDEN. 99 No. 1108. SATURDAY. February U, 1893. Vol. XLIII. " This is an Art Which does mend Nature : change It rather ; but The Art itself is NjTrBE."— SAal-Mptort Orchard AND Fruit Garden. PLA.NTING VINES. Exi'EKTs are of opinion that the autumn, notably the montli of October, is the best time tn(]fut respecting the above variety, I beg to state that 1 grew it largely during the past year and had every reason to be well satittiod with it. The flavoar 1 consider tirst-rato, hut, as your correspimdeiifc points out, it certainly does take a very long lince in coming tu perfection and ripens its fruit very irregularly, though to some this may prove an advantage ; stU, with this drawback, 1 intend growing it largely again this yeai* as a midseason and late variety. — J. M.wne, Birton, Devon. February 11, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 101 PEAR PITMASTON DUCHESS. This is a popular though not a high-class Pear. There is no connection between it and Duchesse d'Angoulonie, which is a coarse, gritty French Pear, later in ripening, valuable for market, but altogether second-rate. It bears a much stronger resemblance to Jlarie Louise in all but flavour, but grows much larger, and medium-sized fruit can also be dis- tinguished readily enough, owing to there always being a patch of russet near the foot- stalk. Naturally, much the finest fruits are usually obtained from well-grown wall trees, the fruit also being more pyriform and clear in colour than is the case when the trees are grown in the open. Wherever the fruit is grown the same failing in the quality prevails, an un- pleasant acidity ofi'ending the palate of all who appreciate a really good buttery Pear. There is yet another failing, and that is the thinness and sensitiveness of its skin. The fruit grown against walls, if carefully handled and properly packed when sent to a distance, is beautifully preference being given to a site where the sub- soil is of a gravelly nature, it will, without much further trouble, quickly develop into a grand or naturally-grown pyramid, and pro- duce several bushels of tine fruit whenever the season is not dead against fruit trees generally. PRUNING FRUIT TREES. Apples. TiiKRE is yet room for great improvement in tliis much-written-about operation, judging from the specimens one is continually meeting with in gardens. More original thought on the subject and less adherence to old methods lianded down from generation to generation are wanted. Take espaliers and dwarf trees for instance ; how much more fruit might be gathered if one half of the stronger wood was cut right away and thinner and more extended growth allowed, instead of pruning off all the annual shoots only and forming the thick, stubby and scrubby-headed samples of pro- fessional skill which will not admit any light and scarcely leave room for fruit to grow at all. It is very tiecc««ary with any kind of Apple tree that Pear Pitmaston Duchess. Engraved from a photograph sent by Mr. \V. Xormau Blake, Bedford. c'ear, but that obtained from pyramids and bushes is very apt to present a much -scratched, bruised appearance when fully ripe. This 1 attribute to wind- waving and contact, it may be, with leaves and branches ; but it is so very marked and almost inevitable, that had I any to market I would send them before they were fully ripe. The season of this fine Pear is said to extend from October to the end of November, but as a rule the fruit will not keep so long as that, the middle of November fre- quently seeing the last of it. Quite young wall trees produce fruit, while those six years old and upwards yield grand crops, which, if freely thinned, as they must be if samples I lb. or little less in weight are de- sired, pay remarkably well. Cordons with one or several branches also produce exceptionally good crops of fruit, and no collection of wall trees may, therefore, l)e said to be complete unless it comprises one or more specimens of Pitmaston Duchess. This remark applies with still greater force to pyramid and rather low standard trees, but these, for reasons already given, ought always to be located in a somewhat sheltered position. If a fairly healthy young tree is planted on moderately good ground, the the branches should be kept thin enough to allow the rays of the sun full play amongst the fruit I am speaking now with reference specially to the garden where only choice fruit should be grown. Gather an Apple from an outer branch and another from the inside of a thick-foliaged tree. On tasting, the latter will be found to bear no comparison to the former with its rich appetis- ing flavour and rosy attractive colour; therefore, get as much as possible of this health-giving sun- shine concentrated in the fruit, and do not Ije afraid to use the saw on a tree that has been neglected in this respect for many years. Of course in the case of a tree proper ly pruned from the first, and some kinds scarcely require pruning at all, a saw would not be required, as cutting off large branches must be considered as only a necessary evil. When done, the bough should for appearance sake be cut right away and no stump left. As regards profit, this thinning out is of great im- portance with some varieties, especially in these times when size and colour in fruit are of so much more value than quality. We cannot, or we do not care to well thin out the fruit to advantage on a standard tree, so the next best course is to thin the branches. I had an instance the past season of the advantage of thorough thinning. An Apple tree of a good local variety was so laden and the boughs so fallen together that the fruit reached only half the usual size and was devoid of colour, while on a tree of the same sort recently grafted the Apples were very fine, well coloured and a fortnight earlier, and consequently worth quite double in the market. But I cannot api)rove of the general orchard method of taking out all the inner bearing sprays ; rather I encourage this central growth to a certain extent, and in regrafting even insert grafts on young shoots strong enough for the purpose, as this tends to preserve a well-balanced head and is conducive to the longevity of the tree. Many an Apple tree which has long succumbed to the elements would be stnmling to-day if more central growth had been the aim and outer branches thinned to entice the sunshine to the fruit instead of forcing all the fruit out to the sun- shine by persistently trimming off all the young growth up a branch, leaving bearing spray only at the extreme end, thereby giving the wind every chance to do damage with this leverage of in some instances 12 feet or 15 feet of bare limb. Pears. In some Pears we find the small fruit more lus- cious and juicy than the large samples. Gansel's Bergamot is an example of this. Seven years a;o I found a tree of this variety covering the front of a stable facing south. Although a strong gi-ower and eager for extension, it had been confined to this one aspect. Since then I have trained it on both the eastern and western sides with the result of large increase of crop, and, strange to s:iy,although the Pears on these ends were smaller, they realised more than those of the largest size. Yet the latter were more carefully packed, each fruit being wrapped separately in paper, for these Pears grow to a very large size under good treatment. I con- cluded the purchaser was aware of a pecu- liarity in this fruit that the smallest keeps best. We grow some fifty varieties of dessert Pears, and in my opinion none will exceed Gansel's Bergamot in quality and flavour in its season — October to November. The large specimens are handsome, although not so saleable as the longer yellow varieties ; still, the price reaches lid. per lb., and sometimes 2s. per dozen wholesale. I am now training this tree also over the roof, having had con- siderable increase from several trees by allow- ing stifi! growth to extend upwards. For why should we be always tied to old cut-and-dried formula: and methods, especially when profit (which is a consideration with most people in these times) can be combined with a change .' Variety is pleasing, nnd a show of fruit, even above the wall, is attiadive. An object of interest in our garden last autumn was a cluster of twenty-three large Vicar of Wink- field Pears suspended over the spouting. This is a profitable Pear to grow, being hardy and a free cropper, long, yellow, and handsome, coming in at Christmas. Although not of first-class qu.ality ex- cept for stewing, the fruit sells well at from Is. 3d. to Is. Gd. per dozen. In pruning old Pear trees it is advisable to keep the shoots cut well back and to encourage as much young growth as possible close to the wall. I generally defer this operation till spring to di.stingui.-h plainly the fruit-buds, and any long old spurs with few or no fruit-buds I cut clean away, gradually filling up with young shoots laid in. I have found this one way of securing a more regular crop over the centre of the tree. Some varieties, and these by no means the heaviest croppers, bloom very profusely, which seems to be a waste of energy. I have tried thinning out the blossom-buds, but with no satisfactory results. Against the wall it is of great importance to keep the young shoots pinched back when the fruit is setting to force as much vigour as possible to- wards the swelling of a crop. The present method in vogue with nurserymen of grafting and budding near the root enables one to depart from the ori- ginal intention and form bushes of standards if de- sired. In my mixed plantation I encourage some side growth on the young standards, especially of Plums, and when the head is not well balanced. 102 THE GARDEN. [FEBnuABY 11, 1895, By so doing the trees are capable of bearing in a short time two or three times the quantity of fruit we shoulfl get from a single head. Besides, the head is very apt to break off with weight of fruit, and in this bush form you do not; require a ladder for gathering— at least, for some years to come. The side growth of Plums is sometimes very strong, 5 feet in one season, and it seems a waste to cut away all this strong material, which would the fol- lowing year probably bear a consideiable quantity of fruit. These bushes must be kept thinned, and it is best to cut what is requisite right away rather than partially down, which would only induce strong shoots to start again. Bush Fbuit. As to bush fruit, ray object being always the heaviest crop of berries, I rarely prune my Goose- berry bushes, unless to keep the shoots clear of the ground. By not using the knife in the centre of the bush, we are seld om troubled with suckers or too thick growth ; in fact, I like to see some strong young growth springing up, in some ca«es reaching 5 feet, as it adds to the height and productiveness of the bush. If the middle appears thick in winter, the weight of fruit will open it out in summer, and besides, we have been visited the past few springs with very severe frosts, thin bushes of some varie- ties having been denuded of fruit, the only berries entirely escaping injury being those in the midile of a thick bush. Of course, if you once commence using the knife much in a Gooseberry bush, you must follow it up, as there will be diffi-.-ulty in get- ting at the berries, owing to the mass of youne shoots. In gardens proper, attention must be paid to the neatness of the bushes for appearance sake, especially when they are by the sides of the walk. On the other hand, a well-manured, unpruned Gooseberry bush, with its immense crop of berries, is a greater source of gratification than the close- pruned, neat, but comparatively unproductive spe- cimens so often met with. With Black Currants, we must prune, or rather cut away old wood to secure strong young growth for preservation and productiveness of bush, and we must have room to get amongst them. Apply more manure and prune less if you want bush fruit in quantity for profit. It is astonishing what an amount a plot of land, well manured and with the bushes covering the ground, will turn off. There is no necessity, as with Apples, for the sun's rays to reach the fruit ; in fact, too much direct sunshine is injurious to young green Gooseberries ; it turns them brown and injures the sale. A por- tion of our Black Currants which, in the ordinary way should have been thinned last year, were not touched for want of time. The thick growth saved the fruit from frost, and gave us a crop worth, ac- cording to the land occupied, more than £100 per acre. Red Cunants should generally be pinched back in summer, but my bushes (Raby Castle, strong, sturdy and prolific) have neither been pruned nor pinched since they came from the nursery, and certainly pruning could not improve them. The simplest way to treat Raspberries if they are to be supported (tliough in large plantations they are cut low and supports dispensed with) is to have them in rows, say, .'> feet apart, running some string, thatch twine or other material each side of row, fastening to stakes every 2 yards or 3 yards. In pruning I prefer to cut the canes, according to size, to a height of from 2 feet to 5 feet, which gives a more regular crop and more room for the fruit than when all of one length, as most of the fruit springs from the upper buds of the cane. Bolmer, Hereford. E. W. Beaven. Strawberries for forcing.— At page 52 Mr. Leach is very severe upon what I consider one of the best of early Strawberries for forcing, viz., Vi- comtesse Hericart de Thury, when he states that it is inferior to John Ruskin or La Grosse Sucree if ripe fruit is required in February or March. With regard to ripe Strawberries in December, so far as I have been able to judge, it does not pay to get them at ttat date. I have also fpilcd to get I^a Grosse Sucree in January, but I have found little difficulty in getting Vicom- tesse at the end of January or early in February ; indeed, I think it is the very best early forcing Strawberry we have. It is well known fruits vary greatly in different soils, much also depending upon the grower's convenience as to forcing and securing of runners for early work. I am aware this vexed question of varieties to a great extent is a local one, but I have been at some pains to go into this matter, the pages of The Garden hav- ing furnished me with valuable notes as to growers' opinions of varieties. Only last year copious notes appeared in Tub Garden as to varieties, and 'Vi- comtesse was a great favourite. With me La Grosse Sucre? retains the petals and often refuses to set or swell for some time. It must be remem- bered I am writing of bloom in December or Janu- ary. Later, say in March, no such dilhculty occurs, as it sets freely then. On the other hand, Vicom- tesse is tlie reverse, it setting freely and in stronger heat. I admit the flov/er stalk is none too long ; the fruit is small, but it is good and freely pro- duced. I must also differ from Mr. Leach when he says that there are many varieties that beat Vicomtesse for size and flavour in March. Larger they may be, but often flavourless. If Vicomtesse is well grown, it is not to be despised on account of size. I am fully alive to the importance of size, as in a market fruit flavour is the last thing thought about. I have not included John Ruskin in my note with La Grosse Sucree for vari- ous reasons, it being a newer vatiety. I have used it for early work under the same conditions as those named, but so far it has not done so well as Vicomtesse. When fruited in April, having the same treatment as La Grosse Sucree, it was very good, but I mean to give it another trial for first early. Mr. Leach may have grown it under better conditions ; also have had stronger plants Jline were not so strong as those of Vicomtesse. So far I have not found any kind equal to Vicomtesse H. de Thury for very early fruit. — Grower. PEACH GROWING FOR MARKET. ALTHOuon I have not at any time been engaged in the cultivation of Peaches for profit, I have been so situated that I had to find the best market in which to dispose of agood quan tity of surplus fruit. To grow Peaches for profit, one requires to start on quite a different line from that of a private grower. I feel quite sure that to grow Peaches successfully with the least possible outlay in the matter of maintenance, the roots must have the run of a good deep border, and the branches must be trained on the extension system. Young trees that are confined both at the roots and branches can be made to produce fruit of good quality by constant surface feeding, but the man who wishes to grow for profit does not want the constant expense of providing the manure and labour that such a system involves, nor is it necessary if he starts right by providing a large and deep root run for the trees and a proportionate space for the branches. The trees the mar- ket man wants must each produce from thirty to forty dozen fruit in one season. The man who starts growing for profit shoidd not have to renew the trees for a period of twenty years, and he need not do so if suitable provision is made for the roots. The border should be at least 2J feet deep and half or two-thirds the width the branches are likely to extend to. The water supply must also be ample. I have not the least doubt but that early and late Peaches will pay better than Grapes. Peaches pay best from the middle of June to the middle of July, as to have fruit ripa at that time not much forcing is required. I have known really fine samples fetch as much as 18s. per dozen at the end of June, while it has been difficult to find a market for second-rate fruit. I have frequently received 6d. each for good Peaches grown in unheated houses. Good fruit of Barrington, Princess of Wales, and Salway find a ready sale early in October. In all cases the grower must freely thin out the fruit when quite young. If he thinks that he is going to make a larger profit by leaving a greater nuqjber of fruit to mature than what can develop into large and handsome examples he will make a mistake, and the older the trees are the more necessary is it to take lighter crops. For whatever purposes Peaches may be required, there is no doubt that large houses are better than small ones, except where extra early fruit is required. J. C. Clarke. CONTAMINATION OF FRUIT. It is doubtful if anyone fully realises the injury done to choice Apples and Pears by contamination until it is brought home in some striking form. I have good reasons for remembering a case in which the produce of a garden and orcliard was pretty well spoilt one season through being placed in a newly-built fruit room. In fact, the structure was not completely furnished with shelves when the fruit was taken to the store, and the mortar in the wall was scarcely set. Although the precaution was taken to cover the new shelves with news- papers on which to place the fruit, both Apples and Pears were spoiled. That the fault was in the store room was perfectly clear from the fact that sorts of Apples and Pears that were excellent in flavour when stored were so contaminated by the surroundings in two or three weeks as to be nearly useless, and the longer they remained in this struc- ture the woise they got. This, I believe, was an exceptional case, but it is worth putting on record, as it may be the means of preventing others falling into the same error. In the following season the fruit kept splendidly in the same building. Wliether it was the air of the building or whether the new timber used in forming the shelves impregnated the papsr on which the fruit lay, I cannot say. but ever since I have been careful to keep the fruit room well ventilated for two or three hours a day in suitable weather. The most convincing proof I have had of this form of injury to fruit occurred not many years ago at a fruit show at which I was judging. The finest dish of Marie Louise Pear in the show failed to get even the third prize, because the flavour was so decidedly impregnated with camphor that it was quite objectionable. I felt so interested in this exhibit, that as soon after as I could I found the owner of this particular lot of Pears, and of course found him bitterly complaining of the in- competence of the judges in not awarding his fruit the first prize, which so far as appearance went they ought to have had. I, however, prevailed upon him to bring forward the box or basket in which they had been brought to the show. The box was quickly brought forward, when an exami- nation of the packing material used revealed the cause of the mischief. A few days before the show the owner had received a box by railway con- taining medicine, the bottles being packed in paper shavings. This box and packing material were used for sending the Pears to the show in, with the result I have mentioned. As soon as the box was opened the paper shavings smelt strongly of camphor, which the disappointed owner did not attempt to deny, but it was not until he tasted the Pears that he was fully convinced that the judges were right, and that he had incau- tiously made a blunder. That Apples and Pears get more or less contaminated when they are laid on dirty and worm-eaten shelves is probably known to some, but a reference to it here may be of some service. It may also be of some interest to mention that the more advanced the fruit is towards ripeness the more quickly it becomes tainted with any injurious surroundings. Perfect cleanliness in the fruit room is more important in securing well-flavoured fruit than some people imagine, and too often the position of the fruit room is not conducive to pure and healthy sur- roundings, as it is sometimes necessary to use coverin.iis of some kind to protect the fruit from frost. It is very important that whatever is used should be perfectly clean and free from any un- pleasant smell. Perfectly clean and sweet wheat straw is about the safest covering to use, and even this should be removed as soon as the danger from Febritart 11, 1893.] THE GARDEN 103 frost is past. For packiogr small quantities of choice dessert Apples or Pears for the weekly hamper, each fruit should be first wrapped in tissue paper and then packed in paper or very line wood shaTino:s. J. C. Clarke. EXHIBITIONS OF THE FUTURE. Much interest has been evinced by the many arti- cles that have appeared recently on Chrysanthe- mum exhibitions with a view to introduce greater variety into the displays and relieve them from the charge of formality. But e.xhibitions in general may be well considered, and views expressed upon the subject of the "future of flower shows "will brin? forward many useful suggestions to render displays of flowers more interesting and less mono- tonous. It is singular that flower shows should be so inartistic, and few departures in methods of dis- playing the exhibits observable from year to year. Exhibitions of this character are slowly, but surely djing, and the wonder is that so many societies have managed to weather the storms of a troubled existence through such a lengthened period. The remarks one hears at shows are sufficient to indi- cate that it is through want of spirited endea- vours to create new features the general exhibition of to-day is ceasing to interest? The same men each season win prizes in the same cla^^ses and with the same plants, badly grown "specimens" often gaining awards simply through poor compe- tition, yet prizes are still offered for them as freely as in the days of yore when they were in full fashion. A country show is a del'ghtful institu- tion, but it is fast disappearing. The same scene presented to view year after year fails to win ad- miration or to attract sightseers, and the funds de- cline. What can be accomplished towards alter- ing this condition of things .' Many of the readers of The Garden' are, I know from recent observa- tions, much interested in this matter, and therefore their suggestions will be gladly welcomed. It is not ea-y to introduce new features, but a good dis- cussion will do much to help secretaries of socie- ties to make their schedules less monotonous and introduce much-needed variety. There is nsually in exhibitions of whatever nature, whether of Roses, Chrysanthemums, or to embrace miscella- neous plants, a sad want of artistic arrangement. At more than one of the great shows at Earl's Court last year something had been attempted in this di- rection by breaking up the view, not permitting long rows of plants, cut blooms, or fruit to meet the eye, presenting a formal, monotonous, and uninter- esting picture. At many shows the plant tent is a sad muddle, large and small things associated to- gether without the slightest attempt to make a pleasing effect. I have seen tuberous Begonias placed against stove specimens, small exotic Ferns in company with tall Palms, the re>ult a cuiious mixture, displeasing and uninteresting, betraying to visitors a total disregard for the appearance of the tent. It is quite as easy to keep the various exhibits of one kind to them- selves ; thus when a severe competition in Roses or groups, as the case may be, occurs, break long lines by interposing at Intervals a small group, basket of plants, or even a large specimen — any- thing to create variety and form an attractive picture. No additional labour, at least very little, will be thrown upon the secretary or the com- mittee. It is simply a matter of forethought, fixing in the mind's eye the positions the various plants are to fill. The splendid shows at South Kensington were a pleasure to look at, and the result was produced by knowing how to place the plants, flowers and fruit in an attractive way. Beauty in general arrangement is as important as individual excellence in the exhibits, but in Eng- land we think little of the former, centreing all our energies into the productions of abnormal spe- cimens, usually of vegetables. A tremendous com- petition in vegetables will occupy much space, but I have seen rows of Potatoes, Peas, Beans, and various other things without a Fern or flower to relieve the view. It is this kind of arrange- ment, if such it can be called, that is so displeas- ing to visitors, who pride themselves upon distin- guishing lietween good and bad taste. A struggling society will sometimes endeavour to make a brave show by offering a few big prizes to attract well-known amateurs, professional gar- deners, or nurserymen. This is the case with Roses in particular. There may be three big classes in the hope to draw the foremost growers to enter into competition, but in nine cases out of ten they fail to come, not through unwillingness to enter the lists, merely for the excellent reason it is impossible to exhibit at every Rose show. Promises are made and as often broken. This is disappointing to the secretary and others inte- rested in the society, and to the expectant public. Much better would it be, and more encourag- ing to horticulture in the neighbourhood, if other classes that have to suffer for the few big attractions were strengthened or extended, those for fruits and vegetables in particular. Miserable prizes are offeied for these impoitant exhibits, and indifferently grown stove plants win premier honours of much greater value. It is gratifying to see that at the majority of exhibitions a distinct feature is made of the groups, and it would be satisfactory to encourage these interesting arrange- ments. Unfortunately, they are generally crowded up so as to render it impossible to see them, and in many cases a tent might be erected solely for groups, as at the great 'Wolverhampton show. Of course, every little village exhibition can- not emulate such a great show as that of Wolverhampton or Shrewsbury, but often the competition is sufficiently keen to warrant such an introduction. Orchids might be arranged in groups, and then perhaps the so-called " speci- men plants," which are usually not specimens in the ordinary sense of the word at all, would dis- appear. It is foUv to perpetually offer prizes for such plants when there is no adequate response. At Tunbridge Wells the groups of plants are, as a rule, remarkably fine. One arrangement at the last summer show was unique, but, unfortunately, vegetables were also shown in the same tent, very little apparent trouble being taken to present a pleasing display. Hardy flowers are often the chief features of interest, and deserve still great encouragement. The beauty of the Botanic shows depends largely upon the bold bunches of various perennials, a gay mass of colour, representing an interesting variety of things. Encouragement might be still further extended to these by offer- ing prizes for certain families — Irises, Pajonies, and so forth, with practically an assured competition. At present the hardy flowers are usually supplied at country shows by some enthusiastic amateur in the neighbourhood or by nurserymen. The Diss Horticultural exhibilion is one of the most interest- ing in England, for the reason partly that the dis- play is made beautiful by a fine show of hardy flowers. Well-grown plants in pots would fill the tent with colour and beauty. A mass of TroUius, the pure white Trillium grandifloruni, Dielytra spectabilis, or Spir^a palmata, &c., is more effec- tive, beautiful, and interesting than a badly grown stove specimen, or one that having done duty for so many years has lost its freshness. One of the prettiest effects I have ever seen at a show— I for- get the place — was a group of Primula Sieboldi of various varieties on a slope, the pots buried in Moss, and setting off to ad vantage the frail beauty of the flowers. The tuberous Begonia is an excellent exhibition plant, and it would be worth while to extend the groups to those of this flower, most effective when massed together to get a distinct and decided effect in colour. Arranged with Fern or some variegited plant as Dactylis glomerata variegata. a pleasing contrast is obtained. Gladioli, Delphiniums, Asters, and other hardy or half- hardy plants are always bright and showy when good varieties of ea'-h are secured. Chrysanthe- mum shows have been already ably discussed in the pages of The G.4-RDex, but the remarks made there as to greater encouragement being given to fruit, avoiding also long rows of boxes, apply also to the early and late summer exhibitions. Visitor. Kitchen Garden. A SUCCESSION OF EARLY CAULI- FLOWERS. I .\M of opinion that sufficient attention is not always paid to securing a succession of early OaulifloweFS. It is of little use planting a large quarter with an early variety of Cauliflower from one sowing, as in all probability these may be in and over in less than a fortnight. By a little judicious management the supply from the same space of ground may be made to last a considerable time. A succession of useful- sized Cauliflowers is of the greatest importance. To keep up a succession and commence as early as possible, handlights, or cloches as used in the market gardens, are very useful, as by their aid Cauliflowers may be cut considerably earlier. At one time handlights were looked upon as a necessity for a garden of any pre- tensions, and it is quite evident that we shall have to rely upon them again if we are to have a succession of cold springs, such, for instance, as we have had during the past few years, when planting direct to the open has been quite a month later than usual to be considered safe. No other vegetable of a like nature feels the check of removal so much as an early Cauli- flower, as instead of starting away freely into growth, the check causes jjremature heads of poor quality. With the aid of handlights, no such check will be received, and whilst other plants may be held over for planting direct to the open, those under the protectors will be growing steadily on for early cutting. The very earliest Cauliflowers other than those wliich may be gently forced in a brisk pit with a body of fermenting material are those pricked out under handlights in the early part of the previous October. These, if the precau- tion was taken to prick out direct on to deep and well-enriched soil, and also in a sheltered position well exposed tc the sun, grow away steadily, care being taken to keep them care- fully ventilated and also well supplied with moi.sture. A good soaking of liquid should be given just previous to turning in. As a rule, the recognised number for each handlight is four plants, one at each corner, the others being removed carefully later on for a succession and planted direct to the open in good soil. It is in the transplanting that many people fail with their early Cauliflowers, especially those wintered in frames. The plants may be per- fectly healthy and just the right size for plant- ing out, but if the soil does not adhere to the roots the check received wiU cause the plants to button instead of forming close compact heads. I always take the precaution, whether in the autumn or with those sown at the turn of the year in wanuth, to only use material for pricking out the plants into that will hold well together. Of course when the plants are potted it does not matter .so much, although with these the more holding the nature of tlie soil, the more likely are they to succeed. A layer of i-otten manure to the depth of 2 inches should be first spread over a level and firm ash surface, and on to this the same depth of loam chopped up with a spade. A little leaf- soil may be added, but nothing else. Old pot- ting soil as often recommended is the worst possible for pricking out Cauliflower plants, as it will not hold together when the plants are lifted. It will be another month or two before it will be safe to pi \nt Cauliflower plants into the ojjen. Those sown in the autumn, at least as regards varieties, differ somewhat from those recom- 104 THE GARDEN. [FbbrCar'x 11, 1893. mended to ^e sjw.i now. For autumn sowing, Early London, Early Dwarf Erfurt, Large Asiatic, ; n I \Valcheren are good and useful kinds to form a succession from the same sowing, and which by a little judicious manage- m3nt in planting prove most valuable. At the t irn of the year a good selection of Early D.varf Forcing or Snowball forms the first crop, that is, with no autumn plants to fall back upon. A good succession variety will be found in the invaluable old Walcheren or Veitch's Pearl. In fact, the two latter, or one 0£ thein, should be sown to follow on the au- t imn sowing in all gardens where a succession o! early Cauliflowers is desired. To be success- ful with these Cauliflowers they must be grown on without a check. For the earliest lot at any rate I favour potting the plants ofl^ into 4j-inch pots. In smaller than this they get too much cramped at the root. If they are to be pricked out into frames, see that the rooting medium is such as I have previously described. As they become established more air may be given, the lights being drawn oS' them on fine and mild days. With handlights at disposal, the plants for the first cutting may be set out earlier than they otherwise would be. The site selected should be either a warm south border or an open sunny spot. The .soil must also be deeply worked and well manured. The plants should be turned out cirefully, pressing the soil well about the ball, a watering being afterwards given to settle the soil about the roots. If no handlights are at disposal a light frame may be used, a three- light holding a nice few plants. These may be set out 1.5 inches apart. After a time, when fine warm weather arrives, the frame may be lifted off. The plants which ai'e to form a succession must be set out in the open. The plot being ready for the reception of the plants, deep drills should be cut out into which to set the plants, this being preferable to planting on the level. Plants that have been pricked out into frames, whether from autumn or present season sowing, .should in the first place receive a thorough watering, each plant being cut out with a sharp and flat trowel right down to the level surface. The plants should be placed carefully in a shallow box as they are lifted and carried direct to the plot for planring. Plant carefully and firmly, taking care not to break the ball or disturb the roots more than can possibly be helped. After planting give a care- ful watering, and if the weather should be dry- ing, a flower-pot placed over each plant for a day or two will assist them in becoming quickly established. A stirring occasionally with a hoe is a good help to free growth. The benefit of the drills will now be seen, as if the weather should prove dry a soaking of licjuid may be poured along the drill with the certainty of its reaching the roots. An application just as the heads are forming will carry them through well, and at this time the soil should be drawn in about the stems to conserve the moisture. A. YouNO. Early vegetablee. — In some parts of the country the severe weather will have played havoc with the Cauliflowers. This loss may readily be repaired by sowing in a frame an early Cauliflower of the Snovvball or early forcing section. Cabbages sown thinly on a mild hotbed will give plants ready to put out, and thus form a succession to the autumn sown, or in case of loss of the last named, by sowing a small early kind, that loss will be less felt if tlie plants when in the rough leaf are again pricked ott on a warm bed of leaves or litter and sheltered from cold winds and severe weather. A few early sprouts are always useful, and now is the time to sow a few to come in if desired early. Onions may likewise be sown for a few large bulbs for special purposes. Lettuce is often specially required early in the season, and when raised in a frame is much better able to resist cold than when sown in stronger heat. If a number of Autumn Giant Cauliflowers is required, the first lot may with advantage be raised under glass and treated as advised above. When leaves or leaves and litter are the heating agency, care should be taken to have the fermenting material well incor- porated. Free ventilation in fine weather is also essential when the seedlings are above ground, covering the glass at night to retain the warmth. Sowing thinly, airing carefully, and frequently dusting the seedlings with dry wood ashes will check the spread of mildew and other diseases. — G. Wythes. SPRING SALADING. All the while Enrlive keeps good, the principal in- gredient in a mixed salad is not wanting. Directly it fails there is in very many cases a blank, as far as a presentable salad is concerned, till the earliest Lettuce can be cut in the open. Now it is earlier in the spring when salads are most needed in many establi-hments, this being especially the case where the family is in town. Fourteen or fifteen years ago this difficulty, as regards a scarcity of good Lettuce, was not easily surmounte"!, though even in those days something could have been done in the way of sowing Lettuce seed rather thinly in pans and cutting the plants over when 4 inches hif»h or thereabouts. With the introduction first of the Early Paris Market Cabbage Lettuce, and some time since of Veitch's Golden Queen, forcing Lettuce has become a comparatively easy matter. It is now possible to cut excellent hearts of either of these superior varieties in from eight weeks to ten weeks of the date of sowing, and that, too, without much trouble being taken in the matter. One sowing of fead should be made in Decenber or early in January thinly in a pan or box, and this being placed on a shelf or light stage in gentle heat, sturdy little plants would be, or, at at any rate, they are in my case, available for pricking out where they are to grow by the first week in February. About the latter date rather more seed should be sown thinly and placed in gentle heat only, the aim being to have abundance of sturdy little plants that will not require any further preparation in the way of pricking out for either frames or sheltered borders. For the earliest raised batch a mild hotbed ought to be formed either in a pit (if heated so much the better), or in a warm position and surmounted by a frame. My plan is to utilise both pits and frames at about the same time, the Lettuce grown in the latter afi'ording a close succession to those olitained in a heated pit. The hotbed, as before stated, must be mild and should be surfaced over, on this being placed a layer of the shortest or more decayed por- tion of manure used, C inches of good loamy soil on the top of this being then ample. The aim should be in all cases to raise the bed well up to the light, though good Lettuce can be grown on the floor of a light house, that is to say. well away from the glass. Directly the soil is warmed through and before the plants much exceed a height of 2 inches, piick out as miny as there are room for about ("> inches apart each way. Give a gentle watering, keep rather close, unheated frames being matted over every night till the plants are growing strongly, when more air must be given, tbe forcing being gentle, as with vege- tables generally in frames, or otherwise there will be a number of great flabby le-ives and bat poor hearts. Keep them uniformly moist at the roots, and when they begin to press rather hard against each other, commence cutting for use. Every other plant only should be cut cleanly out, the rest being left to attain their full size, and re- markably fine, close, tender and well-blanched hearts will thus be had. If there are any surplus plants from the first sowing, take the first favour- able opportunity of prickirg these out either into handlights or on raised beds at the foot of sunny walls, protecting them roughly for a time. They will pay well for the trouble taken with them, and last spring some that were planted early on a sheltered border and not protected in any way hearted in more quickly than did plants of other varieties that had survived the winter. The later- raised plants may be pricked out in frames among early Peas, in frames in succession to Radishes or other extra early crops, cold frames, and in the open, abundance of Lettuces, superior in quality probably to anything grown during the rest of the season, being the result. Both varieties named succeed well grown thinly in boxes of rich loamy soil under glass, but if wanted in quantity, these puny efforts are unsatisfactory. JIustard and Cress ought also to play an impor- tant part in the formation of a spring salad. Strange to say, private gardeners as a rule are not very successful in growing these small salads to perfection, or, say. to equal in quality and appear- ance those seen in Covent Garden Jlarket. Suffi- cient importance is not attached to the necessity of having both Mustard and Cress with long well- blanched stems. More often than not the stems are quite green and very short, this being largely owing to their being grown from tbe first in full daylight. Another even greater mistake is that of using the same soil for a second sowing. The boxes ought to be emptied of the stale soil and refilled with rather rich fresh compost, old Mushroom - bed _ manure answering well, and there would then be no complaint of feeble growth or wholesale damping off. The two kinds should be sown in separate boxes. Mus- tard or Rape, for that is largely sown as a substitute, is the first fit for use and the soonest past fitness. Sow this thickly on the surface of the previously well-moistened soil and press the seed well into it, the Cress being merely sown rather more thickly on perfectly smooth moist soil. Place in gentle heat well away from the hot- water pipes, and shade heavily with either brown paper or mats, keeping this well clear of the soil. No water ought to be needed nor the shading removed before the salading is about 1 J ins, long, after which gradually expose to the light and give less heat. In this manner only can Mustard and Cress be had with .stems long and well blanched, perfectly clean, tender, and mild in flavour. It ought to be cut over with a sharp knife and used quickly, a fresh sowing being made every four or five days. Young Onions are required in some instances for flavouring salads and also for serving whole. For this purpose the White Lisbon or one of the quick-growing white Italian varieties is to be preferred, and seed should be sown in boxes of rich soil two or three times during the first three months in the year. Placed in a newly-started Peach house or vinery the seed will not be long in germinating, and if the plants are kept not far from the glass, but still in gentle heat, tender young Onions will be ready for use till those first raised in the open are available. A few Tarragon shoots are always appreciated, and these can soon be had by lifting enough flakes of roots to fill one or two ordinary bedding plant boxes, gentle forcing being resorted to. It is not often that Radishes are included in mixed salads, but they are in great demand for the breakfast-table. They ought to be quickly grown and quite young when eaten, or otherwise they are unwholesome and indigestible. The small forcing Turnip varieties are the quickest to attain a serviceable size, and with these may well be grown the French Break- fast or one of the other very pretty, crisp, and sweet Olive-shaped forms, while if larger, longer roots are desired. Wood's Frame best meets the case. The only way of keeping up a constant sup- ply of tender young roots is to sow seed on a mild hotbed about every ten days, a single I'ght at a time being enough in most cases. If need be they may be sown midway between rows of Horn Car- rots, these last not being less than 8 inches apart, or if preferred both kinds may be sown broadcast and the seed covered with sifted soil. It is a great mistake to sow Radish seed so thickly as to neces- sitate much thinning out of the plants. If sown broadcast let the seeds go about 2 inches apart February 11, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 105 each way Nearly or quite all will germinate in I particulary free and 1 ardy. Among other small heat, and if the soil is kept uniformly mnist and enough liirht and air admitted to keep them sturdy, the roots will swell quickly without much furllier trouble being taken. M. H. Rose Garden. YELLOW ROSES. If there is one colour among Roses more popu- lar than another it is the deep golden yellow found in such varieties as Marechal Niel, Perle des Jardins, Harrisoni, and others. Rosa Harrisoni here figured, one of the Austrian Briers, was introduced from America by Mr. Harrison in 1830, and is still one of our most popular yellow Roses for garden decora- tion. As shown in the engraving, it is far more double and globular than the Persian Yellow, another very old favourite introduced in 1838. H.umisoNi is a beautiful golden yellow, but the growth is not so vigorous nor the flowers so deep yellow Hoses we must not omit the Yellow Banksian. I am acquainted with uiore than one g.-irden where Biinksian lios-es grow well, but do not flower satisfactoril.v because they are injudiciously pruned. The Banksians flower early, and all the necessary pruning should be done at midsummer or soon after, Long shoots that have flowered should be entirely cut out, thus let- ting the air and light into the remaiuini and assisting its maturation during the months. These Hoses grow very late, and are much more tender than ruany ; hence the need of getting the growth as early as possible, and a dry border to encourage early ripening In the spring the only necessary pruning will be the removal of frost-bitten wood. During recent years many grand additions have been made to this colour, one of the most popular being William Allen RrcHARDSON, wliich was sent out by Ducher in 1S7H, For some time it was not much grown, having probably shown its uncertain growth. It is a peculiar feature in this grand Hose that one plant may do well, and another in the same position and app.irently under similar FoRTuxK's Yellow (syn., Beauty of Glazenwood) is another beautiful semi-double variety that deserves much more extensive cultivation. It is U"™ i conditions will be far from satisfactory, growing autunm ^(.gr^.gjy ^^ g^jj 'pfjjj, same peculiarity is often found in Marechal Niel, but not qtiite so fre- quently. It requires the same treatment as Mare- chal Niel, viz., little or no pruning of the wood made the previous season. Its colourisdiflicultto describe and varies very much. Golden yellow, orange- yellow, yolk-of-egg yellow are all found ; some- times a bloom will be pi-oduced with only one of these co'ours, at other times two, or all three may be found in charming confusion, while it is not in colour as in the case of the Persian Y'ellow. I have more than once known the two varieties con- fused, but when seen together they are quite dis- tinct. Those two varieties are amongst the earliest flowering Rosss we have, and I have a vivid recol- lection of how grand they were in this neighbour- hood last spring. They are good growers, hardy, and almost certain bloomers. The chief point is to tbin out all weakly growths, and so encourage the more vigorous shoots. If these are bent down slightly they will almost invariably bloom through- out their whole length. By bending them down slightly after pruning a more even break of the flowering eyes is secured. In pruning it is only necessary to thin out the weak shoots and remove the tips of strong and well-ripened growths. Weak growth is of little value upon the Austrian Briers. In the same class we have two single yellow Roses, said to have been discovered by Robert Fortune in uncommon to find a flower pure white. Asa general a rich mandarin's garden at Ningpo, and was rule they are golden orange with a lighter edge, introduced to this country by him in 18-15. Like Small, perfect in shape while young, and a good the Banksians, it does best in a warm and I Rose to last, this variety is undoubtedly one of rather dry situation, and, like them, requires care- I the best climbers for a south wall or under glass, ful summer pruning. It is only semi-double and In the latter position I have secured from .TOO to 700 blooms from a single plant, and have found it equally as certain as well - grown specimens of Mar^chnl Niel. Mme. Carnot, a seedling from W. A. Richard- son, is somewhat similar, and also a grand variety. L'iDBAL, of similar habit, is one of the most distinct ,'ind attractive Roses we have. Not very full, but of good shape when young: it is decidedly one of the six sweetest-scented Roses grown. Its colour is also very variable, being metallic-red and yellow, splashed and tinted with a golden and coppery yellow. DuciiESSE d'Auekstadt. — The flowers of this are pure yellow when young, but partake of a nankeen shade as they open. They are large and full, but not of so good shape as those of Henriette de Beauveau, a bright clear yellow, very free bloom- ing and sweet-scented. Belle Lyonnaise is a pure canary- yellow of the Gloire de Dijon type, but not quite so hardy. Reve d'Or is a typical yellow Rose, almost evergreen, and of extraordinary vigour. Mme. Falcot is too well known to need more said of it than that from 1859 to the present time it has been the best of its colour. Isabella Speunt, a fixed sport from Safrano, is a pure canary-yellow of hardy constitution, very free, and a good button-hole Rose. Jean Fernet, a sport from Devoniensis, is also exceedingly pretty, but, like its foster parent, it is not sufficiently reliable. Perhaps the best pure yellow Rose among the dwarfer growing Teas and Noisettes is 1- J u »» - I, 1 x" I Ti. • ■ Marie VAN HoUTTE. Some of my readers may eclipsed by Marechal Niel. It is a very vigorous '■■■3"*'^ > - „,„„\q „,,;„►„„= ., ^ J 4 t J 4 *u • /■(.•! question my designation of this grand vai lety as a grower, and too tender to thrive satisfactorily!^ ^oliv^i j ^ ;,., u„:„„ f,„„,,,rifi-,7 Li„.„ r,„ , „o.^ o„^ ...^ cV,<.if».ori ^,11 ThL V^^e ycllow on account of its being frequently Rose Harrison's Yellow. Engraved for The Garden from a photogruph sent by Mr. J. McWalters, Armagh varies much in its colour, sometimes being a pure orange-yellow, and at others striptd and flaked with carmine in very uncertain quantities. The yellow Abyssinian Rose Eca is also very pretty. This was introduced by Messrs. W. Paul and Son about 1883 ; it is small and very pale yellow in colour. Cloth op Gold (or Chromatella) was sent out in 1843, and was somewhat extensively grown until The Austrian Yello\v anl the Austrian Copper. Both are good, the latter being one of the most superb single Roses grown. It is of vigorous growth, and possesses deep tints of bright copper, terra-cotta and metallic-red. Once seen in their full beauty and freshness these blooms are seldom forgotten. We also have the Yellow Scotch Roses, unless on a warm and very sheltered wall. The blooms are large, double, perfect in form, and of a deep sulphur-yellow with darker centre, but un- fortunately it is a diflicult variety to grow on account of its extreme tenderness. I have only once been fortunate enough to see it growing well, and that was in a Rose garden completely sheltered by specimen shrubs. Being so tender, it rarely starts well into growth until too late in the season for its vigorous shoots to get matured. It was a seedling from Lamarque, and Nabonnand has suc- ceeded in getting a seedling from Chromatella which much resembles the parent, and is supposed to be hardier ; he has named it Comtesse de Beaumetz, but it still remains to be proved, acd I doubt if it will ever become so popular as Marechal which, although pale i Niel. The above, with Solfaterre, Ophirie, and nd very small, are almost perfect in shape and C'elineForestier,are the bestof ourold yellow Rose?. pure yello tinged with deep rose, especially towards the edges of its petals. But these are merely sun tints, and may be found more or less in many other varieties - Niphetos, for example. Marie van Houtte is a most excellent grower, hardy, and cer- tain to produce several crops of good flowers during each season. Sunset is of a different shade, having a deeper yellow for ground, with an apricot-coloured centie. It is a grand autumnal Rose. Mme. Hostb is a pale yellow of great purity. The blooms are well built up and of great sub- stance ard size. The title "yellow Roses" gives us rather a wide scope among these flowers, but I have endeavoured to keep within bounds, even by 106 THE GARDEN. [February 11, 1893 omitting such grand varieties as Comtesse de Nadaillac, Anna Ollivier, Jean Ducher, Princess of Wales, Franeisca Kruger, Gloire de Dijon, Kaiserin Friedrich, Bouquet d'Or, Mme. Berard, &c. , all of which might justly be styled yellows of different shades. RlDOEWOOl). Kose William Allen Bichardson. — In fairly sheltered situations this Rose does exceeiingly well as a standard in the west of England, but whether it would be hardy enough for growing in that form in a colder climate I do not know. As a standard it certainly is an attractive Rose, especially in the autumn, when the examples I am acquainted with produce more flowers than in the early part of the season. — J. C. C. Roses and the late weather. — We have been havirifj a very trying time for Roses of late, often over 20° of frost and not sufficient snow to afford them any protection. Varieties that are not particularly hardy have been frost-bitten rather severely, and I find much of the pith is brown and dead. Standards have come through the ordeal rather better than I anticipated from the condition I found several dwarfs in. Much of this is no doubt owing to the more judicious selection of varieties now grown as standards. These should always consist of strong or free growers and with hardy constitution. Formerly many weak growers were cultivated in this form in preference to dwarfs, because they otherwise had such an insig- nificant appeirance. The folly of this has been amply proved, weak growers not being suitable for cultivating in standard form, as they have not strength and vigour enough to draw sufficient sap through the Brier stem to maintain themselves. In some few cases autumn-planted Koses may have a blank or two among them. They should be looked over, and such gaps filled during the present month, weather permitting. I believe it is much best to plant Roses in the autumn or early spring. On no account would I plant in December or January. The frost in this district (mid-Sussex) is barely out of the ground, and for a long time many of our Roses were either surrounded with freezing water or ice from 1 inch to 3 inches up their stems. A rapid thaw and rain set in during the day, and as the soil was so frozen beneath, the wet could not soak away. This froze again at night, from slight, surface frost combined with the mass of frozen soil beneath. Few things are calculated to do more harm than this, and I am gratified to find my Roses looking so well. True, it is early to decide how far they have b:en injured. — R. HYBKID PERPETUAL ROSES. THE BE.ST ROSES OF 18G1 TO 1881. In a recent article I mentioned the best Roses of the last decade, those which I believe are held in the greatest estimation for exhibition purposes ; and I think when I say they are the best for that purpose, a grower who has no desire to become an exhibitor may without much risk of disappoint- ment also plant them for ordinary garden use, the only absolutely essential requisites being careful planting in the most suitable positions available and the winter protection of the more delicate varieties of the Tea class, the latter precaution being necessary unless a garden be situated to very exceptional advantage, which is of rare occur- rence. 1 now mention the best Rotes produced from 1801 to 1881 inclusive, those which are still considered of high merit for exhibition, and 1 only mention the best Roses because it is useless to recommend or repeat the names of many kinds which practical rosarians have long since dis- carded as being of slight value, or which in many cases have been superseded by better varieties introduced in recent years, and I also make a few remarks which may be of use to Rose tyros : — Name Abel Carriere . . iVlfred Colomb . . Alfred K. WiUiauas Annie Wood . . . Baroness Rothschild Beauty of Waltham Captaiu Christy . . Chai'les Lefeb\'Te . Comte de Raimhaud Countess of Oxford Duchess of Bedford Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Teck . . Dupuy Jamain . . Ei-lair I^tiuiiue Levet . . Ku<;dne Furst . . Fisher Holmes . . Fran(,'ois Michelou . Horace Vernet . . La France , . . Lord Macaiday . . Louis van Houtte . ihue. Gabriel Luizet JIme. Isaac Periere Mme. Moutet . . Marie Baumaun ]\Iarie Finsrer . . Mri. Jowitt . . . Paul Neron . . , Priile of Waltham . Prince Arthur . Priuce Camille de Rol Sultan of Zanzibar . Susanne M. Rodocaiiac Ulrich Brunner . Xavior Olibo . . -Vuna Olliner Uatheriue Mermet Comtesse de Nadail'.^c Comtesse Panisse . . Etoile de Lyon . Fraucisca Kruger Innoceute Pirola Jean Ducher .... Miuc. Cusin .... Mmo. LamharJ . . . Marie van Houtte . . Perle des Jar dins . . Souvenir de Paul Neroa Bouquet d'Or. . Caroline Kuster . Marechal Niel . Date Remarbs ISrS . A difficult Roje to grow ; a good dark red. 1865 . A variable, but good Rose ; rather too like Mario Bau- maun. ISr" . Shares with Charles Letehvrc the supremacy in dark reds. 1866 . Not always satisfactory. 1869 . A very beautiful, but scentless pink Rose ; indispensable iu a good collection. 1SC2 . A good grower aud stiU useful. 1873 . One of the most tantaUsing Roses— sometimes beauti- ful. 1861 . Has never yet been surpasFed. 1867 . A very tine dark Rose and a good grower. 1869 . A good, but variable Rose. 1879 . A very difficult Rose to grow ; beautiful colour. 1808 . Still maintains its high position ; best as au autumnal H.P. 1830 . Also a very good Rose ; very bright colour. 1868 . Very fine Rose ; won the N.R.S. medal at Crystal Palace, 1892. 188'$ . Very fine, dark red, but very difficult to grow. IHSl . Not always easy to grow successfully. 187.'j . A good grower aud a haudsome dark red Rose. 1865 . A good Rose ou heavy laud. 1871 . Very large, rose-coloured. 1866 . A splendid red Rose, iu form exquisite, but not easy to grow\ 1867 . One of Guillot's greatest triumphs, and second to none in sweetness and form. 180.'J . Still considered a valuable dark velvet Rose._ 1869 . Is not to he depended ou, but is worth growing. 1877 • Shares with La France the premier position for scent, aud is of an esqtiisite shade of pink. 188() . A very strong grower and very useful. 188(1 . Exquisite in colour and scent ; deserves to be better known, and is well worth growing. 1*63 . A universal favourite, beautiful colour, large, and sweet-scented. IS73 ■ A good Rose, rather like Pride of Waltham. 1880 . Difficult to grow well, hut has a maguiticent flower. 1869 . A giant amongst flowers ; grows well. 1881 . -V good Rose, and worth growing. ]8r5 . A good dark Rose. 1860 . Still maint.dns its position as one of the very best dark velvet Roses. 1876 . A good dark Rose, hut not easy to grow well. 1880 . A most beautiful Rose of a brilliant colour; it, unfor- tunately, lacks the quaUty of scent. 1831 . When first introduced considered perfection ; not now so highly thought of, as it is a coarse Rose. 1861 . Still stands in the front rank of dark red Roses. TEA ROSES. One of the best Tea Roses, and hardy. Is unsurpassed under glass, but although of a most ex- quisite colour and form, not easy to get of first-rate size out of doors. No Rose surpasses this one in its lovely tints of yellow tinged with copper, and its form is perfection. Of good form and of a flesh colour tinged with copper. I have grown this Rose for fourteen years ; it is only useful in a very warm dry season. Only U3?ful when grown under protfction. A deep yellow ; a good Rose in warm seasons. In my opinion the most beautiful of the cream-coloured Tea Roses, cf exquisite form and a good bloomer. Absolutely useless unless grown in a warm situation and protected from damp weather. A l)eautiful Rose, somewhat similar to Mme. de Watte- ville in colouring ; has become very popular in recent years. When of good form not easily surpassed. It is very re- markable for the nmnerous shades of colour its blooms assume. One of the most popular of the Teas and a very beauti- ful variety. A very hardy Tea Res;. N^t to be recommeaded for general use, as it is not always succedtful in the open. A good Rose and flowers freely; not always large enough for exhibition purposes. NOISETTE ROSES. Ducher . . . 1872 . A great improvement on its parent, Gloire de Dijon ; one of the hardiest of all Roses. Pernet . . . 1872 . A voty beautiful hght canary colour; does well with some rosarians. Our champion amateur grows and exhibits it especially well. Pradel . . . 1?61 . The finest yellow Rose which has ever been produced, but it is one of the varieties which require either a south wall or the protection of glass. Introduced by Verdter . Lacharme Schwartz Verdier . Pernet . W. Paul Lacharme Lacharme Roland . Guillot . Portans . Paul and Sou Paul and Sou , Jamain . . , Lacharme . . Lcvet . . Soupert . . Verdier . . . Levet. . . Gtullot . . . Guillot . . W. Paul . Lacharme . Liahaud . . Margottiu . Liahaud . Baumaun . Raimhaud . Cranston Levet . . Wm. Paul . , Beuj. Cant . , Verdier . . , Paid and Son Verdier . . Levet. . . , Lacharme . Ducher . . GuiUot . . . 1872 . 1869 Guillot . . . 1871 Nabonnand. . 1877 Guillot . . Nabonnand. Ducher . . . 1881 . 1879 . 1878 Ducher . . . 1874 Guillot . . . 1881 Lacharme . . 1877 Ducher . . . 1871 Levet. . . . 1874 Levet. . . . 1871 Febroary 11, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 107 By a comparison of the preceding varieties with tho-e named in luy article on the " Koses of the last decade. " [uiblished in your issue of December 10, l.S'.'L', it is evident that almost every good Kose which is now frequently seen at our great Rose exhibitions has been produced in the last three decades. In the foregoing list it will be noted that the French rosarians up to 1^81 were very markedly in advance of ours in the extent and superiority of their productions, but, as I have also shown by analysis on other occasions, our own rosarians since the year 1882 inclusive have made the most remarkable strides in the hybridisation and pro- duction of Roses. If the changes in the next quarter of a century be of the fame marked character as they have been in a similar period in the past, we may expect with our present experience and progress to find that England by that time will be the true country of her national fiower, and then we shall look to our own hybridisers alone for all our requirements in its cultivation. Croydon. C. J. Grahamb. Orchids. ORCHIDS AT BURFORD LODGE. The display of Deudrobiums here just now is marvellous, one side of a large house being full of rtowering plants. Noticeable were D. nobile in various forms, crassinode, the rare crassi- node album, Wardianum, and the tine species called primulmum. Amongst the hybrid forms there were fine varieties of D. Ainsworthi, Ains- worthi roseum, and splendidissimum. The Burford hybrids were numerous and very beau- tiful; amongst them especially noticeable is bur fordiense. I have seen this likened to a bad nobile, but there is nothing like nobile about it, whilst it is a very free bloomer. The sepals and petals are white, flushed with rosy pink at the tips, and the apex of the lip is also of the same colour. This, a specially noticeable plant, has for its parents D. heterocarpum and D. Linawianum, but the others, I believe, are all from D. Findleyanum. From these I have se- lected the follosving half-dozen kinds : In the form called pallens the flower is of a pure white, the tips of all the organs being marked with a faint tinge of lilac- mauve, and at the base of the lip just a suspicion of lemon-yellow. The plant is very free flowering. In striking con- trast to this stands a plant with larger flowers, the colours being very marked. The sepals and petals are white, tipped with rosy purple ; the lip is white, having its tip also bright rosy purple with a large blotch of deep maroon- crim- son, which is bordered with tawny yellow, into which the crimson runs in short streaks. It is acharming flower. D. chrysodiscus is another beautiful flower, but smaller than that of the previously named kind ; the sepals and petals white, flushed towards the upper partwithatinge of lilac ; the lip white, slightly tipped with lilac, the base having a blotch of rich yellow on which there is a small blotch of deep maroon- crimson. D. nielanodiscus is a very striking flower, white, the points of the segments faintly flushed with a rosy tinge, the lip ornamented with a large blotch of blackish purple, which has short radiating lines running out upon a faint sulphur-coloured zone. D. xanthocen- trum has the segments white, distinctly tipped with rosy lUac ; the white lip has a coloured tip and a distinct blotch of golden yellow, with a small dark blotch at the base. Besides these I noted the beautifully coloured D. nobOe Cook- soni, the charming D. Cassiope, the curious D. nobile Tollianum, good plants of the old D. Pierardi, the small green-flowered D. O'Brieni, and the pretty D. micans. These plants have grown well, as is shown by the size of the pseudo- bulbs, and each and all of them are flowering most profusely. This speaks well for their pot- ting and treatment, which Mr. White tells me has been somewhat dittereut from that usually carried out. For instance, the plants are not potted in peat, none of this material being used. They are potted wholly in Sphagnum Moss, into which the plants have rooted well. In the matter of water, Sir. White says he considers about twice in the week is quite often enough to look over the plants in the summer- time and once in the winter. The plants, if found to be dry, should have a good soaking. Of course, if at any time a plant may be noticed that is dry, water should at once be given it. Amongst Oattleyas, I noted that C. Percivali- ana was still in bloom, several fine forms being still in evidence. Several flowers of C. Triante were opening, whilst the pure white Trian;e alba had several blooms open ; Lselia harpo- phylla was just opening its brilliantly coloured flowers, and La'lia anceps Veitchi was just past. These white forms of L. anceps, Mr. White tells me, have been very good this season. Cy- pripediums are a very great feature in this collection, and here I saw in flower the fine form of C. Morganiie, which was raised by Mr. Spyers and named burfordiense, a heavily spotted and a highly-coloured form of this grand variety ; C. leucorrhodum was also grand. 0. Elliottianum and C. Rothschildianum were both promising well. A seedling, a cross be- tween C. niveum and C. superbiens, having something of the colour of C. Marshallianuni, but yet distinct and beautiful, was also in flower. C. Stonei platytainium is growing robustly, and I hope to see it blooming shortly. The Masdevallias were looking remarkably well. Some few are now flowering, the chief being good plants of M. ignea, which is always bright and cheerful ; M. Hincksi, whose flowers change colour as they age ; the giant M. macrura and M. Heathi, which appears some- thing like M. Veitchi, but lacking the beautiful shading of purple which is so conspicuous in that species. Other Orchids in flower were Angr;ecum eburneum, A. pellucidum, the latter with flowers of a creamy yellow, not of the translucent white which I have usually seen in this species ; Ansellia lutea, Vanda tricolor in different coloured varieties, the fine form of Ada aurantiaca, the small, but beautiful Onci- dium Phal;enopsis, and Cymbidium Lowianum ; the fragrant Maxillaria Lehmanni, which comes very near to M. grandiflora ; the leaves, how- ever, ajipear to be narrower and the flowers larger, the sepals and petals pure white, the pouch-like lip .stained and veined on the out- side with rich chocolate-brown, the front lobe being pale yellow. The curious Pleurothallis Roezli, a remarkable species of this genus, having a long raceme, which bears numerous pendent flowers of a very deep claret colour, having a large, hairy, tongue-like lip, was also in bloom. Wji. Hugh Gower. Orchids from Cheltenliam. — From Mr. Cypher comes a Dice gathering of Orchids, includ- ing a very highly-coloured Dendrobium nobile nobilius. It is triily a noble form of this fine plant. Next comes a flower of the pure white Lycaste Skinneii alba, which I recognise as being exactly like the form I flowered in the collection of Messrs. Jai-kson at Kingston in 1856, but it is not the best variety I have seen. It measures (j inches across, but the sepals are somewhat narrow, and hence' the flower appears starry. Oncidium Cavendishianum is a plant which is not seen so fre- quently as it deserves : the flowers are very showy, the lip being lich yellow, the sepals and petals greenish yellow spotted with crimson ; the spike urows from 2 feet to 3 feet in height, and bears numerous fragrant flowers. It is nearly sixty years since it was flrst found by Mr. Skinner. Among the forms of Zygopetalum which come to hand the most notable are Z. crioitum and Z. rostratnm. The latter Mr. Cypher tells me has been blooming for the last three months. Oncidium l'hala;nop>is is always a charming flower, as also is Odontoglos- sum blandum, especially such a fine spike which is branched and bears twenty-two of its very highly fragrant flowers. The flowers sent for L;elia acu- minata alba are not the variety alba, but the typical plant, and its risjht name is L. rubescens, the sepals and petals of which are white, the lip also stained with creamy yellow in front, ami with a deep rose-coloured blotch at the base. In the variety alba this blotch of colour is entirely want- ing. The Cattleya chocoensis is a fine form with the flowers more expanded than usual, the sepals and petals pure white, the lip having a broad blotch of magenta in front, and the throat marked with orange. Some grand flowers of Dendrobium Leechianum make up the lot; this very fine hybrid approaches splendidissimum, but it is rather nar- rower in its sepals and petals, which are white tipped with rosy mauve, and a large rich purple blotch on the lip. — W. G. NEW ORCHIDS CERTIFICATED IN 1892. DtlBiNG the past year there has been no lack of Or- chids to which either a first class certificate or an ;iward of merit was given. Although theCypripe- diums of Irybrid origin have been perhaps the most plentiful, I think they must for once yield the pride of pl.Tca as regards distinctive merit to the splendid Cattleya or La:lio-Catlleya hybrids shown from time to time, and for whicli Orchid lovers are greatly indebted to the firm of Messrs. Veitch and Sons, who are still pre-eminent in the raising of hybrids of all kinds of Orchids to which they have turned their attention for this purpose. In January were shown La;lio -Cattleya Cassiope {C. exoniensis x L. pumila), a grand hybrid of compact growth, the flower large in proportion thereto, and of a rosy crimson colour ; Epidendrum Endresio-Wallisi, its origin denoted by its name, which was shown again at the recent meeting; La3lia purpurea (Lucas's var ), a fine form of this species, deeper also in colour ; L. anceps Ballan- tiniana, a grand variety, the lip particularly fine ; Cypripedium Calypso (Spicerianum :< Boxalli), a very fine cross of vigorous habit and splendid flowers ; C. gigas (Lawrenceanum x Harrisiamim), the dorsal sepal of which is remarkably fine; C. enfieldiense (Hookers; x Lawrenceanum), an- other distinct hybrid with richly coloured flowers; Odontoglo-sum Ro-ssi albens, a pale form of a well-known Orchid. In February the following were shown : Odonto- gloFSum crispum nobilius, a grand form of this lovely species, one of the finest yet seen ; 0. Pes- catorei Schrrcderianum, a richly marked form, very distinct ; Cypripedium Juno (B'airrieanum x callosum), an extra dark hybrid, and an ac- quisition in its colour; Zygopetalum leucochilum (Burkei x Mackavi), a superior and distinctly marked hybrid, the lip very fine; Cypripedium Hera (Boxalli x Leeanum), as distinct a cross as could well be obtained, having the good properties of both parents; Lycaste Youngi, flowers of medium size, rich golden yellow in colour ; Odontoglossum loplocon, the flowers small and of a dark purple shade; Cypripedium Ceres (hirsutissimum X Spicerianum), a dark and vigorous hybrid ; Den- drobium Casfiope (japonicum x nobile albiflorum), a lovely hybrid with pure white flowers, save a claret-coloured blotch on the lip; Cypripedium in- signe (Cambridge Lodge var.), a distinct form ; Dendrobium splendidissimum Leeanum, a superior variety of a good Orchid. In March the following varieties all require notice: Odontoglossum Pescatorei (Jackson's var.), a very richly coloured dark variety ; Cypripedium lanthe, a very distinct hybrid, appearing to have an aftinity with C. barbatum ; C. Brysa (Sedeni 108 THE GARDEN. [February 11, 1893. candidulum x Boissierianum), which is a marked acquisition to its class ; Dendrobium Phalsenopsis Schrccderianum (Shipley Hall var.), a decidedly- fine form of this, a most variable Orchid, the colouring very rich indeed. Another and quite a pale variety was also shown at the same time and from the same source called delioatum. Moorea irrorata (Rolfe), a very novel and distinct Orchid, not unlike a Peristeria iu form ; Dendrobium In- fundibulum (Cassio Bridge var.), a superior form, otherwise not differing from the species, were also shown. During April the following were shown : Cypri- pedium Chamberlainianum, a very remarkable and distinct species, which created a deal of interest amongst Orchid growers present ; it is now so well known as to need no further comment, save to say that by the frequency of its appearance later in the season it appears to be a free-flowering kind; C. Lawrebel (Lawrenceanum x bellatulum), a singular and very distinct cross between two species far removed from each other, the colour of the spots of the last-named parent suffusing the entire flower, thus making it darker even than in the other parent ; Dendrobium Euryclea (Wardi- anum x lituiflorum), a choice and very distinct hybrid of rich colour, fine in size and form, being a decided acquisition ; Odontoglossum Pescatorei (Linden's var.), a very vigorous variety, bearing some appearance to O. crispum in size and form, but with the markings of its type ; Cypripedium Swin- burnianum, a very dark variety of distinct appear- ance, probably an imported species ; Lselio-Cattleya Jlarriottiana (C. Skinneri x L. flava), a hybrid with tlie habit of the latter and more of the features of the former parent in the flowers; Cattleya Bur- berrvana (imbricata x superba), a choice and beautiful hybrid, pale pink in colour, with the form of C. superba ; Odontoglossum Wendlandi- anum, after the style of O. Andersonianum ; Odon- toglossum Owenianum, a very distinct Odontoglot in its markings, paler in colour than some, but beau- tiful ; Oncidium Gravesianum, which comes near to Oncidium crispum in its habit and in the colour of its flowers, but is, nevertheless, quite distinct from it ; Cattleya Philo (iricolorxMossiie), a choice hybrid, intermediate between the two species, having the form of the first named with the colour of the latter parent ; Cypripedium Exul, also shown as C. insigne siamense, which would probably still have been its better name, as de- noting its relation to that species. In May there were a condderable number of exhibits as follows: Cattleya Victoria Regina, a remarkably fine imported species, of vigorous growth and great freedom of flowering, as denoted by the old bulbs, the colour a rosy pink suffused with violet, the lip much darker renders it a very distinct variety ; Lselio-Cattleya Phoebe (C. Mossise X L. cinnabarina), a lovely hybrid, coming very near to, if not identical withL. Hippolyta(Veitch), the colour a rich apricot, partaking greatly of its Lajlia parentage in this respect ; La3ha Latona (L. purpurata X L. cinnabarina)— this handsome hybrid has an even deeper shade of apricot than the foregoing. These two singularly attractive hybrids were quite the features of this meeting, causing an immense amount of attention to be be- stowed upon them. Cattleya Philo var. albiflora, a pale, bat lively form of a hybrid just previously no- ticed ; Cattleya Mendeli (Quorndon House var.), an almost pure white, is very chaste and beautiful. In the same month at the Temple show the follow- ing were the certificated varieties : Phaius Sander- ianus, as vigorous as P. grandiflorus, with even larger flowers, very distinct in its colouring, espe- cially in the lip, which is mostly white, whilst the rest of the flower is brown; Odontoglossum cris- pum SanderiB, a very fine form, rosy crimson in its shading, a choice variety ; 0. Bleui splendidissi- mum (vexillarium x Roezli), the flowers large, p ire in colour, with traces of both parents, very distinct ; 0. Lowryanum, a vigorous looking v.iriety, bearing a fine large spike ; Cypri- pedium southgatense, a very dark variety with some affinity to C. bellatulum ; C. Vipan (C. laivigatura x C. niveum), a beautiful hybrid be- tween these distinct species, pure white with veinings of a rosy purple ; Cattleya Mendeli (Cookson's var.), very large and fine, almost ap- proaching C. gigas in size, rich in colour ; C. Cham- berlainianum excellens, a lighter form ; Cymbidium Lowianum viride, which is minus the dark crimson stripes on the lip ; La;lia purpurata Hindleyana, a large and fine form with broad lip ; Odontoglossum Wilckeanum nobilius, a pale, but lovely variety. In June was shown Warscewiczella Lindeni, a singularly beautiful pure white variety. Cypripe- dium Alice (C. Spicerianum x Stonei) is a clear proof of the facility of hybridising in the Slipper family, the parents being totally dissimilar in all respects ; the offspring is a hand- some variety; the former parent leaves its trac- ing in the dorsal sepal, as might be expected, the rest of the flower tending largely towards C. Stonei. Lajlia grandis tenebrosa, an extra fine variety of a grand Orchid, deeper in colour; Odontoglossum crispum Wolstenholmiie, an ex- tremely handsome light form, the spike large ; and 0. crispum Rex, another quite unique va- riety, very richly marked, were all remarkably fine. Sobralia Lucasiana is a species of very dwarf growth with pale coloured flowers, dis- tinct. Cattleya Empress Frederick (Dowiana x Mossije), as might be expected from two such parents, is a grand hybrid, probably the finest hybrid Cattleya yet raised ; the lip deep velvety purple, the sepals and petals pure white. Cat- tleya Amesia^ has extra large flowers, the lip only having a yellow blotch, the rest of the flower pure white. Cattleya princeps, resembling C. granulosa, but with more colour; Dendrobium Souvenir d'Alec, a pure while variety of D. trans- parens ; Cattleya Warneri marmorata, distinct in that the sepals and petals are prettily marbled ; Oncidium lanceanum var., a very dark form of this old variety ; Grammatophyllum Seegerianum, which bore a strong spike, the flowers freely spotted on a light ground ; Cypripedium Tele- machus (Lawrenceanum x niveum), the flowers of which incline much towards the first-named parent, the colour, however, being richer; in the growth one could see C. niveum tracings ; Lailia purpurata (The Dell var.), the lip of which is of a bronzy red rather than purple, were also note- worthy. Orchis. SHORT NOTES.— OBCBIBa. Ijaslia anceps Sanderiana (Mr. Ro^er.s).— This appears to be the name of your variety; it is very much ill the way of Dawsoni, but is I think a little inferior to that plaut in the rieliuess and colour oi its lip. — G. Oncidium leucochilum (T. .Tohnstnn). — This is the name of your specimen, and it is a very fine va- riety. Th-) present flower, from a spike 6 feet long, has the fepaU aud petals greenish yellow, profusely barred with dark chocolate. The flowers last a long time in perfection. The plant thrives b^st in the cool house.— W. Disa incarnata. — Messrs. W. L. Lewis and Co., of Southgate, send me a nic3 spike of bloom of this ele- gant little plant. The »pike is many-flowered, the blooms being of a deep coral-red, more or less dotted with reddish crimson. This plant is a native of Mada- gascar, but I do not know of what particular jxrrt. The Messrs. Lewis treat it to a warm temperature. — W. IJ. G. Oncidium Cavendishianum (J. Osu-ald).— This is a very fine variety of this plant, and having specimens from various corresponJeuts I am enabled to eunipare them ; the flower is rather larger than usual, and the ground colour of the sepals and petals is of as bright a yellow almost as the lip. The sepals aud petals are thickly spotted with crimson, whilst; the lip is clear bright yellow. — W. uninjured, the large examples of this graceful Bamboo having been little touched by winter frosts. The heavy masses of rich green growth are remarkably effective, and in the variety striata we get a distinct variegation. This is a fine hardy Bamboo, and the same may be said of B. viridis glaucescens. A large group of this is delightful in the garden and hardy, it is one of the most elegant and pleasing of the Bamboos. B. nigra is very dense in growth, and seems little touched by the weather. Although less elegant than such a form as B. viridis glaucescens, it is a handsome kind, the leaves of a full green colour. One labelled Phyllostachys barabusoides has made splendid growth, the leafage pale green, spread- ing, and very handsome. It is apparently very hardy. A graceful Bamboo is B. Quilioi, com- pact, and forming a fine mass. Two of the most interesting kinds are B. tessellata (synonymous with B. Ragamowski) and B. Veitchi. Both are dwarf in growth, spreading out in a dense mass. The former has superb leaves, fully 4 inches broad and 14 inches in length, the colour full rich green. At Kew the plants form a bold group and have a telling appearance. Those who wish for a good dwarf Bamboo should make a careful note of this kind. B. Veitchi is of similar habit and a charm- ing species. The leaves are broad, not so long as in B. tessellata, rich green with a deep creamy white margin — a distinct and bold contrast. Its variegation is not weak, as we get a rich contrast — deep green against creamy white. Garden Flora. Bamboos at Kew. — An interesting feature in the Royal Gardens is a plantation of Bpmboos in the lower part of the grounds near the Rhodo- dendron walk, and a few types have stood the recent severe weather. The well-known Bambusa Metake is full of health and vigour, and repre- sented by several fine masses. B. Simini is also PLATE 896. THE SCARLET MARIPOSA LILY. (with a coloured I'LATE of calochortus KENNEDYI.*) The genus Calochortus, although a large and very important one, numbering over thirty good species and numerous varieties, has not been so popular with the growers of hardy plants as it deserves to be. So far as our experience goes, the Mariposa Lilies are perfectly hardy in English gardens, easily cultivated, and when well done, few hardy flowers are more beautiful or interesting. Some of the species, the venus- tus forms especially, are very richly marked. The Calochorti may be managed year after year by simply lifting when the stems die down, well drying otf in a light airy place, and replanting in autumn. They require a light sandy soU and a sunny position, a southern exposed border for preference, as here the bulbs get ripened before lifting, and never fail to give an abund- ance of bloom. The subject of our coloured illustration, C. Kennedyi, first described in Coulter's Butanical (ia-^Me, ii., 7!>, and found in Kern County, Cali- fornia, iu the spring of 1870 by W. L. Kennedy, is the most brilliant and striking of all the Calochorti known to us ; the dazzling scarlet of the flowers suggests the iodide of mercury, and as the plant proves to be what is called a good doer, it is certain to become popular. It has proved perfectly hardy in England, the bulbs having been in the open border during the last three winters, and flowers have been produced in abundance during the summer. It grows about 18 inches high. The flowers are pro- duced in umbels of four or five, the outer seg- ments being pale green on the outside, with white scirious margins. The inside is brilliant scarlet-red, the inner segments also brilliant scarlet except for a purple spot just above the base, bearded with a few tufted hairs ; the • Drawn for The Garden in the Royal Gardens, Kew, by Champion Jones, July 0, 1892. Lithographed and printed by GuUlavune Severeyna. THE CAT, '.T.N CALOCHORtUS KENNEDYI FfiBRDARY 11, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 109 anthers are dark purplo. It is by far the most brillianf member of the genus wo have seen, and although increasing slowly by offsets, it is likely to produce seed freely. It is figured in the Bolauical ^[to| r.nir, tab. 7L'(54, A full des- cription of the cultivated species w.is published in The Gakdex of February 13, 18'Jl.', oo which readers can refer. D. K. The Week's Work. ORCHIDS. Taking a careful look around the Orchid houses this morning, I find many things requiring atten- tion. The Masdevallias, especially the pretty little M. tovarensis, may be increased to a large extent by division. The plants it is intended to divide should be turned out of their flower-pots or the pans in which they have been grown. Remove all the loose decayed compost from the roots and gently pull the plants to pieces with the fingers. Repot them quickly and do not use large pots for them. All or nearly all the Masdevallias can readily be propagated by division, and it may now be done. M. igne.a and others are throwing up their ilowers, and, of course, in their case it would be well not to disturb them. Choice Cattleyas and Lselias may be increased by division if it is neces- sary to do so. The process is very simple, but rather slow. The growth of such plants consists of a succession of pseudo-bulbs formed year after year. A plant may have only one "lead," as it is termed, and in that case it will go on year after year, producing one each year, the back bulbs remaining dormant, although buds or incipient growths maybe seen at the base of most of them. These buds seldom start into growth as long as they are con- nected by the rhizomes to the leading growth, but if the rhizome is severed in front of one ot these back growths, the bud at its base will start to grow, and in the course of two seasons will form an independent plant. The cut must not be made too close to the leading growth. It is better that at least three bulbs should be left behind the leading growth. A good time to perform the operation is just before the plants start to grow. Larger plants with several leads may be cut in more places than one. When Cattleyas or Lselias are very vigorous they will sometimes pro- duce two growths from one "lead. All this care is necessary only in the case of choice varieties. It is cheaper to purchase imported plants of the commoner species than it is to propagate them. The back growths after removal must not be dis- turbed until they have made a year's growth. It is very interesting amusement for the amateur to raise seedlings. The hybridisation of Orchids is not at alia difficult process, especially with the larger- flowered species. The pollen masses can readily be found at the top of the column, and a little lower the part where the pollen grains should be placed is distinguished by the glutinous substance on its surface. It is very easy to get seed-pods upon Cattleyas and Laelias, but the plants when obtained take a long time to grow into a flowering size. Perhaps the best class of Orchids for ama- teurs to begin with is the Calaothes ; the seed- pods ripen quickly, and when the seeds are sown they soon vegetate, and produce flowering plants. I have sometimes suggested to amateurs when they have been inspecting our Orchids that they should turn their attention to the raising of seedlings, but have generally been met with the reply that they have not patience to wait. Ac- cording to this view of the matter, there is no pleasure in growing Orchids unless they are in flower ; whereas to a true lover of the plants, the interest in them never ceases, and in the produc- tion ot seedling plants there is a ceaseless round of instruction and pleasure from the time the flower collapses, after it has been pollenised, until the seedling blooms. Those who are dealing with seedlings need to keep a sharp look-out amongst them. The seed is usually sown on the surface of the compost in which the other plants are grow- ing, and the tiny seedlings are sometimes smoth- ered in the Sphagnum, or they will perish if too much exposed upon a wedge of dry fibrous peat, so that the right place comes to be the medium be- tween the two. A little Sphagnum is necessary to protect them ; too much may smother them. In less than a year after the young plants appear they may be taken from their seed-bed and be transferred to very tiny flower-pots, and when in a small state some of them may require to be re- potted twice a year — all of them once a year. They seem to delight in fresh peat and Sphagnum. A careful watch must be kept against slugs, and baits of Carrots or Potatoes should be set if any of these marauders are thought to bo in the vicinity. As 1 write these lines we are surface-dressing with clean freshly-gathered Sphagnum, Vandas. Aerides, and Angrsecums. Before doing so, as much of the old rotten stuff as can be removed is taken away, as also are the old potsherds and charcoal, both being much sodden by wet. The fresh mate- rial— clean washed Sphagnum, new potsherds, and fresh charcoal — is carefully worked in amongst the roots without injuring them. Sometimes it is necessary to repot some of them by cutting off a portion from the ba=e of the main stem and letting the plants deeper into the pots. This is frequently necessary with some of the Vandas, as they have a tendency to lose their lower leaves, even with all the care some of the best growers can bestow upon them. In the best managed collections certain plants will not progress so freely as others ; one or two will get into bad condition and be left far in the rear by their more healthy vigorous neigh- bours, and when it is seen that a plant which can easily be replaced is in a very bad state, it is far better to destroy it. In the case of a choice plant, of which it is not possible to obtain another, if it gets info poor condition every effort must be made to bring it round again. I have had good results by washing the roots of such a plant and replant- ing it in a smaller clean flower-pot. J. Douglas. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Laege Leeks. — If large or early Leeks are re- quired the seeds will have to be sown now thinly in a pan, which should be placed on a gentle hotbed or in a slightly heated pit. As soon as the seed- lings are large enough pot them off singly into 3-inch pots, the soil being loam with a part each of leaf -mould and decayed cow manure rubbed up finely. Plunge the pots in a gentle hotbed, which will cause the seedlings to grow freely. As soon as fairly rooted repot into ti-inch pots, using the same kind of soil, but rougher. Plunge the pots again, giving them plenty of space. When the plants are well rooted feed up with liquid manure, that made from fresh cow manure and soot being the best. Keep the lights over them until the early part ot May. ventilation being given accord- ing to the weather. Forced Turnips. — Turnips may be forced readily with ordinary care, and come in very useful at a time when a change is very desirable. Even with a good supply on hand of old Turnips an attempt should always be made to have young roots. What is wanted is a gentle hotbed from 2 feet to 30 inches deep, with a fertile rooting medium. On this place a two or three light frame, which if deep should have other litter placed inside. This with Ij inches or 8 inches of fertile soil will bring the surface well up to the glass. The seeds should be sown very thinly in drills, and directly the seed- lings appear give air according to the weather, as Turnips will not stand hard forcing or a close, high temperature. Later on ventilation must be applied more freely, and during the warmer part of fine days the lights may be drawn off altogether. The soil must always be kept in a fairly moist state or the Turnips will not be gocd. Early Milan is a good varie'y for forcing. FoHW.'VRDiNG Turnips without the aid of GLASS. — Before it was the custom to forward Tur- nips under glass it was done with an open air hot- bed, and may be resorted to where frames are scarce. A bed should be marked out 1 feet in width and of any desired length in a sheltered and sunny spot, and the soil taken out to the depth ot a foot and placed on each side. Inside this space place the fermentimg materi.Tl, which should be trodden in firmly. A layer of fertile soil must be spread over the surface and pressed down lightly with the back of a fork. On this sow the seeds tliinly, and cover the surface with a thin film of long litter. Directly the seedlings appear take off the litter, and for affording protection at night- time and during inclement weather cover the whole surface over with mats or dressed canvas, which should be removed during the daytime unless the weather s-hould be unfavourable. jBKUs.iLEM Artichokes. — These having been left in the ground during the winter to preserve the flavour, it is advisable that the whole should now be taken up and sorted over both for further use and planting. Those for use should be either placed in a very cool shed or covered over with clean soil behind a north wall. Allowing them to grow naturally without replanting is not the best method, as they do not gain that size they other- wise do when means are taken to cultivate them properly. It is not at all necessary to devote an open position to them, as they will succeed very well in partial shade. They will also succeed in the same position year after year if the ground is annually well manured. After the tubers are taken up I give a good dressing of old tan and leaf soil, a little also being sprinkled along the drills at the time of planting. Plant them similarly to Potatoes in rows 3 feet apart. One or two rows 80 yards in length are sufficient. Forming fresh Rhubarb plantations. — Not only for increasing stock for forcing, but fur general use, it is not advisable to allow the stools to remain too long in one place, as after a time the produce declines in vigour, and it is not of that quality obtained from younger roots. The p'anta- tion ot Rhubarb should be well open to the sun. For forcing this position is very essential, to ensure the crowns ripening off early. Rhubarb being a gross feeder, the site for the bed must be deeply worked and well manured. The best time for planting is just as the eyes commence to burst, as these form roots and start away at once. Large pieces are not needed, in fact it is an error to use them, as they do not take to the soil so kindly as the smaller roots. The ground being ready for planting, cut the stools into pieces of two or three eyes, rejecting those with a rounded appearance, these being flowering stems. Plant out in rows 3 feet or 4 feet apart, allowing an extra foot between the rows. Arrange the eyes ju.st beneath the surface, pressing the soil well around them. After planting, mulch with short litter and leave them alone. Donot attempt to pull any stems the first season, as this would weaken the plants. The next season pull the stems as required. Plants intended for forcing should be left alone for two years. Hawke's Champagne is a capital variety for forc- ing and of excellent quality, it also being the best for pulling early in the open. Victoria is the best main crop variety. Old plant.^tions.— a good dressing of rotten manure should now be spread about the crowns, the stems rising all the better for this timely aid. A little clean litter should be spread over the crowns of the earliest as a protection from frost. Pots and boxes may be placed over others, these being surrounded with dry li'.ter if the weather should not be favourable for growth taking place without other aid. A. Young. FRUIT HOUSES. Earliest Grape.'?. — Pot A'ines. notably those grown last season from ■■ cut-backs," broke evenly and strongly, but not so those grown into a fruiting size straight from eyes. Older Vines planted out also present a somewhat irregular appearance, some of the laterals having taken a decided lead. In order to check all such strong early breaks, which are apt to develop at the expense of later breaks, their points should be pinched out as 110 THE GARDEN. [February 11, 1893 soon as this can possibly be done, stopping at the first joint beyond the first strong bunch that shows. In 1 he case of there being no bunches on ll ese extra strong leads, and this sometimts hajipens, pull them clean out of their sockets, and trust to later breaks to produce bunches. This t'mely attention diverts the sap to the more weakly shoots, an improvement in the vigour quickly becoming apparent. It may be necef.?ary '^to stop a few shoots every day. and the process of removing superfluous buds should also be timely and carried out piecemeal. Should the bunches all run to tendrils or be lost from other causes, an occurrence that has to be reckoned with in some localities, completely denude the rods of young shoots, and if the next break only gives a few bunches, it will be better than a complete failure, while no harm will be done if the second break also fails to give a crop of bunches. Pot Vinfs that are to be trained up the roof ought always to lie uncoiled and properly fastened to the wire before the shoots are far advanced in growl h, or it will not be possible to straighten the latter. Permanent rods should be early slung straight up the roof, allowing about a third of their length to drop down considerably till it is seen that the lower shoots are nearly as strong as those near the ends. In order to run no risk of snapping oS strong laterals it will be advisable in many cases to merely sling the rods loosely to the wires, deferring tying them up closely till after the flowering period when they will stand a litile rough treat- ment. Keep Vines with their roots in pots or con- fined to small borders well supplied with weak liquid manure in preference to occasional strong doses of the same, and now is a good time to give a rich top-dressing. Supposing the night temperature at the start was kept at from 50° to 55°, with from 5° to 10° increase in the daytime, these figures may now be advanced from 5° to 10° all round, the higher figures being recommended for mild weather. On bright days ventilate so as to keep the temperature at about 75°, closing early enough to run the heat up to 80°, overhead syring- ing and damping down being resorted to as before. When the flowering peiiod arrives the night tem- perature should be kept at about 60°, a little air being given early in the evening, a fall of 5° on very cold nights not being injurious, SuccESf3lONAL AND LATE VINES. — Early in Feb- ruary is a good time to start successional Vines and Muscats generally, the produce from the former being fit for use, without much hard forcing, dur- ing July ; while if Muscats are well ripened by the end of August, they will usually keep plump and good till mid-winter or later. Be content to start with rather low figures, the night temperature ranging from 50° to 55°, rising to 60° or 65°, ac- cording to outside conditions on dull days ; while no harm will be done if there is an increase of 10° on these figures on warm, bright days. Maintain a moist atmosphere, freely syringing the rods two or three times daily, and the walls and floors at the same time. Disbud early, so as to prevent any waste of energy, and attend closely to the stopping as advised in the case of early Grapes, If Black Hamburgh or Madresfield Court is desired late in the season, or say from October to mid-winter, set the house containing these wide open, a few de- grees of frost doing good rather than otherwise, and do not keep it any warmer till the buds are bursting. Retarding them in this fashion may necessitate a free use of fire-heat in the autumn in order to thoroughly ripen both the wood and crop, but it is the only way of having them late, short of forcing a second crop out of the rods in less than eighteen months, and which they will only stand once. If there are any bunches hang- ing on the late Vines, cut and bottle these at once. All the pruning ought now to be completed, the rods being put into good order for starting afresh, the glass and woodwork cleaned and the walls white-washed. Keep the houses quite cool, a sharp frost not being excluded, the Vines starting all the stronger for this enforced rest. The fii-st week in March would be a good time to start them into active growth, Melon.s. — Plants raised early in January are very feeble, there not being sufficient light and sunshine to strengthen them. All the same, good care must be taken of them — at any rate, if ripe fruit is wanted in April. Before they are at all root-bound, shift from small-sized into 6-inch pots, using nothing but strong fibrous loam previously warmed. Keep them in brisk heat and raised well up to the glass. Their fruiting quarters should be got ready at once. For the earliest crops pot culture answers best, pots ranging from 13 inches to 1 7 inches in diameter being suitable, though Melons can be successfully grown in still smaller ones. Rather strong clayey loam with or without any fibre in it, to every bushel of which is added a 6- inch potful of bone-meal and the same quanlity of slaked lime, is a very good mixture, or better than anything else that can be recommended for Melons. Plunge the pots in a hotbed of leaves or leaves and manure, drain lightly. and fill with the soil soon enough for this to get well warmed through by the timetheplantsare ready forplanting in it. Early Melons being expected to produce fruit at the first break do not require much room, and the pots may therefore be ranged closely together. If preferred, a ridge of soil may be placed along a hotbed in a forcing house, or even on a slate staging not far from the hot-water pipes, the plants being turned out into this 18 inches apart in the row. Those who adopt the plan of sowing seed in -i-inch pots partly filled with soil, giving the plants a top- dressing of loam when well into rough leaf, should have plants quite strong enough for placin_g direct where they are to fruit. Always plant rather high with a view to keeping the collars well above the rest of the ridge of soil, this being a good preven- tive of canker. More seed of approved varieties should now be sown, the plants, and which are certain to be much stronger than any raised earlier in the year, being made to produce ripe fruit in May or early in June, ilelons delight in plenty of heat, the night temperature ranging at about 70°, with a rise of from 5° to 10° in the daytime, this being accompanied with plenty of atmospheric moisture. Given a good light position, there is little likelihood of the plants growing too spindly, even if no air is given for some time to come. Peactical. PLANT HOUSES. Stoves.— Gbkeral potting, &c. — This work should now receive attention, but prior to making a start, it is quite necessary to have all needful materials in readiness. The preparation of soils has been alluded to previously ; these should be got into the warmth of the stove, or a house nearly approaching to it in temperature. It is not many of us who are favoured with heated potting sheds; therefore, at this season the place best suited for repotting stove plants is in the house itself. This can be done with good management so as not to occasion any inconvenience, A movable potting bench is a very handy thing and saves a lot of trouble and mess also ; it need not be a large one, as various mixtures of soil can be made away from it. If the pots be new ones, they should have a few hours' soakirg previously ; it is surprising what an amount of water they will absorb. Use no pots that are still wet from the cleansing they have had. In repotting, one general mistake is that of overpotting ; there is nothing rational in this ; it does not tend to the building-up of a permanent plant. It may hasten growth, it is true, in the case of very free and quick-growing plants, but there will come a time of reckoning later on with the roots around the sides of the pots, the more central portion destitute of them, and consequently soured by repeated waterings. Flowering plants. — Plants of a deciduous character may in most instances be considerably reduced at the root when it is not desirable to increase the size of the pots. Thus, Allamandas, Bougainvilleas and the Clerodendrons (climbing varieties) may be sufiicienlly reduced when in fairly large pots to allow of sufficiently fresh soil for them to re-occupy the same size again. Even if potting these plants into larger pots, it is advis- able to reduce somewhat so as to encourage a more even break of fiesh roots. Such plants as the Clerodendrons (shrubby varieties) should be con- siderably reduced, and then be repotted into smaller pots. Plants for instance that have occupied pots 12 inches or 14 inches in diameter may be put into those of 8 inches and 10 inches, being re-potted later on as may be found necessary. The stove Vincas come under the same treatment as the foregoing type of Clerodendrons both of which are rarely seen in first-rate condition now. If they be given too much root room at the start it is seldom they do so well, but give them two or three shifts so that the roots are obliged to lay hold of the soil as they grow, then may these fine flowering plants be grown most successfully. Ever- green or semi-evertrreen plants should be more carefully dealt with in repotting, Ixoras, for instance, should be potted if possible into larger pots with but little reduction at the roots. If they liave to be reduced to again occupy the same size of pots, then the pruning of the shoots should correspond with that of the roots. Rather than reduce them too much, I prefer to grow on a young stock, Dipladenias need to be dealt with cautiously ; if not, the plants will receive a check. Do not pot these plants just forthe sake of potting them; if in need of a shift give it them, but only a moderate one ; if not needed let them alone. Where the soil is sour so as to require any reduction at the roots the work should be done cautiously, so as to preserve as many as possible of the roots. Gardenias may very well be treated in a similar way to the Ixoias, save in the ease of the early flowering plants. These latter should not be touched until they have flowered, when after pruning (where needed) they can be started afresh, Francisceas come under the same category as the Ixoras, but Hoyas will thrive well for several years without any fresh potting wh,atever ; in fact they often flower best when pot-bound. Small or growing plants of Medinilla magnifica should be potted on, large ones being left as they are for the same reason as in the case of the Gardenias, It is never advisable to reduce the Stephanotis to any extent, but pot on if possible. Large plants if potted well will last for three or four years in good condition. There is plenty of time to re-establish the Tabernsemontanas before they flower, but if overpotted they often grow too luxuriantly, Til- landsias, Vriesias, and Billbergias should all be treated like Pine-apples as to potting, sive that much smaller pots will suffice for them. The Ron- deletias are very fine plants when well grown ; they only need to be potted when of good size every second or third year, they being plants with very fine roots. Soils and pruning. — The soil in the majority of the cases cited should consist of peat and loam, using leaf-mould also, or in place of the former when dealing with such fast-growing subjects as Ailamandas, Ixoras, Dipladenias and Rondeletias should all have good fibrous peat, so should the Bromeliads and Hoyas, the only other addition being sand with charcoal (nutty) if the peat be not over-fibrous. Pot firmly and well in every case; work done properly in the way of potting lays the foundation for future success. In the case of all plants that have been kept dry through the winter, a soaking should be given previous to potting, as in the case of Ailamandas, for instance. Pruning should all be done in advance of the potting ; to withhold the knife in some cases is a mis- take altogether, whilst in others it is needful to be more cautious, Bougainvillea glabra, Vincas and Ailamandas all bear hard pruning, so does the shrubby section of Clerodendrons, with the Hibis- cus family, and that most severely. Other climbers require a more moderate treatment, thinning out rather than a general pruning. The Rondeletias, to flower them well, require to be hard pruned when a well-formed plant has been obtained ; this fact often escapes notice in their treatment. Fran- cisceas, the Tabermvmontan.as, and the Medinillas must be dealt with after flowering, a fre^h growth afterwards being made for another year, J, Hudson. February 11, 1893.] THE GARDEN 111 Flower Garden. THE ROCK GARDEN. Prepakatoky Work. Whether our rock garden is to be on a large scale or of modest proportious, a certain amount of preparatory work will at all times be neces- sary. The extent of such work must vary, of course, according to the site chosen. If the selected ground is already an irregular pit or dell, little preparation will be required beyond taking off the surface soil, ensuring perfect drainage, and perhaps making a few recesses to increase the irregularity. The ex- cjivated good surface soil and that of inferior quality should, of course, be kept separate, and though both kinds may be again required for raising other portions of the ground, it will at all times be found an advantage not to deposit this soil too near, where it would be in the way when arranging the stones, but just near enough to be thrown behind the stones as re- quired. I do not favour the theory advanced in some books that to make a rock garden the soil should be filled up first and the stones put on afterwards. 1 believe, on the contrary, that the soil should be supported by the stones, and not the stones by the soil. If the site for the rock garden is an almost level piece of ground, more extensive and deeper excavations will be required in order to produce the desirable irregularity. A sunk rock garden has many advantages, which will be pointed out further on. Deep recesses for caves or other features .should l)e taken out much wi-^er than really required, so as to allow plenty of scope for a picturesque arrangement of the stone. Where water is to be in connection with the rock garden, either in the shape of a pond or streamlet, the position should be carefully marked out and exca- vated at the first, and In arranging for the size, due allowance must be made for the thickness and depth of cement, concrete or other material used for securing the sides and the bottom. As such portions would, naturally, be in the lowest part of the rock garden, all elementary work, masonry, drainage, itc , should if possible be completed before the actual rock building can commence, as that latter work also must of necessity be begun at the lowest level, especially if the rock garden is to be somewhat extensive or if the ground is sloping. For the construc- tion of a small rocky bed little preparation is needed beyond a slight excavation aud perfect drainage. Before beginning the actual work of constructing the rocks, it will also be found an advantage to have at least the greater portion of the stones, soil, and often even some of the plants in readiness and close at hand. When stones are procured in small quantities only as the work proceeds, it will be found much more difficult to make the most of them, and it may often happen that the stones arriving last in- clude pieces which could have been" used to much better advantage hid they been available during an earlier stage of the work. The stones should, if possible, be deposited on the higher side of the field of operations, as it is much easier to move ihem down hill as required. It is advisable to procure a number of good stroncr planks on which they may be rolled into their places. For moving heavy stones, there is no better means than a low trolly as used by builder,*, and gen3rally made of strong planks measurmg about -4 ft. in length and 3 ft. in width, having a strong pole which furnishes at the same time an excellent lever for loading heavy pieces. The wheels of this trolly should be very strong and not more than about 12 ins. in diameter, so as not to project above the trolly, where tliey would be in the way when loading stones. Extrasizedstones, weighing a ton or more, are best shifted by means of planks and rollers in the following manner : The stone should be placed on a strong plank, say 2 feet wide and 6 feet to S feet long. Beneath this plank sliould be placed round pieces of wood or iron to act as rollers, which, again, should run on a kind of tramway made of planks lying Hat on the ground, and so placed as to be easily shifted if required. It will be found very easy to propel in this way by means of iron bars or other levers stones even as much as "2 tons in weight. Three rollers are required for this mode of transport, but only two would be used at a time, keeping the other in reserve for placing it in position as soon as the plank on which the stone rests has left the last roller. If hea\'y stones have to be moved to a higher level than could be safely effected by means of rolling them on an inclined plane made of planks, it would be best to hoist them by means of blocks aud pulleys. The soil required for the rock garden should, as already stated, also be in readiness at the commencement. It would be advisable to pro- cure a quantity of loam, gritty sand, peat, leaf- mould aud broken stones, depositing them in separate heaps and mixing as wanted, according to the requirements of the plants to be used. A little old mortar or chalk will also be found a very desirable material for mixing with the soil intended for the lime loving alpines. A small quantity of Sphagnum Moss might also be ob- tained, as it will be found a valuable article for all plants requiring a moist and spongy soil. It is of the utmost importance to know, before the stonework is proceeded with, for what class of plants; the rock garden is to be made, and as many of the alpines are best planted during the progress of the work, it would be as well to have such plants close at hand. These plants, wherever po.ssible, should be procured in pots and might be plunged close by and selected as required. This is particularly desirable in the case of all plants which have to be inserted sideways into upright or slanting fissures, as they could never be planted so easily after the stonework has been completed as during the progress of the work, when the soO used for tilling in behind the stones might be specially adapted to their wants. F. W. Meyer. Exeter. (To be continued.) NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS. Lithospermum prostratum. — I fear it is but too true that in severe winters old plants are liable to be killed. There is additional risk in the case of plants, however strong they may be, that have become hard- ened in ih-; wood about the collar. It is at this part generally where frost injury occurs, as if the grain of the wood when ripe could not resist rup- It is a good plan to keep this pUnt dry in winter, though in summer it loves plenty of mois- ture. Referiing again to the way in which old plants die whilst young ones under the fame con- ditions live, it is not by any means peculiar to this plant. You see the same thing largely in the Sun Koses (Ilelianthemum), some of the Hvpericums, Wallflowers, and Lavender, and many other small shrubs that have wiie-like wood and thin self- peeling bark or skin, and it is precisely this class of plant that is benefited more by shelter from wet tlian shelter intendeJ to otherwise keep off the cold. Iiilium gig:art8um.— My experience of this is but very slight ; it is true it has existed with me for many years, though it has not flourished. As I have otiensaid, I fear my soil is too dry for Lilies. The peculiarity about this Lily is that the offsets come very near the surface, and yet according to my experience they may not be allowed to remain there during the winter safely ; 20° of frost will take them wholesale, though the bigser and deeper set parent bulbs have not been killed. Coronilla varia. — The commonest form of this is that with a blend of white and rosy purple in the clustered flower-heads, but even in a single specimen the colours are not uniformly disposed ; indeed, the specific name may in this ca.^e be said to have a threefold application. The species itself is variable, the rosy purple being more or less pre- sent and sometimes quite absent in different speci- mens. Then it may apply in the sense of various colours being present in the flowers, and also again, as already mentioned, in the flowers of a given cluster being variously coloured, as say some white and some rose. There has of late been consider- able inquiry for this species; why, I do not know, but it is iliat fact which has in part suggested this note. Possibly it may be that something has oc- curred to largely cause its death in many gardens, for it is no uncommon thing for some of the leguminose species to go off in this way during some winters. For instance, a year ago the white Goat's Rue (Galega officinalis alba) largely died in all parts of the country— an interesting fact worthy of attention. With regard to this Coronilla, how- ever, I must not speak in excess of my own expe- rience, and it is this, that I never exparienced its loss otherwise than by a most vigorous intent ion to destroy it. Once it gets a good root-hold you may find it sprini^ing up strongly anywhere ?> feet or 4 feet from its previous year's tops. After all it is a showy and even beautiful plant, especially when not kept in bounds or given a place where its rampant habit can have scope. In short, this rapid spreading plant of a stature t f a foo', or 18 inches and a procumbent habit is most fitted for the semi- wild garden, where, however, it may have plenty of sunshine. C. iberica is decidedly tender. Silene acaulis. — " Do you get this to flower well ? " From the frequency o£ th's question one may almost infer that in many gardens it is a sparse bloomer. As a matter of fact I know it to be so, and it is equally certain that in o'.her garders it flowers profusely. You get it to grow far better and also flower more freely if given plenty of limestone chips amongst its roots. It is also a plant that clearly shows its love and preference for the thin air of the mountains, and although I am unprepared to draw the line of the cause of flowering and non-flowering specimens on these conditions, I believe that observation will confirm the the-jry that pure air and lime are all but essential fornot only good flowering specimens, but for vigorous foliage; indeed, generally where the plant is well grown there is not much cause for complaint at the absence of flowers. It may also be of interest to know that in the western high- lands of Scotland this plant abounds in peaty soil in flaky layers on big rocks mixed with the pretty little Thalictrum minus and the dninty Loiseleuria procumbens. Of course, in such habitats the plant has the benefit of purer air than when under culti- vation. Omphalodes verna. — I would not attempt to plant this until a couple of months hence. The offset roots from the outer edges of big specimens, which will be the best for transplanting, will bs better left on the parent pi int until March. It is true they may then be showing flowers, but this will not mitter, the object being to establish in the shortest space of time bold groups ; besides, if the off-ets can be transferred with a goodly portion of soil to their roots, they may flower in their new quarters just as well as it they had not been de- tached. The plant likes partial shade, but is not particular about soil if not actually stiff or clay- like. The double white Rocket.— I do not think that we have any reason to find fault with the hardine.ss of this plant as a cause for its dying off in some gardens every winter. It is well known to be perfectly hardy, and, indeed, to be hap- pier nowhere than with our Scotch friends in some of the coldest districts. It is, however, 112 THE GARDEN [February 11, 1893. better for annual propagation by division of the stalks and crown buds. What I mean by this is that the bulky buds which push into growth in the autumn at or near the ground-line may be slipped o& singly ; such as have roots and those higher up the stem may be taken with all or a portion of the stem slit downwards so as to in- clude a part of the old root. These rooted offset buds and divisions of the older stem should be planted in rich soil not later than early September. Old plants should be stopped by cutting them over- head to induce the young foliar growth as soon as possible. This enables the propagator to secure free growth and well-established plants before the cold sets in, and stock so prepared is much more re- liable. I believe, as I have before said in these columns, that the chief enemy is the grub or cater- pillar which enfolds itself in the very heart of the young foliage, so that when it does not actually kill the plant it so weakens and destroys the point of growth, that at the best but weak plants and indifferent bloom can be expected. Now this pest is one of the most persistent I have ever had to deal with amongst flowers. You think you squash it, but it remains active, doing injury all the winter months, and when it gets larger in spring in a very short time it is capable of eating off both old and young leaves. There is very visible evidence of its presence in the form of a white matted web securing the younger leaves, rolled in the midst of which it is found to nestle. Hardly any- where can you find the double white Rocket, or for that matter the double ]:>urple, free from this enemy, and often when you may think you have cleared a plant thoroughly, it may be again found to be infested as bad as ever in a week or two. Still all you can do that I am aware of is to relieve the plants by hand-picking from time to time. Inula Hookeri.— Raised from seed this is very near to I. glandulosa, so much so, that some plants can only be recognised when grown side by side with the older form. A well-marked distinction is its taller and more erect growth. Generally speaking, it does not form underground stems, like glandulosa ; and yet it would not be correct perhaps to say that it does not run at the roots at all, for I have proved it to do so in a small degree in the ca'e of plants that have been left three years undisturbed, and grown in a light soil and warm situation. I daresay that some people will wonder why I grow a plant like this in a sunny place and light soil, for it is well known that no plants are more distressed by a hot summer's day than the iDulas. My chief reason is that from want of space I cannot give all plants exactly the conditions that would most suit them, and cer- tainly the Inulas are capable of being perfectly revived after powerful sunshine. Should the buds, however, or heads be considerably developed, they may be rendered blind by a hot, dry day. I would certainly sooner pisnt the Inulas in a fairly stiff loam of a retentive character. Hepatica angulosa.— This in our cold York- shire climate flowers contemporaneously with the winter Aconite and earliest Snowdrop. At present it is doing so after the severe spell of frosty weather, mostly without the advantage of snow. How slow many of our flower friends are to practi- cally recognise this the earliest and the largest flowering of the Hepaticas. As a rule the varieties implied by the name Hepatica are the varieties of triloba, and rarely is this larger species asked for by its name, as it should be. It is earlier by a month than the varieties of triloba, and by two months than some of its varieties. This should be reason enough for commendation. We can well do with a few more reliable midwinter flowers. WooilcHle, KirhstaU. J. Wood. Callas.— No doubt the planting out of the roots in' the summer is an easy way of growing these, espacially where the plants are required of large size for decoration and where labour is scarce, but where a quantity of blooms is needed by Christmas, the plan of keeping Callas in pots is calculated to give the best results.'l find that where the Callas were put out in the summer, potted up at the end of September, and grown in a mode- rately warm greenhouse, the leaves soon become lanky and drawn if, as it often happens, the plants are some distance from the glass. The Messrs. Drover, Farebam Nurseries, who are large growers of this Lily, now keep their plants in pots the whole year. One season they had a span-roofed house containing 1000 plants mainly in a centre bed. These were planted out in heavy soil in the house, but evidently the plan was not considered satisfactory, as next season pots were again em- ployed.— E. M. THE FROST OF 1802-93. We had a frost beginning'with Christmas Day, and lasting for more than a fortnight, ending as usual with snow. It is interesting to see the effects on the out-door garden to-day, the last day of January. It is surprising to notice the rapid advance of early flowers after enduring 20° of frost, and being bound up in frozen earth as hard as a stone. Ane° mone blanda is in flower, and only waiting for a sunny day to expand fully its beautiful purple blossoms; it is a perfect treasure in the early year. Anemone fulgens has been frost-bitten, but will evidently soon come into flower if this mild weather continues. One of the finest beds of mixed Ane- mone coronaria I ever saw was in flower on Epi- phany (January ii\, but that was near Modbury, in South Devon. Here we shall have to wait some time for our Anemones of that species, but Ane- mone apennina will soon be beautiful ; it grows in every nook and corner of my garden, and seems to spread freely every year. Primula cashmeriana has suffered a good deal from frost and snow, but is already recovering. Primula sikkimensis died, though sheltered in a uold frame : I had some fine plants and I consider them a great loss. Primula rosea is beginning to start, after being almost invisible. It is in a cold, damp place out-of-doors. Helleborus atrorubens is in flower and has been ready to open its purple buds since December. Maximus and niger are unaccountably late with me this year. I am glad to see in The G.irden of last week that others have failed with the common Christmas Rose in tubs as well as myself; I nearly lost some plants by growing them in that way. I attributed the failure to the soil being too stiff. I am inclined to try them in tubs again with more sand and leaf mould. The pretty leaves of Helle- borus trifolius are, of course, perfectly free from any harm by the late frost ; they are undoubtedly useful fine-foliaged plants, and the flowers are in- teresting. Iris reticulata is looking unusually strong and just showing colour. After reading what was said about this Iris last year, I debated in my mind whether to take it up in summer, or leave it in the ground. I decided upon the latter alternative, and it has answered well. It has now been left undisturbed in the same place some years. I took up persica and dried the roots and replaced them. I am sorry to say they are not yet showing above ground as they ought to be. Hispanica is looking well and strong. It is one of my favourites. Hundreds of Snowdrops will be in flower in a day or two ; I wish I could say thousands. The common yellow Crocus is opening to-day. The pretty flowers of the Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) have been out for a week, making good companions for Anemone blanda. Allium neapoli- tanum, which is just now a useful greenhouse flower, is Iriing to grow in the open, but having been well advanced before the frost, it is severely cut, but will, nevertheless, evidently come on and flower later in the season. I thought this year I would try how early I could get the Paper-white Narcissus to flower out-of-doors. The buds came on rapidly in December, but the frost pinched them, and it is doubtful now whether they will open or not. IE they do, they will be very much earlier than any other kind. Of course they are over in the greenhouse, where they were deliciously sweet at Christmas-time. Since the frost I have been able to gather a bunch of Marie Louise Violets, but although they were carefully covered with mats in the frame during the severe weather, they have suffered a good deal from frost. Bambusa Metake seems to be absolutely imper- vious to any amount of cold. It is indifferent to snow or frost, and holds its own as if no alteration of weather had taken place. Not so with Arun- dinaria falcata, which suffers a good deal, but being deciduous it does not destroy the beauty of the plant next year, when it pushes up fresh rods, and some of the old rods are clothed anew with its beautiful leaves. It is a singularly handsome Bamboo in my opinion, and has lived out-of-doors and increased in size with me for many years, while Pampas Grass has been ruined, though not absolutely killed by snow. Cyclamen hedera^foIium collapses during the frost, but as soon as it is over, it revives and becomes at once fresh and green again, nestling, as it loves to nestle, among the roots of some tall forest tree. Chimonanthus fragrans is flowering abundantly, and its little yellow blossoms taken off the tree and placed in a saucer with some water scent the room. Olearia Haasti, about which there has sometimes been a question as to hardiness, has stood the extreme weather perfectly well and looks as fresh as it did in September. A Gloucestershire Parson. EVERGREEN HARDY PLANTS. When hardy plants are merely grown as isolated .specimens in mixed borders, it is impossible to realise the possibilities special things possess for creating fine effects. The mixed border, treated in the orthodox way, is a very bald and bare ex- panse during winter, for it must be made to con- form to certain false notions about tidiness ; so every stem is cut to the ground, and sticks and labels are the prominent features during winter. We are improving on this — in the first place by making particular selections, and thereby using fewer subjects in greater quantity, grouping in- stead of isolating ; and the plants that retire to rest beneath the ground, such for example as the Starworts and Knotweeds, are not cut down, but their graceful nut-brown stems are permitted to stand through the winter. A clothed surface is better than a barren one, and a plant's own stems denote its individuality and whereabouts infinitely better than stakes and labels. Something still better may be had, however, by selecting those hardy plants whose leaves are persistent, and grouping them in beds or borders near the house if required. The Yucca, with its bold pointed leaves, is at all times a striking plant in the garden, and worthy of prominence. In places where it is liable to suffer from the severity of the winter, the sheltered border near the house would be a fitting place for it. The Megaseas, or broad-leaved Saxifrages, which rank high among evergreen hardy plants, are of easy culture in any place or position, at least one pretty way being to use them as a groundwork or carpet to colonies or groups of Yuccas. Their normal colour is green, but in cer- tain soils and situations they take on daring winter most glowing hues of crimson and retain them till active growth commences in spring. Hellebores, or Christmas Roses, have handsome leafage, espe- cially those whose flowers are the least orna- mental. H. niger and its varieties, flowering throughout the winter, attract us chiefly by their flowers, but the rich glossy leafage is pretty also. Much finer are the leaves of the later flowering red-coloured species. The Oriental kind (H. orien- talis) has immense tufts of leaves borne on stems 2 feet in length, and which stand up boldly. In a rich deep moist soil it is a truly striking plant, and would be prized by many if it never flowered. There are some others of this character, but none quite so fine. There are other species well adapted for bold groups in the garden or to furnish bare sandy banks of poor soil where little else would grow. Our native species (H. fcetidus) is typical Fkbruary 11, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 113 of these. It makes quite a large specimen, for whilst otlier Hellebores are truly herbaceous, this has a shrubby habit of producing long stems, which are richly clothed wirh dark green digitate leaves. It has a rather UD] feasant odour when handled, but as seen growing is very effective. H. viridis is also of merit, and still more striking is one we have under the name of trifolius, a name, by the way, happily de>criptive of its characteristics. It has a bushy habit of growth, and the le.^ves consist of three large broad leaflets terminating the leaf-stalk. They are rather oval, serrate, and spiny looking upon their edges, looking more like the leaves of a Mahonia than those of a Hellebore. Till the advent of Heuchera sanguinea, little notice was taktn of the family, for the species bronzed during the winter. Ferulas can hardly be called evergreen, but their season of rest is a short one ; for, dying down at the end of summer, they appear again before the year is closed. The finely-cut, tender green leaves look ill adapted to withstand winter's frost, yet they suffer not, but afford the lichest bit of ver- dure imaginable. The blue Indian Poppy (Me- conopsis \Vallichi) is not a plant for every garden, but a group of a dozen plants that we had two years ago was charming throughout the winter, the leaves being nearly a foot in length and thickly covered with yellow hairs. Morina longifolia might I be mistaken for a strong Thistle, so great is the resemblance of its leaves ; they are very long and piickly. A group should be disposed where one Growth of Hellebores in the winter. in cultivation had no floral beauty, the colour of their flowers being chiefly green ; but when grouped or massed they give ns a delightful effect of leafage in shades of bronzy green and crimson. Carpet beds of tender, bright-leaved plants are hardly wanted during the summer season of lovely flowers, but a spreading mass of Heuchera is a pic- ture at the present time, and goes a long way to prove that winter neel not be quite a dreary, life- less and colourless season among hardy garden flowers. Some Irises have ample leafage through- out the winter. There is a variegated form of I. pseudacorus of special beauty and distinctness, whilst I. fcetidissima is very attractive at the pre- sent time, with the added merit of being able to hold its own and make itself conspicuous in wild and grassy places. Phlomii samia carpets the ground with verdure, whi'st the whorlel flower- stems of last summer stand up erect. The leaves of Epimediums heve become beautifully veined and might brtish against it and fill the air suddenly with the sweet spicy odour at all times present iii the leaves or flower-stems. Tufts of the Drop- wort (Spiraea filipendula) are harJly less graceful than the Ferns thst we shelter beneath glass; whilst, descending to plants of lowlier growth, such as the many alpines which thrive as well in our lowland gardens as upon their native mountain slopes, how numerous and varied are the evergreen types. With Saxifrages, both mossy and encrusted, Sedums, Sempervivums, perennial Candj tufts. Sandworts. Speedwells and Gentians, a border of evergreen hardy plants need not lack variety, and that of the choicest and bsst. — A. H in Field. this Snowdrop growing on the rookery, a position it appoar.i to onjoy immensely, judging from the manner in wliich the bulbs increase and the luxuriance of the fciliage. The soil is rather li"avy and deep.— E. Jl. Tuberous Begonias in distinct beds.— While approving of having one colour only in a bed, we must not lose sight of the f.act that this plan is only practicable in large gardens. In small gardens this plan cannot well be followed, or many lovely shades now obtainable in tuberous Begonias would have to be left out. It is really necessary in small places to confine the Begonia beds to say two at the most ; in that case a mix- ture is necessary. In public parks and large gar- dens, beds of one colour I approve of very much. What could be more effective than a whole bed of the darkest or brightest red-flowered variety edged with Begonia Princess Beatrice .' — S. P. H. Galanthus Elwesi. — La.st season the first bloom of this Snowdrop opened on December 2fJ, while a flower was not to be seen until just one month later this year. We have a large patch of A BORDER OF HELLEBORES. The accompanying illustration depicts a charm- ing bit of garden, attractive even in the deptli of winter from the rich luxuriant leafage of the Hellebores. In many gardens such a position would be left bare — an eyesore and a receptacle for rubbish, but planted with the Hellebores it is clothed in beauty, the oaken fence partially clad with Ivy and the trees beyond compo.sing an interesting feature. One wants variety in English gardens. Little thought is given to certain types of plants peculiarly adapted for positions often considered unsuitable. A very striking plant at this season of the year is Helle- borus f(i:'tidu3, which may be used with excel- lent eftect in such a position as that portrayed in the illustration. One may get much en- joyment from a bold group of it, the leafage richly coloured, luxuriant, and beautiful in the winter season. When naturalised the plants make splendid growth, and very early in the spring the greenish flowers appear, a decided contrast to the deeply coloured leathery foliage. This native Hellebore may be grouped on the rougher parls of the rockery and in the wood- land, exactly the positions in which the fine leaves and flowers are seen to the best advan- tage. It is useful also for clothing a rough bank, minding not even the poorest soil. An- other noteworthy kind is H. viridis, which has very deep green leafage and also pale greenish flowers. A colony or group of this native spe- cies in the wilder parts of the garden or in front of a shrubbery possesses much beauty. H. lividus, introduced from Corsica about 1710, and H. Bocconi may be added. Such fine spe- cies as H. f(bti(lus may be grown in odd corners wliere it is diflicult to coax anything else to thrive. I was in a garden recently in which bold clumps of it were planted in a narrow bor- der skirting a house, and where nothing else would succeed. But iu the moisture, shade, and ordinary soil the Hellebore spreads out into a luxuriant mass, a picture of winter colouring, the leaves intense green — in per- fect agreement with the heavy head of bloom. It coats little to get good winter effects, and, easily grown as is this type of Hellebore and the Christmas Rose, very little use comparatively is made of them in gar- dens. On the rockery at Kew bold clumps of the Christmas Rose are in full beauty, the ma.ss of pure white flowers against the dark brown tree stumps standing out clearly. By the side of a little brook or ditch, as in the garden of Mr. G. F. Wilson at Wisley, tlie Hellebore thrivestoperfection, spreading out into luxuriant tufts and giving welcome handfuls of bloom iu the winter season. Shade, moisture, and to be left alone are the chief requisites. Hellebores dis like frequent disturbance at the root, and should be left alone to grow into b(old handsome 114 THE GARDEK. [February 11, 1893. masses, attractive for their beautiful leafage in winter and white flowers. Of course, tlie most useful is H. uiger and its varieties, about which notes have recently appeared in The Garden, but one must also bear in mind that other sec- tion which blooms later in the year, March and April, and popularly known as Lenten Roses. A group of H. orientalis is very beautiful, the flowers purer in colour than those of H. olym- picus and of finer shape, the rich green leafage deeply cut, and amongst the forms of H. col- chicus, which represents the crimson-flowered section, one cin get many richly coloured va- rieties. H. colchicus is a beautiful Lenten Rose, the flowers deep purple in colour, the dark green leaves spiit up into several bold leaflets. When well grown the growth is re- markably robust, the richly coloured flowers standing up boldly above the base of foliage. One may get much enjoyment from the forms of this fine Hellebore, some flowers, as those of punctatus, being beautifully frecklid and spotted, whilst those of coccineus and roseus are scarlet and rose respectively. Much has been accomplished of late in raising up a dis- tinct and handsome progeny, the outcome of crossing H. guttatus and other types, and we get in the more recent hybrids finer form in the flowers and variety in the colouring. The foliage must also be taken into account, and it is the chief attribute in every case, the leaves invariably of fine appearance, making the Helle- bores, even when out of bloom, attractive in the winter season in particular. There is no lack of variety in the Hellebore family. One may choose the white-flowered H. niger or its many forms, or the Lenten Roses, not forgetting the type represented in the illus- tration. H. abchasicus, atro-rubens, olympi- cus, purpurascens, &c., deserve a place where it is desired to form a good collection. A bor- der of Hellebores might be made in a garden where space could be spared. It would prove an interesting feature and provide a .succession of bloom over the darkest season of the year, the earliest blooming varieties of H. niger, then H. fietidus and the Lenten Roses to close the season of the Hellebores. Bulbs (Daflfodils in particular) might be planted between the clumps to help to produce a gayer effect, the various shades of yellow harmonising well with the deep green leafage. Although the plants thrive in ordinary soil, in the case of new or special kinds, whose likes and dislikes are not well understood, it is safer to prepare a light loamy staple with which a fair proportion of well-de- c lyed manure has been incorporated. Moisture is necessary, but not stagnation at the roots, and some growers of hardy flowers seem to find some difficulty in discovering a distinction. If the o-round is not in good condition at the commencement, it pays to prepare it well, as many years may elapse before it is necessary to disturb the luxuriant clumps of foliage. During visits to gardens and nurseries, notes are made of the finer varieties of the Lenten Rose for planting to give beauty to the bed, border, or rockery, as the case may be, and to supply cut bloom. A few of the more note- worthy comprise Commerzienrath Benary, the flowers snow-white, of e.xcellent form and spotted with purplish red at the margin ; Willy Schmidt is a white variety, the flowers of large size ; whilst also of merit are Apotheker Bogren, purple-rose, bright and eflective ; F. C Heinemann, dei'p purple, spotted and veined with the same colour ; Abbin Otto, white, beau- tifully spotted with red in the centre ; and Gretchen Hememann, purple and rose, streaked with carmine colour. Bold and handsome are these flowers for cutting. Unfortunately, the flowers do not la.st so fresh when cut as those of the Christmas Rose. C. THE CULTIVATION OF LAVENDER. Until within the last few years Lavender was largely grown in that part of Surrey of which Mitchara is the centre. At that time it was no unusual sight to see whole fields of twenty acres full of Lavender. Owing, however, to various causes but little Lavender is now grown. Foreign competition has reduced the cultivation of home-grown Lavender. A few years since Mitcbam oil sold at £10 per lb, while last year £2 to £2 10s. per lb. was a fair price. An- other reason for the decrease in cultivation is that many plantations have beei injured heavily by the late severe winters and by a peculiar form of disease which attacks the bushes at various ages and kills them. The only remedy appears to be prompt removal for fear of contagion. Some say it is owing to exhaustion of the soil through grow- ing the crop too long in the same groun'l, but that is a mistake, because I have had plants go off in a similar manner when but a year planted in ground on which Lavender had never been grown. The fall in price, too, may have made cultivators careless to battle with the disease with a view to discovering its origin and cure. In the neighbour- hood of Sutton, not far from Mitcham, m.any fields of Lavender have been dispensed with during the last three years owing to the wholesale manner in which the plants have died. This, however, was mainly owing to the wrong selection of soil Although the soil on the surface is light and sandy, the subsoil is a stiff clay, and consequently retentive of moisture during the winter and spring. Under such conditions the plants were unable to withstand the severe frosts. There can be no doubt whatever that Lavender culture can be made to pay a fair return where the conditions are favourable, especially if a home distillery can be adopted. Not only is this a sav- ing of expense in c irriage, but where it is not possi- ble to dispone of the flowers in bunches they can be distilled without loss. Soil. Lavender culture in a district where the soil and situation are suitable would be a very good enter- prise for allotment and cottage-garden holders ; the distillery could be managed on the co-opera' ive principle, and with success. In growing Lavender for profit the best sort should be chosen. This is undoubtedly the Eoglish variety spica, commonly known as Slitcham Lavender. Authorities do not agree aa to the exact name and description. The b'st kind for commercial purposes is easily recog- nised by its upright growth and larger flowers, which are deeper in colour than those of the French variety, which is perfectly useless as an oil-pro- ducer although this sort answers very well for the growth of the bloom to sell in bunches. Last Au- gust I out over five hundred flower-spikes from one three-year-old plant of the French sort. An- other point in its favour is that it is hardier than the English kind. The growth is more spreid- 'ng, the leaves are larger, much more grey or mealy in appearance, the flowers also being sm.aller. The situation is important, that which is elevated and with a southern and western exposure being the best. Shelter from the north and east is most essential. In seasons like 1887 the yield of Laven- der oil will be goo3, the hot sun and drought of the summer being productive of much fine oil. The subsoil must be dry during the winter and the surface soil of a calcareous nature. Where a loamy soil overlies chalk, though this b3 at a distance of 2 feet from the surface, all the necessary condi ions to success are met. Some say that the soil must be poor to grow good Lavender, but. like most other crops, a fairly luxuriant growth gives the best crop of spikes, and from these a better yield of oil is obtained than from small puny flowers, the result of poor half-starved land. A soil too rich would induce luxuriant growth, which is not favourable to withstanding severe frost. The kind of soil will influence the time the plants will continue in good bearing condition. In some instances eight years is not too long for them to remain on the same ground, while in others a period of four years is long enough. In preparing the land for the plants it ought to be well worked, ploughing it flinches deep if possible, following with a subsoil plough in every trench, afterwards crossing the top spit to break up the clods. Propagation is effected at first by the aid of cuttings, or, what is perhaps more correct, slips are usually em- ployed to increase the stock, except where suffi- cient can be obtained by dividing existing plants down the middle. I have tried both cuttings and slips. Much greater success is obtained by the latter. Pieces with three or four growths attached are the best. These, slipped off the p'ants by a sharp downward tug, contain a small portion of old wood attached to the base commonly called a heel. From this part roots are first formed. Some pull old plants in pieces and with pruning shears or a small Inll-hook sever the cuttings squarely across about 8 inches below the growth shoots from the miin stems. In this case roots are first made fro-n the sides of tha cutting, not direct from the base, as in the case of tlie slips. Opinions differ as ti the best time for inserting the cuttings. I have tried the early part of Oc- tober and also February. The greatest success h.is b-en obtained during the first-named time, especially if the position is a sheltered one. There are several methods adopted in putting in the cuttings. Some cultivators dibble them in in rows 1 foot apart and the same distance from each other. The following October the plants are thinned, re- moving every other. The next year, after a second thinning, they will stand 3 feet aprrt, which is the maximum distance allotted for the permanent plantation. I consider the best plan of inserting the cut- tings is to select a piece of ground with a slope to the south if possible and well sheltered from the east. Take out a trench at one end and commence to dig it over, chopping out a trench about 4 inches deep ; on the bottom of this spread a little sand. Place the cuttings in the trench 4 inches apart, making sure that the base rests firmly on the bottom of the trench. Fill in the trench with the soil in digging for the next row, treading it firmly about the cuttings. These then stmd up- right. The next row comes 1 foot from the first, and so on until all is completed. The following September the plants should be put out perma- nently, or if land is scarce IS inches ap irt for two or three years ; then remove every other. Directly new growth of 2 inche- is made, the point of each shoot should be pinched out with a view to induce side shoots to form, making a more com- pact and larger bush. This operation should be performed at least three times the first year when the growth is free; otherwise twice will siiflice. A wonderful difference is manifest in pl.ints so topped as compared with those allowed to grow without molestation. In the case of impoverished sjil, a dressing of farmyard manure should be ploughed in previous to putting out the plants. The ground should be kept well stirred and free from weeds at all times. A horse hoe answers capitally where the plants are 3 feet apart. It is wise not to allow the plants to flower even the first year after they have been put out. Some growers slightly earth the plants up in the autumn on b^th sides with a plough, especially where the land is wet ; it answers as a protection to them. The soil is again levelled down in the spring with the horse hoe. To keep up a full stock of plants, a few cuttings should be inserted every year. Directly a plant shows signs of decay it should be destroyed. Harve,stino commences directly the first flowers open if the Lavender is to be sold in bunches. The manner of disposing of the flowers must be taken into consideration. In some markets about 25 flower- FfiBRgARY 11, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 115 spikes are requu-ed in a bunch, while in others from 30lt to 500 is the rule. Full-sized plants will produce on an average 200 spikes each. Hy commencing to cut the tlowers eirly, a longer i-eason is gained ; if the spikes are left until the bulk of tbe flowers has expanded, many of the forward ones drop in removal. Harvesting for distilling requires much more care and judgment in determining when the cup at the base of each flower is well charged with oil; it is not the actual (lower that produces the oil. as some inexperiencei persons are apt to think. When about three parts of the blooms en each spike have expanded some few of the oil cups at the base of each flower-head will begin to drop. Examine the ground about the plants daily ; when these are found no time should be lost in harvest- ing the whole crop. At the same time many of the buds at the point of the flower-spike will not have opened. Those at the ba-e, however, are more important, being so much larger and better filled with oil. List year the flowers were not reaiy for cutting for distilling until the first week in September, owing to the summer being rather cold and damp ; consequently the yield of oil was small. If a properly made Lavender hoik is em- ployed, the work of cutting is much facilitated. This differs in shape somewhat from an ordinary reaping hook by being narrower and more bent in the midJle. An expert person will clear a whole plant at one sweep. The cutter lays the flowers carefully on the top of the plant from which they were cut. They are then collected if sold green ; it for distilling, they are left lying on the plant for a day or two, being turned once to hasten the drying. The aim is to dry thefliwer- stemi in a similar way to the making of hay, so that they d ) not mildew when stored away. It is not always convenient to have the oil di.stilled as soon as the flowers are ready ; the still may be engaged, as it is sometimes, for ten or twelve weeks in advance, when one distillery is employed for the whole neighbourhood. Indeed it is not necessary to distil the flowers even the same year; they will keep quite well until the next season without deteriorating in oil-production, provided, of course, harvesting has been properly done. If, however, there is the slightest trace of mildew or damp when the Lavender is stored for the winter the whole crop will be rendered useless. After the flower-spikes have lain on the plants for a time and been turned ones to equalise the drying, they should be collected in ordinary Russian mats, spread out thinly and exposed to the sun, but not allowed to bacome wet. If the weather is fine, ten days will be sufficient to dry the spikes tho- roughly. In the case of the first or the second year of cutting the flowers, the plants may not be large enough for laying the flowers on the top of each ; in that case they should be spread thinly on the mats, elevating these 1 foot above the "ground. The cost of distilling Lavender is about 22s. for the use of the still once ; a full-size! still will hold as much Lavender as can be rolled in twenty- five full-sized Archangel mats. It is difficult to give even an approximate idea of how much oil is produced from a given number of plants or acre- age, as the quantity depends upon the state of the weather for a month before the flowers expand ; 25 lbs. of oil would be considered a fair yield from one acre of full-sized plants. If the harvesting of the flowers is well done the plants need little at- tention afterwards in the matter of pruning. An instance of reckless pruning of Lavender bu-hes came under my notice a few years since. A grower had allowed his plants tj get uncommonly tall in their early stages of growth ; in consequence they did not produce nearly as many flower-spikes as if they had been kept dwarfer and conse- quently broader. After the flowers had been gathered the first year, the plants were cut hard back into the old wood, so much so that they bled profusely. and severe frost following kiUed nearly the whole of the stock. E. Moltneux. tliB sumuier, being overhung with bi!< forest trees. Tliey ai-e growing on a dry hard ledge liosidi a water- tall, and must get very dry during tht> summer. I have observod in this situation the bulbj ?o to rest the first and are the first to bloom. — J. C. F. Early Snowdrops.— I gathered the first .'Snow- drops this year ou January i.3. These were from a situation wnere the bulbs never get a bit of sun during PURPLE IN FLOWERS. To TUB Editor of The Garden. Sir, — I trust you will allow another short com- munication upon this subject, because were the controversy to close at this point, I conceive that an injustice, almost grotesque, would be done to Mr. Engleheart. I am wholly prepossessed in favour of anything emanating from Mr. Ewbank on matters horticul- tural, and though 1 have felt bound to agree gene- rally in what Mr. Engleheart has written upon this matter, especially with his last letter, I should not have sought to add a word, but that my senses, both of justice and of logic, are " shocked " by the of course unintentional, but complete misrepre- sentation of the question at issue, impliedly con- veyed, as it seems to me, by Mr. Ewbank's letter (appearing in your issue of January 28). The case seems to me very simple indeed, and stands thus, as anyone reading the correspondence with you may see, but as, I have no doubt, Mr. Ewbank has, in material part, forgotten. Mr. Engleheart described as b9ing purple a flower wdiich is admittedly violet. Was he wrong, as Mr. Ewb.ank originally maintained with great vigour that he was / This ?vas and is the issue be- tween them in the matter. Yet no one can read Mr. Ewbank's letter of the 28th ult. without concluding, as indeed he evidently now believes, that the question was and is something completely different, as, for instance, whether the word has not acquired a second and " more spe- cific " as n-i'll as a general meaning, which is a question wholly subsidiary anl incidental. It is impos-ible to avoid pointing out that Mr. Ewbank now admits that the word has the more general meaning in which Mr. Engleheart used it, though he claims (let us for argument's sake pre- sume that he rightly claims) that it has a second- ary and more restricted one. But it a word has two meanings, surely the man is not wrong who uses it in one ot them, and this a fortiori, if he uses it in that one of the two which is most general and undisputed. And this becomes none the less true if it be admitted that another man be equally right in using it in the second and disputed sense. Thus, as it seems clear to me, Mr. Ewbank now admits that his original " indictment " against Mr. Engleheart's English fails. I have been watching in wonderment whether anyone else in the world, even encouraged by Mr. Ewbank's great authority, would be willing to play junior to him in supporting it. I collect that Canon Ellacombe would not do so. But what might be done by Mr. Ewbank's laconic an i anony- mous friend if (as may charitably be doubted) he deliberately wrote fur puhlication the note with which Mr. Ewbank's letter ends, it is impossible — and if possible would be distasteful — to surmise. I cannot conceive that Mr. Ewbank himself would have thought it fair or safe, as his sole contribu- tion to the controversy, to denounce ex ealhcdrd as a "fad," even if or while he doubted its truth, Mr. Engleheart's ■' notion " that any vijlet hue is without inaccuracy called purple. I am quite certain myself that notion is shared by the eaor- mous majority of educated persons. The matter is perhaps well enough ended by the practical abandonment of the original complaint. But^it is — or would be— a little hard that, this abandonment notwithstanding, the last utterances in the matter should be the publication of opinions from two eminent authorities, given ex parte upon another i'sue, but taken and tendered, al- beit with evident i««a//rfcs, as evidence upon the real one. — H. Selfe Leonard, Uitherhury, diiiUl- ford. Allow me to suggest the following as a solution of this question, viz., purple is a generic title ; but we have picked out all the pretty and glossy shades and given them specific names, as mauve, heliotrope, violet, plum, &c , and thus purple, properly generic, has been left to specify all the unspecified ugliness — W. Shirley. ■ • In justice to one who for a dozen or more years has been helped to much knowledge from friendly correspondence in The Garden you will, I am sure, allow me a brief reply to Mr. Ewbank's quite une.xpected letter of Jan. 28 — unexpected, be- cause in print and in a communication to myself he had said he would '■ under any circumstances " not continue the subject. Nor was it my own in- tention to write again had I not been accused of a ■• love of controversy." I must feel some diffidence in entering upon any discussion, however interest- ing, in your paper, utiless you will kindly let me say, as I may truthfully, that f am fond of contro- ver.sy only in this sense— that I am a believer in the ancient Socratic method of discussion as the best way of eliciting and imparting knowledge. As to any personal feeling, let me assure Mr. Ewb.ank that to me he has been and is simply X, an unpersonal quantity, who touched upon a topic in which Y. myself, had long taken interest - a topic, if X prefers that more graceful expression, which is •• a fad " of Y's. Cuique Slid in arte crederhdum. I propose, not at present, but later on, with your permission, to meet X's authorities with the opinions of some of those whose profession it has been to make the science of colour a special study. Jleanwhile, I will say briefly that I do not feel duly crushed by the observations of the quoted Fellow of the Royal Society. Indeed, my humility is less than that of the preacher who is recorded to have begun his sermon with •• Paul says, and I partly agree with him." I cannot agree at all with the F.R.S. He violates the elements of logic, which perhaps is not his speciality. My denial that a certain class of words cannot be used both generically and specifically is not a denial that any words can be thus used. And the instanced double employment of a term in scientific classifi- cation is altogether apart from the ordinary usages of language of which alone I was speaking. Moreover, in classification the term is repeated, specifically, in juxtaposition with its genetic u'e ; the analogue is that we should call a particular shade " purple purple." I fail to find in Nicholson (whom I by no means admit to be an authority in the accurate use of colour terms) mention of a really specific use of purple. Why does he need, on the F.R.S. 's own admission, to qualify purple by the additional adjective "bright" when he wishes to indicatea specific use of purple '.' Where doss he use purple alone, meaning a p.articular variety of purple ? As to the specialisation of colour, both X and his supporter, the F.R.S., fail to perceive a logical and necessary distinction. It is perfectly true, in one sense, to assert that purple has become special- ised. The subtle varieties of colour connoted by and included under that term have become distin- guished, separated, named ; this is specialisation. But for the generic term, the word " purple " itself to become specialised is another thing altogether. It has not become, and by the immutable laws of thought and language it never can become special- ised, but must retain its exclusively generic signi- fication. When the word purple is spoken or written it brings to the mind an image of violet, magenta, mauve, and an endless variety of kinds of purple, separately or collectively. It can never bring an image of one special variety of purple only and exclusively. To maintain that it can and does still seems to me "a confusion of both thought and language." — G. H. Engleiib.\rt. ■Winter-blooming Galanthus.— I am send- ing a portion of plant and flower of a winter- blooming Snowdrop imported by me from Alb.ania, and which I have had in cultivation here for the last two years. It has been blooming outside since the third week of November, and save the protec- tion afforded by the hedge, at the foot of which the bulbs have been planted since August, the plants 116 THE GARDEN. [February 11, 1893. did not receive any protection whatever since that time. The severe frost which we lately experi- enced here (5° Fahr.) 1,-iid the plants quite flat down to the ground ; they have been battered by every possible kind of rough and bad weather, but, nevertheless, they look as fresh and happy as they did a month ago. A peculiaiity of the autumn and winter-flowering Snowdrops is the whitish, glaucous line running down the centre of the leaves. Flowering at the very dullest season of the year and evidently being of a very hardy and vigorous constitution, this Snowdrop, the spe- citic name of which I soon hope to ascertain, is certainly one of the most valuable of the little group of autumnal and winter-blooming Galanthuses. — C. G. VAN TUBEHGBN, JUNR. Stove and Greenhouse. DOUBLE-FLOWERED FUCHSIAS. Though opinion.s may differ as to whether single or double-flowered Fuchsias are the more beautiful, there can be no doubt what- ever that the double flowers are admired by many, and the demand for them is, I think, greater than for the single forms ; consequently among the new varieties sent out within the last few years there is a preponderance of double-flowered kinds. Some of the earlier doubles were rather apt to run up tall, and were therefore not so well suited for growing in the shape of little bushes as many of the single ones ; but this cannot now be urged against them, as the accompanying illustration of Frau Emma Topfer will show. Few classes of plants lend themselves to so many diiferent modes of treatment as the Fuchsia ; for in- stance, tliey may be grown as bushes, pyramids or standards, employed for covering roofs and furnishing pillars, or for beds in the open ground. For all these varied purposes suitable varieties with double blossoms are to be found among the numerous forms now in cultivation. These double-flowered Fuchsias are not so popular with the market grower nor for exhibi- tion as the single forms, for, owing to the blooms being much heavier, they are far more liable to drop when shifted about than those of the single-flowered varieties are. In making a relectiou of the best double-flowered Fuchsias, I should be inclined to give a place to the following with light-coloured corollas : - Frau E.mma Topfer, a free-growing, freely- branched variety, with a very large corolla, of a kind of pinkish white, deeper towards the bise of the petals. The sepals of this are of coral-red, and, in common with many large-liowered varie- ties, they do not appear of sullicient size for the huge corolla. The blooms of Miss Lucy Fixnis are something in the way of those of the last, except that the corolla is pure white and the plant is not so free in growth. This when first sent out (about 111 or 17 years ago, I think) attracted a large amount of attention. It makes a good pot plant, but as the branches are weak and the flowers heavy, ample support must be afforded them. Mme. Jules Chretien forms a fine large specimen and is suited for furnishing a pillar, as it grows quickly, while the flowers are bold and effective. The corolla is large and pure white, and the sepals are more conspicuous than in either cf the preceding. M0LE.SWORTI1 is a good variety for any purpose, and one that has become popular with our market growers. The corolla is large and pure white, while the bright coloured sepals are of a propor- tionate size and reflex in a very pleasing manner. BuFPON, a somewhat upright-growing variety, is noteworthy from the peculiar pinkish - tinged corolla. The last variety to mention of those with white corollas is Duchess op Edinburgh. Of this I have had but a limited experience, but still sufBcient to lead one to think it will turn out one oE the very best of this section. It was raised by Mr. George Rundle, so well known in connection with the Fuchsia, .nnd was announced as a cross between Molesworth ami Mrs. E, G. Hill (one of Lemoine's varieties). At all events I he new-comer, for it was only sent out last year, seems full of promise. It is a large bold flower, while the petals are unusually thick and wax-like. Of dark-flowered varieties there is a great number, many of which differ in little else but name from each other, though of course there are some very distinct forms : — Avalanche, which was sent out about twenty years ago, is still one of the best, the habit being good, while the flowers are freely borne. I especially noteworthy from the corolla being of a very distinct lilac-mauve lint. We have had two or three of this class lately from the Continent, another being OcTAViE Feuillet, a good deal like the last, but with more of a rose tinge in the corolla. Champion of the World, a gigantic flowered variety, whose massive corolla is of an intense dark purp!e. This does not bloom so freely as many others, and the flower-stalk is of unusual length, so that it is useless for blooming in a small state, but as a pillar plant in the conservatory or in some such a position it will often prove to be one of the most striking of all Fuchsias. This variety is by no means new, as it received a certiHcate from the Koyal Horticultural Society in lyTG, but it is now not much grown. About twenty-five years ago a variety was sent out under the name of Norfolk Giant, that attracted a good deal of attention from the size of its flowers but it was Uoublu-flowered I'uflisia Frau lOmma 'i'upfer. Eograved from a photograph Eent by Miss Helene, Hampstead, N. Phenomenal flowers profusely when small, yet ' the blooms are with one or two exceptions among the largest of all Fuchsias. The corolla of this is of a deep violet purple colour, marked with rosy crimson at the base. It is a good variety for growing in the shape of little bushes. Nouveau Mastodontb has a large purple co- rolla, flaked more or less with red. This latter feature renders it when well marked very attractive. Co.MTE Leon Tolstoi is notable from the closely packed corolla being of a deep bluish purple, with- out markings of any kind. The habit of the plant too is very good. La France has large well-reflexed sepals and a distinct tinted corolla, which has been described as blue, and though a long way from that colour it is a very distinct shade. Sir Garnet Wolseley is a good variety for any purpose, with a large plum-coloured corolla. Gustave Flaubert, one of the newer French varieties, is of good habit, free-flowering, and much inferior to Champion of the World, although from the many points of resemblance there is, I should think, but little doubt that this last was a seedling from the older one. Of light-flowered Fuchsias, that is to say those with white tube and sepals and coloured corolla, there are, as far as I am aware, none with double blossoms. The Fuchsia is a good illustration of the varying fashions in flowers, for from 1880 to the present time only three garden varieties have been noticed by the Royal Horticultural Society, viz., Mme. Galli Marie 1880, Mrs. Rundle 1883, and Dorothy Fry 1889, while in the ten years previous to that no less than forty-two varieties received certifi- cates. H. P. Begonia manicata. — This Begonia has long been grown in our gardens, and though the indi- vidual blooms are not particularly showy, ityetpos- Fbbbuary 11,1893.] THE GARDEN. 117 sesses many desirable features. The flowers are small and pink in colour, but they are very freely borne on large branching spikes, .and this light arrangement of the inflorescence causes it to bea very valualile plant for grouping. The large, bright, shining green leaves are very ornamental, while a r.ather singular appearance is presented by peculiar fleshy scale-like hairs of a brownish colour that are freely borne on the undersides of the leaves and also on the leaf-stalks. This Begonia is well worth growing for the sake of its foliage alone, but the fact that it produces a great number of blossoms during the first three months of the year is also greatly in its favour. There is a variegated form in which the leaves are marked with creamy blotches, as in B'arfugium grande, but this is rarely seen in good condition, as the plant Bhows a great tendency to revert to the normal green-leaved form.— H. P. Societies and Exhibitions. THE GARDENEKS' ORPHAN FUND. The annual general meeting of subscribers to the above fund took place at the Cannon Street Hotel on the :!rd inst.. Dr. M. T. M.asters, F.R.S., one of the vice-presidents, occupying the chair, the atten- dance being very small. The notice convening the meeting and the minutes of the last annual meeting having been read, the report of the com- mittee was then submitted. This set forth the fact of the close of another successful financial year, and bore testimony to the continued pros- perity of the chaiity. During the past jear fifty children have been receiving the benefits of the fund, and the commit lee recommended the elec- tion of eight that day, bringing the roll up to fifty- eight. Two of the children who have hitherto enjoyed the benefit of the fund, having attained the age of fourteen years, have, ia accordance with rule xiii., ceased to be a charge upon it. A slight falling off occurs in the annual subscriptions, which the committee make known with great re- gret, as they form the chief source of income. A strong appeal is made by the committee for more earnest support from the gardening community generally, in whose interests the fund was esta- blished and is maintained. The cash statement for the year ending December 31 last showed that the receipts from general subscriptions amounted to £4(iO 5s. ; general donations, £2;i4 ".Is. 3d. ; thank- offering from Jlr. and Jlrs. H. J. Veitch. £500; receipts from annual dinner. £!i'.i.S 4s. lOd. ; general card collection, £134 Ss. Id. ; advertisements in annual report, £31 KJs. ; from coUecling bo.xes, £17 17s. 61. These amounts, with the balance in hand of £1229 Uis. Id. at the beginning of the year, and dividends on stock and interest on de- posits— £143 17s. 7d. — brought the receipt side up to £3810 123. Id. On the expenditure side, the sum of £625 17s. 63. had been paid as allowances to orphans ; working expenses, £134 Hi. 8d. ; cost of annual dinner, £167 10s. 2d.; printing, &c., £26 13s. The sum of £1!I45 13s. 6d. had been paid for £2014 worth of 2J consol", and the balance on hand, including a deposit at the bankers, amounts to £867 2s. lOd. In moving the adoption of the report and cash statement the chairman congratulated the meeting upon the satisfactory character of the report, but said there were one or two points calling for com- ment. The fact of the Princess of Wales having become patroness of the fund is very gratifying, and so is the special donation from Mr. and Mrs! Harry Veitch. That fifty children should be en- joying the benefit of the fund in so short a time after its establishment is very gratifying, but did the fund receive adequate supjjort from thegarden- ing community, many more children should be upon it. It is to be regretted there should be a slight falling off in the amount of annual subscriptions, and it would be the bunness of the committee to cover that deficiency by increasing the number of subscribers. Jt is not creditable to the gardeners of the United Kingdom such a paragraph should appear in the report. Mr. William Marshall, in supporting the motion, alluded to the cash state- ment as decidedly of a congratulatory character, though it contained one weak point— the decline in general subscriptions. It is a matter for sur- prise the gardeners of the country do not take more interest in a fund established solely in their interests. The annual dinner was a great success, and the cost incurred was repaid over and over again. The committee had now over £6500 in- vested in stock, and with a balance of £300 on de- posit at their bankers, their financial po.-ilion was eminently satisfactory. The motion for the adoption of the report and cash statement was then put and carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. Harry Turner seconded by Mr. John Wills, Jlr. T. 1!. II ay wood was unanimously re- elected treasurer. On the motion of Mr. A. W. G. Weeks, seconded by jMr. 15. Wynne, Mr. J. Fraser was re-elected auditor. Mr. A. Outram proposed the re-election of the retiring members of the com- mittee : Messrs. Head, Laing Nicholson, Poupart, Smith, Walker, and II. Turner. This was seconded liy Jlr. A. J. lirown, who deplored the fact that many gardeners took large sums of money in the form of prizes, but did not support the fund. In the district in which he resided (Chertsey) there were only about one or two who subscribed. If they would inquire into the cases of children placed upon the fund as he had done they would see what a good and praiseworthy work was being carried out by means of the institution they were met that day to support. The chairman moved the re-elec- tion as secretary of Mr. A. F. liarron, who had the full confidence of the gardening community, and was preeminently the man to fill the position of secretary to the fund. This was seconded by Mr. William Marshall, who said he had worked with Mr. Barron for two years, and he felt it was impos- sible to say too much in praise of the manner in which he carried out the duties of his office ; he bad become a necessity to the fund, and it would be very difficult indeed to replace him. On the motion of Sir. J. Wright, seconded by Mr. G. W. Cummins, Sir James Whitehead, Bt., M.P., and Sir Edwin Saunders,President of the National Chrysanthemum Society, were added to the list of vice-presidents. Mr. W. Marshall proposed and Mr, H. Turner seconded a, proposition that Messrs. K. Dean, Pou- part, Weeks, and Wynne act as scrutineers for the election. The meeting then adjourned until 4 p.m., when Mr. William Marshall occupied the chair, and the result of the election was declared to be in favour of Frederick Price, 445 votes ; Nellie Ede. 254 votes ; Ada Beddoes, 228 votes ; John Mitcbell, 227 votes ; Emily Kate Neve, 220 votes; Otto Kosbab, 217 votes; Philip Arthur Stevens, 216 votes ; and Minnie Rapley, 195 votes. One most noteworthy feature in connection with this fund is the investments of the year, these amounting in the aggregate to nearly £2000. The total investments now stand at £6570j 6s. lOd., with £30J on deposit at bankers. These invest- ments are excellent, and speak well for the pro- gress of the fund since its commencement; but the sooner they stand at £10,000 the better will it be for the orphans of our gardeners. I regret to see by the report that there is a slight falling off in the annual subscriptions. This should not be, and when the gardeners of the United Kingdom see this fact notified, they should for their own sake endeavour to support such a deserving charity to the utmost of their ability. Those who make it an excuse that one guinea per annum is too much to subscribe to the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution (a poor excuse, it is true) cannot, in the case of the Orphan Fund, find any such ground to stand upon. Subscriptions are as low as 5s. per annum — only a little more than Id. per week. One hundred such subscriptions are better than one- fourth of the number at £1. Turning to the election of orphans on the pre- sent occasion, there is a lesson to be learned. The most successful workers for the children are those who displayed the most energy in seeking for vote?. Fue out of six who a|. Cattleya Trianie, ordinary form. F. D. L. S. — Fittonia rubro-norvia. E, Cai>tle. — We cannot undertake to name Crotons; Orchids next week. ir. Harding. — 1, next week; 2, Goldfus.sia isophylla, Tfames of fruit.— T. Collision, Stetine, Ban- hridiji; I.ir.— 1, Lord Derby; 2, Brabaut Bcllefleur; 1, Court of Wick. Oakenhead t^' Co. — 1, Northern Greening; 2, not recogniEed. Anon. — Forelle or Trout Pear, "The Garden" Monthly Pa.Tts.— This journal U pub- Hiked in neatly bound Monthly Paris. In this form the coloured plates are best preserved, and it is most suitable for reference previous to the issue of the half-yearly volumes. Price 1<. Gd. ; post free, \s. 9d. Complete set of volumes of Thb Garden /row i^Ji ^ommenconent to end oj l&' '2, fartjf tiro vjls., price, cloth, i'io 12i. "GiPdening lilustratad" M3nthly PslHs. — This journal is pu^lishii i.t n:2tty bound Monthly Parts, in which form it is most suitable for reference previous to the issus of the yearly volumes. Price 5i.; post free, 8d. "Farm r.nd Home " Monthly Parts.— J*i> journal is published in n'.itly bound Monthly Parti, in which form it is most suitaV.e Jir reference previous to th: iisue of the ytxrly volumes. Prie 5i.; post free. Si. •'Hardy Flowers."— Oiving descriptions 0] upaar,l' r, thirteen hundred of the most ornamental species, vjith directions for their arrangement, culture, ; but it is at the present day one of the most uncommon kinds, and numerous lists may be searched for it in vain. — H. P. THE ROCK GARDEN. Selecting the Stone. Large sums of money are often spent on, what most people call, ornamental rockery stone. The owners of quarries, as a rule, reserve carefully all stones obtained from such The Sea Lj-me Grass (Elymus arenarius). Engraved for The Gakdex from a photograph sent by Mrs. Martiu, Bourubrook Hall, Birmingham. state it is most abundant upon our northern shores. There is also an American representa- tive of this family, E. condensatus, which is very ornamental and must be included in a selection of the best Grasses. It is very vigorous, of tufted habit, dense and erect, grow- ing to a height of 8 feet. The leaves aru long, arching, and graceful, and the shoots are terminated by a flower-spike G inches long and greatly resembling an ear of wheat. Clematis cirrliosa. — This species of Clematis is remarkable from the fact that it often flowers thus early in the year, that is, it the plant has the protection of a south wall. It is not by any means showy, yet at the same time it is a very interest- ing species, and with the paucity of outdoor flowers, it is far more attractive than would be the case if the blossoms expanded about the same time as many of those of its showy relatives. Another feature is its evergreen character, as nearly all the species of Clematis are deciduous. C. cirr- ' parts of their quarries as contain veins of quartz or other glass-like crystals, mostly of a glaring light colour. Sometimes the whole stones are almost white. They are generally broken into pieces convenient for a man to lift easily, and are, therefore, very even in size. I know many cases where such stones as these were obtained from a great distance, and there- fore at a great cost. They may by some be considered pretty to look at, and might be a suitable feature in a collection of mineralogical specimens, but for the purpose of our alpine gardens they should, in my opinion, never be used except crushed into small fragments and mixed with the soil. The beauty of a rock garden, whether large or small, should consist in its being true to Nature. But where in Nature do we see glaring crystals in exposed rocks and in connection with plants I Do we not, on the contrary, admire most the rough, weather-beaten surface of boulders which have stood the test of untold ages, and whose dark hues show to still better advantage the bright flower.s springing up from their crevices? For the interior of caves and similar places, the shining crystals of this so-called rockery stone may sometimes be admissible, but the unfor- tunately too general practice of using them for outdoor rock gardens cannot be too strongly condemned. Moreover, the brittle crystals when exposed to the weather soon crumble into dust, and the ornament (?) so dearly paid for vanishes from view. Instead of incurring heavy expense for stones from a distance, it would in most cases be far better to use those indigenous to the locality unless they should be of an unsuitable nature. In order to be able to build good rocks we must study Nature, and, at least a little, geolo- gical knowledge is indispensable. Geologists divide all rocks into two great classes, viz., stratified or sedimentary rocks, and unstratifiefl or igneous rocks. The latter are again divided into plutonic rocks, which have been upheaved by heat from the interior of the earth, like granite or jjorphyry, and volcanic rocks, like trap, liasalt, or greenstone, which, it is gene- rally assumed, have been produced by volcanic eruptions during bygone ages. The stratified rocks comprise all the different varieties of our slates, limestone, flint, sandstone, oolite, chalk, (fee. All have been deposited originally as sedi- ment from water, and are, therefore, always found in distinct parallel layers or strata of varying thickness, but always in the same order of succession, though by subsequent upheavals the plutonic or volcanic rocks have in many places forced their way through the layers and tilted them. The stratified rocks also include the so-called metamorphic rocks, which have become crystallised in consequence of having been in contact with plutonic rocks in a state of fusion. If our rock garden is to resemble Nature, it must be of the utmost importance to know which class of stone is to be used for its for- mation. If the available rocks are of the un- stratified class it would be absurd to arrange them in the same manner as stratified rocks, perhaps showing distinct strata, where in Nature none would occur. Generally speaking, granites and other igneous rocks are in Nature found scattered in the wildest confusion, as, for in- stance, on Dartmoor, Lidford Gorge, and other places. They are, therefore, more suit- able for the formation of bold masses of rock in a wild garden or hardy fernery than for an alpine garden where the construction of nar- row crevices would be reijuired. By far the greater number of mountain plants are indigenous to limestone, and if the colour, size and shape are suitable, this material should, gene- rally speaking, be selected in preference to any other. For the few plants which object to limestone, pieces of granite or other rock may be mixed witli the soil without interfering with the general design. If, on the other hand, limestone of a suitable kind .should be difficult to obtain while good pieces of weather- beaten granite, oolite, sandstone, or any other suitable rock are plentiful, it would be folly to reject the material close at hand. In such localities the rock garden might be constructed with the best stones obtainable in the neighbourhood, adding old mortar, chalk, or even the inferior quality of limestone used for ordinary building, road-making, ifec, for such plants as may require it. The Colour and Shape of stones used for the construction of crevices underground can be of no consequence, but I should like to give a few general hints for the 124 THE GARDEN [February 18, 1893. selection of the main body of stones which are to form the visible part of the rock garden. Stones of a glaring white colour, no matter whether flint, spar or limestone, should, I think, be avoided altogether. Not only do they afford little or no contrast to wliite or liglit- coloured flowers and are cold and ineffective in appearance, but they also repel and reflect the rays of sunshine in a manner injurious to some of the tender kinds of plants. Dull red, dark grey, brown and yellowish brown are the colours which form perhaps the most I)leasing contrast with the verdure and flowers of plants. Sometimes stones having, at least on one side, a rough, weather-beaten surface, perhaps even covered with Moss or Lichens, are easily obtainable, and if so should in all cases be preferred to fresh broken material, as they will impart to the rock garden a cha- racter of natural antiquity, otherwise possible only by long years of exposure. The shape of the most eligiljle stones depends entirely on the nature of the material to be used. If the rocks are of the unstratified kind, their manipu- lation in tlie alpine garden must be an entirely ditt'erent one from that of the sedimentary class. It would be well in this case to have as much variety of shape and size as possible, ranging, say, from half a cwt. to 10 or 12 cwt. Stones heavier than this are rather unwieldy, and should only be used in rock gardens on a large scale, where special arrangements for lifting heavy weights would be required. If, however, the stones available belong to the stratified rocks, it -should be borne in mind that we have to iaiitate — to some extent at least — the natural stratification in order to give our alpine garden that appearance of reality so pleasing to the eye. In choosing the stone, therefore, as many flat and thin pieces as po?sible should be selected. These will be found of the utmost importance for the imitation of natural strata, and are also most valuable for the formation of narrow crevices for choice alpines, rocky steps, Ajc. Even the thinnest slabs will be found useful for this purpose, and whilst unstratified rocks of a size less than about half a hundredweight would be of little use for the main work (excepting the very small pieces required for covering the sur- face of the soil around alpines), the sedimentary stone, if chosen for rock buOding, might vary in weight from only a few pounds to say 15 cwt. , unless the work is to be of a very extensive cha- racter, including caves, waterfalls, &c., which would necessitate some of the stones being still larger. It must not be understood that I would recommend thin or flat pieces exclusively ; on the contrary, let there be as much variety of shape as possible, but the flat stones should predominate. In concluding my remarks about the selec- tion of the stones, I would draw attention to the fact that some kinds of very porous rocks are apt to crumble to pieces by the action of rain and severe frost. It should, therefore, al- ways be ascertained whether the stones selected will stand exposure to all weathers. For a rock garden under glass this may be imma- terial, but tor a rock garden out of doors it is of the utmost importance. It would also be advisable not to use many difl'erent varieties of stone in the same rock garden. One kind is sufiicient, unless, for instance, good lime- stone and good granite can be used, and are separated into different groups. AVhere other kinds are required for the benefit of the plants, they should, as a rule, be used underground, as already stated. Stones having a surface partly covered by Moss or Lichens re(iuire to lie handled with extra care throughout the work to prevent the destruction of that natural ornament, and if they are very large they should be lifted by special gear. As the best contrivance (barring large cranes) for hoisting all large stones I would recommend a tripod made of three extra strong poles about 15 feet long, and secured at the top by a strong mov- able iron bolt. When double blocks and pulleys, working by means of an endless chain, are attached to this tripod, stones from 1 ton to 2 tons in weight can be lifted quite easily and without injury. For turning over stones of extra size or for dragging them into the re- quired position, an iron winch (generally known by the popular name of " crabb ") will be found of great service ; but for most rock gardens the method of moving stones by means of planks and rollers, as described in my former notes under the heading of "preparatory work,' should be quite sufficient, and such extra ap- pliances should never be required for work on a small scale. F. W. Meyer. Exeter. (jTo be continued.) FLOWERS IN IRELAND. With a mean temperature of about 45° Fahr. tor tlie last eight or nine days and no great severity of weather before that, the garden here is showing a most alarming vitality. The winter so far has been singularly free from cutting winds, which may b3 the cause; but a number of plants appear to be still seeking for that lost summer of 1892. Sjme genuine spring flowers testify to the mild se.ason. Rhododendron precox and Eranthis bye- malis have been in blossom for a week. Chionodoxa is just opening. The following plants are in blos- som or nearly so : — Cytisus Everestiauus racemosus Hamamelis Zuccarliiiana arborea Pyru3 japou'ca (just open- .ing) Vinuarainor Primulas, lumy, Ijut no alpine Saxifr.iga Burseriaua (just op;^ninir) c'.i-iuifoliLi (?), do. opi»oiitif(>lia (pyren- aica), do. o. maxima, do. n. .St. Aune, do. Snowdrops of sorts Auhrietiiis (several) Veronica An lersoni decusjati and others Lithospormum prostra- tum Campanula fragilis Sckizostylis coecinea Erica mediterranea caifra carnca (just open) IleUantliemum (white) Cyclamen coum Primula japonica Hellebores Bellis sylvestria ApoQogeton distaohyon is just out of blossom. It has been continuously in flower in a small pond from Easter till the middle of January. It in- creases itself very freely by seed. I know no other plant in or out of cultivation witli so long a flower- ing season. But the alarming feature I alluded to is the early growth of all bulbs. All sorts of Daf- fodils, Lent Li' ies, Polyanthus Narcissi, &c., hive been above ground, or coming up, since before Christmas, and now, I think, all are showing their leaf-tops. Ma.ximus (true) is G inches or more in leaf, and so is Tazetta. Spanish and English Irises are both sprouting, the former ti inches to f< inches high. Pfeony buds are above ground. Tulips (sylvestris and Gesneriaua) are well up. Two sorts of Eremurus are bursting their great fat buds. Oncooyclus Irises (of several sorts) are in leaf. Glaucium luteum is growing strong, and Ornithogalnm umbellatum is doing likewise. St. Bruno's and St. Eno's Lilies are not behind. Ixias, Sparaxis and Babianas are all in growth. Again, a number of delicate species are more evergreen this winter than is their wont. Man- randya Barclayana is still leafy, and there were a few blossoms at Christmas. This year it ripened no seed ; last year 1 could have supplied a quantity. It is evident it never completed its season's growth. Roraneva Coulteri, Agapanthus umbella- tus, maximus, intermedius, Libertias (two or three), Hypericum olympioum, triflorum (against a wall), empetrifolium are shooting and green. Wood- wardia radicans has not withered. Todea superba is unusually fresh looking. Lilies are aU above ground. Again such shrubs as Acacia armata, Senecio Fosteri, Eupatorium riparium, several Ceanothuses, Clethra arborea, Aster argyrophyllus, Margyri- carpus setosus look as hearty as they did at any time in the summer. I noticed a remark in a correspondent's letter the other day that it was better to plant out young and let things be acclimatised. I find exactly the opposite to be the case. Plant out old hardened specimens and they take a lot of killing, no matter how deli- cate naturally. I have a large collection of Nepau and Sikkim Rhododendrons; this season theyseem to be tilling out their flower-buds fast. The only one I cannot succeed with is Nuttalli. It does not die, but it does not do well. The first Rhododendrons to blossom here will be ciliatum and Countess of Haddington; glaucum will run them close. The leaves of eximium are magnificent. Arbutus A'n- drachne and Andromeda floribundaare in beautiful flower now. A very charming Daphne that I got from Mr. Smith, of Newry, as D.iphne " Dauphne," evidently a form of indica (?), is very content in the open and about to bloom ; it is deliciously sweet. I was tempted to write this little report by accounts of the severity of the weather across the Channel. English people do not half realise the merits of our Irish climate, and I wish these remarks may tempt even one visitor to come and see f r himself. Both kinds of Furze are in bloom in the coun'y here. H. C. Hart. Carrahlaijh, Lough Sivilly. FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. Some time elapsed after the commencement of the thaw before one could get on the ground, owing to the depth the frost had penetrated. On the majority of soils, however, the surface is now fairly work- able, and flower garden work can be resumed in earnest. Besides digging where necessary, mulch- ing over borders, making up gaps in spring-flower- ing p'ants, and a general cleaning up of beds, any planting possible may be seen to at once. The system of utilising hardy plants to a great extent for a summer and autumn display is now general, and such planting can be extended or alterations made where existing arrangements were not quite satisfactory. We have a stock of L )belia cardi- nalis in boxes that will shortly be transferred to beds that were partially filled with Pinks. The idea is to plant the Lobelia in little clumps about t feet apart, leaving the Pinks to fill theremai ider of the beds. A large batch of new Violas will go in on a wide border already thinly planted with double Peach-leaved Campanula, and as the last- named is over rather early in the season, I shnll reserve an occasional space for a good fized plant of Eucalyptus. We have been lifting and repl int- ing a large bed of White Swan Viola that acts as a carpet to some nice clumps of a rosy pink Py- rethrum. Tnis is generally a very attractive bed irom quite early ia the season, as the foliage of the Pyrethrum, even when the flower is gone, makes a pleasing contrast to the mass of white. I remem- ber finding Violas of great service in a lot of small straight beds which were not easily planted. They were a series of beds about twenty in number, each 8 feet by 6 lee*', Box encircled, with about a foot of tiny gravel path between each, and the whole running along by the side of a broad walk. Carpet bedding with such a number was out of the question, strong growing plants of any description out of character, and I found, as I have said, the most satisfactory results from Violas. Free-flower- ing varieties of dwarf compact habit were selected, each bed had its own colour, and the fiat surface was broken up by a few plants of Dracaena indivisa and D. gracilis, some irregular pyramids of Fuch- !^ia Sunray and one Humea elegans in the centre of e.ach bed. The recollection of the riifticulty here experienced in finding suitable plants reminds one that among the points to be specially considered February 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 125 in all flower garden operations is the selection of suitable plants for different situations. Thus whilst things of dwarf compact habit are so suit- able for beds above named, they are decidedly out of character in situations where the object is to secure a telling effect from a considerable distance, and there is no greater mistake made than in crowding in a number of small plants of different shades, however bright the individual colours may be, in beds or borders lying, for instance, at the top of slopes of considerable height, having the principal walk at the foot of such slopes, and from whence I he chief view of any operations at the summit is to be obtained. No- thing is better for such positions than simple and yet bold planting in a mass, and if permanent clumps of bold plants already exist, the ground about them can be filled in with something that will present in the distance (he idea of a nicely contrasting carpet. Thus Fuchsia gracilis may be surrounded with Chrysanthemum Mme. Desgrange, Aster Amell us, A. bessabaricus or A. acris. The double perennial Sunflower may do duty as dot planis for bold grouping of Aster ericoides, and Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora encompass single plants of the new bronze foliaged Maple (Acer p. atro-pur- pureum). The above will serve as examples in which bold perennials can be utilised ; plenty of similar combinations will doubtless sugge.st them- selves. If such situations are exclusively " sum- mer-planted," a few useful things that may be mentioned are free- flowering Dahlias of the Cactus and bouquet type, Marguerites (both white and yellow), large specimen Fuchsias, and the white- flowering Tobacco. A very easy fiUing-up that I once adopted, and which was very showy all through the season, was effected by inserting rounds of Pea sticks at wide intervals, confining them at the top as one does for Sweet Peas and sowing Canary Creeper to cover the sticks, all in- tervening space being afterwards planted with an- nual Chrysanthemum Sultan. Spring-flowering stuff seems to have wintered well ; there are hardly any gaps, and looking through the Polyanthus beds the other day I no- ticed they were slightly on the move. A large bed that will be attractive presently is planted with a dark strain of this favourite spring flower, with small patches of Star Daffodil John Bull interven- ing. Very bright beds are made by alternating a primrose Polyanthus and scarlet Tulips. There is not a single miss in the beds of border Carnations — grand testimony, if more were needed, to the unmistakable hardiness of these flowers. I should like, by the way, to enter a protest against the name given to a new border Carnation in a cata- logue received the other day. "New dwarf yellow self," it reads, "Comtesse de Paris." Surely the compiler of the catalogue must be aware that one of the very best border Carnations already in com- merce bears the same name in, it is true, a more Anglicised form. Anyhow, 1 think the new intro- duction should be re-named. E. BtTRRELL. Claremont. Passiflora Constancs Eliott.— This plant is not quite hardy, yet in a .sheltered position it will stand most winters. In unusually severe weather some protection should be given, especially round the roots. We had one trained round the stone pillar of a porch. This was killed by the severe frost two winters back. Last spring 1 replaced it with another, and I was agreeably surprised to see the pillar covered in summer, the growth the first season being some 12 feet, and which flowered freely.— E. W. B. Begonia Worthiana — Two and three-year- old tubers of this fine bedding or pot Begonia will throw up shortly numerous stout shoots. These taken off when 3 inches in height and inserted into sandy soil in heat very quickly root and so pro- duce fine plants during the summer. If tubers be specially held over in a cool, dry place as late as possible, then be started and propagated, plants can thus be obtained which will make admirable subjects for flowering in gentle warmth till Christmas. There seems to be no indeed why they may not be induced to flower all through the winter. The considerable employment of this beautiful Begonia at Hampton Court Palace and other places of popular resort has created for it a great demand, and whether employed for bedding or for |>ot culture it is equally attractive. Plants from cuttings are used the first season for edgings. Then the tubers the second year are not propa- gated from, but allowed to carry all thf ir shoots, making very fine plants; and then the third season they are used for giving stock for cuttings. — A. D. liEthyrus splendens — May I ask your corre- spondent "D. K ."whowritessoexhaustivelyonEver- lasting Peas (p. Ss), whether Lathyrus splendens, which about a dozen years ago attracted a certain amount of attention(and was then described as a very beautiful member of the family fi-om the moun- tains of C.ilifornia), has proved to be of any value, for I do not see it mentioned in his admirable article ? It is, however, described with other mem- bers of the genus inthe"Dictionary of Gardening." -H. P. THE BOG GARDEN. Interesting and practical notes were contributed by Mr. J. Wood to The Garden, Feb. 4 (p. 79), and those who have bog gardens would do well to read them carefully. A bo^ garden is a delightful feature, and the number of moisture-loving plants that can be grown in a comparatively small space is great, whilst by the side of a small brook or stream a host of plants thrive to perfection. In the bog garden at Cambridge, or in the High Beech nurseries of Messrs. Paul and Son. there is much to be seen in the early summer months especially, and even in comparatively small places a spot can be reserved for the Calthas, hardy Orchids, &c.,that need a perpetually damp situation. Cypripedium spectabile I have never seen better than in a recess in the rock garden, where the Trilliums and the Primulas delight to grow. Orchis foliosa makes a splendid mass under such conditions. The Calthas are a fine group and must have a boggy soil to succeed well. There are now many kinds, both double and single, brilliant masses of yellow in spring, and the forms of C. monstrosa bear flowers each like a little rosette, whilst in C. leptosepala they are of a rich orange shade. The Cardinal Blowers make a picture of colour in the bog garden. Lobelia fulgens Queen Victoria in particular. I have seen this splendid plant make almost double the growth as in the ordinary border simply through the moist peaty soil. The size of its rich crimson flowers is remarkable. The Huntsman's Horn (.Sarracenia purpurea) is quite at home in such situations, and the Prim- ulas flower with great freedom, P. rosea in particular, but one may have many types, as P. japonica and P. farinosa. Our native bog plants, as Parnassia, Drosera, and Pinguicula, could be grown, and they require little attention. There are many spots in gardens that could be converted into a bog garden, and the plants grown therein would give much pleasure. A brookside may be raadd, with even a small selection of plants, bright with colour, and by the margin of a lake colonies of various things can be formed. P. japonica is a bold flower for such a spot, and when well established, seedlings spring up in great numbers,sothatitbecomes naturalised. By thelake in Livermere Park, in Suffolk, this fine Primrose grows with greafe vigour in the more shady spots. The stems rise over 2 feet in height, and the flowers, arranged in tiers, appear for many weeks. One gets a great variety from white to deepest crimson. A very pretty kind has while flowers with a buff salmon eye, and the leafage of all the forms of this Primula is robust. Seen from the opposite side of the bank a large gr-oup is very effective. But one need not be tied down to a few plants only. By the side of water or in the bog garden the Japanese Irises, I. Krempferi, Spir;T?a palmata, &c , may have a place. S. palruata is never seen to better advantage than when grow- ing in boggy soil, the growth made being very robust, and the mass of crimson flower-heads lights up the garden with colour. This interest- ing phase of English gardening is not taken sufficient account of, but from such a feature one may get much pleasure. E. Varieties of Iris stylosa. — Tliis charming winter-lloweiing Iris varies much in colour, and some of tlie varieties have received distinctive names. One of the best known forms is alba, in which the flowers are white or tinted wiih lilac. It is a delicately beautiful flower, just as fragrant as the type, and in other respects similar. Then ther-e is a kind named lilacina, the flowers lilac, and another called marginata, in which the falls and standards are rich lilac, set oil by a pakr shade of the same colour. Speciosa has deep blue flowers, and there are variations from the type, but they differ merely in degree. An Iris fancier would covet them, but they are not s'.'fliciently impor- tant for a place in ordinary gardens. This variability in the colour of I. stylosa increases its interest. The best position for the plant is a thoroughly well-drained border in a warm sheltered spot fac- ing south preferably. A rich soil is unnecessary, and it should be kept dry in the summer months. Sunny, warm nooks on the rockery may also be chosen for it, and the time to plant is the autumn, affording some protection until the roots have got well establi.-lied. I. stylosa, by reason of the deli- cate beauty of ils fragrant flowers, is very charm- ing in pots, and if potted in the early autumn, the bulbs will bloom well. The Winter Aconite. — This seems almost too common a plant to write of, but at this season, when its charming little yellow flowers in their collar of green leaves appear above the surface of the ground, it is delightful. Althorrgh very easily grown, one sees comparatively litile of it in gar- dens. We have been lately in a few place?, but, save for a single root here and there, the Winter Aconite was unrepresented. Some years ago we remember seeing a fine garden in early February where the Eranthis was planted freely in the half- wild spots, colouring the ground beneath decidu- ous trees with its yellow flowers, and good clumps of it on the rockery, in the border, or a sprinkling of roots on the Grass make a pleasing winter picture. Zinnias. — I think those who have grown the superb varieties of double Zinnias now so abun- dant will agree with me that it is well to have the plants as strong and forward as they well can be so soon as it is s.ife to c^nrmit them to the open ground. It will not be too early to sow seed of double Zinnias next month in gentle warmth. Great importance is attached to keeping the seed- lings near the glass and where they can get ample light. To have them weak or drawn is to do them infinite harm. If seed be sown in pans and placed near the glass the seedlings will be sturdy and dwarf. When some 2 inches in hr ight they may be pricked off Ihinly into other pans or shallow boxes, and then a month later go from these into a frame, where they may become ('> inches in ht ight and be very strong before being transplanteJ into the open grouird. It is not every grower who cares to take so much pains, but when the soil in which Zinnias are planted is well prepared and manured, the re-ult is fine jilants and flowers far beyonrl what corne from \ery ordinary treatment. The double Zinnia is such a beautiful flower snd gives some colours that hardly anything else fur- nishes, so brilliant and beautiful are they, that special good cultivation is amply repaid. — A. D. Dicentra spectabilis — Jlr. Wood's note re- specting the frequent cutting down of the early growth of this by frost induces me to say that at Bedfont, where I grew a quantity of larie roots, producing during the season very fine clumps of foliage and bloom, F always planted beneath the overhanging boughs of spreading trees, and never found the shoots injured by late spring frosts. This Dicentra is peculiarly fitted for wild garden planting, for it lives without replanting for several 126 THE GARDEN. [FtBRnAUT 18, 1893. years, and only when t.'.ic [J mts are strong is its real beauty seen. Htill further, no plants show the same noble growth ami very long flowering endurancethat well-established roots do. The early growths are usually quite Fafe if the plants have shelter on the north anil east, but with overhanging branches of trees 1 have found the shoots unharmed in any aspect. It is one of the most beautiful of border plants, but exposed is liable to the injury referred to. El en in such oases a large basket or a light framework covered with canvas turned over the plants at night until danger is past will make all safe from injury. — A. D. The Huntsman's Horn for colour.— We have visited a few gardens and nurseries during the winter, and amongst hardy things the common Sarraoenia purpurea is conspicuous for the rich crimson colouring of its curious leaves, fashioned in the shape of a horn. A large clump of this in moist peaty soil on the rockery or in the bog gar- den is a bright feature in the winter season. One must have a good mass of it to get effect from its crimson foliage, and if in a peaty bojgy soil, not too wet, it will grow away with vigour, forming a charming mass with its richly-coloured, horn- shaped pitchers. Stove and Greenhouse. TREE OR PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATIONS. I WAS much interested in the article by Mr. Douglas which appeared in Thk G.vrden, Feb- ruary 4, respecting these useful winter-Hower- ing plants. Few, however, have the same con- veniences for carrying on their culture so suc- cessfully, but even without such exhaustive reso".rces it is surjjrising what results may be achieved by those who take an interest in the cultivation of these winter flowers. Although so valuable as button-hole flowers, it does seem strange that so little trouble is taken witli them in many gardens and so little space devoted to them. I am inclined to think this is attribut- able not so much to the unsuitableness of the structures gardeners have to deal with as to the want of a proper .system or method of procedure. To be successful, an early start must be made in striking cuttings, as unless this is done the plants cannot attain a useful size or sufficient maturity in their growth to flower freely and continuously during the most sunless months of the year. I have adopted for the last few years a similar course to that so well described by Mr. Douglas, and although not many plants were grown, there were but few days in the year when a bloom could not be found ; indeed from a batch of not more tlian two dozen plants I was able to supply a coat flower daily for my employer the whole year. Ill growing so few plants I found there was an advantage in keeping a portion of the stock over the second year, as the older plants furnished the earliest autumn supply. This course may, or may not be necessary, varieties differing in point of early flowering very materially, but the plan suited my case so well, that I shall not be inclined to give it up until 1 have found a better one. After a stock of cuttings had been secured, the best of the year-old \ilant3 were selected and placed into pots a siz3 or two larger, removing at the time as much of the old and unoccupied soil as possible by the aid of a small pointed stake. Turfy loam broken fairly small, with leaf- mould and dried cow manure added in good proportion, formed the potting compost, soot, bone-meal, and sharp sand, a small sprinkling of each, aiding its richness and porosity. Cocoa- nut fibre I find a good substitute for leaf- mould, and there are seemingly few plants that will not root freely in this. Sturdy and short- jointed growths may be gained to some degree Ijy firm potting, although in Tree Carnations tall shoots are naturally e.xpected in many of the best sorts. To flower them well in winter they must necessarily have some open-air treatment for the consolidation of their stems, which have a sappy tendency when kept permanently under glass. If a good strike is secured in February and the plants grown steadily on, they will be ready for placing into their flower- ing pots in May or beginning of June, by which time they can be stood in a sunny spot outdoors, and there remain until September. The old plants share a poition of the same space, allowing room for the plants to stand clear of each other, so that a maximum amount of air and sunshine may reach every leaf and stem. The same rule should be followed in the autumn when they are housed for the winter, for if stood thickly together, shaded by other plants, or standing a long way from the glass, they (juickly become enfeebled, and disappointment to the grower is sure to follow. Tying and staking must not be neglected. Stakes of suffi- cient length to support the full-grown plant ought to be put to it early, securing these to strained wires or some other convenient arrangement to prevent them being blown about by the wind. When standing unsecured, they fall about one over the other with the slightest wind, which renders them liable to be broken, and the roots injured by the swaying of stakes to and fro. If the pots are wholly or partially plunged in the ground, or in cocoa fibre or a.shes, they are kept steady as well as protected from scorching sun, which, when the plants are in small pots, does a deal of injury to the fibrous roots exjiosed to the heated surface. When the soil is well occupied with roots, stimulants should be resorted to frequently in a liquid or dry state, or, jireferably, both alter- nately. Good flowers and a continuous sujjjjly cannot be had without the aid of stimulants of some kind. Prepared chemical manures are now so numerous, that it would seem superfluous to mention any particular one as being likely to suit Carnations best ; it is a question that can well be left to the discretion of individual cultivators. I would strongly advise the use of liquid natural manures ; if these cannot be had from farmyard tanks, resort should be had to some favourite kind prepared in a small slate tank ; or, failing this, a petroleum barrel pre- viously freed from oil by charring the in- side. Soot in a diluted state is a valuable stimulant for Carnations, and may be employed as a change from cow, sheep, horse or fowl ma- nures, each prepared in the same way. Seed of good sti'ains is offered by the leading seed firms, and this sown at once and the seed- lings treated as advised for cuttings will re.sult in good flowering plants by next winter and spring. W. Strugnell. Buod Ashfon Gardens, Trowhridye. Libonia floribunda. — In a warm greenhouse the pretty bright-coloured blossoms of this Libon^a are borne for months together, and tbat too during the winter season ; still, despite this very desirable feature, it is not always met with in a satisfactory condition, for the foliage often wears a yellow and unhappy appearance, which even if the plant is full of flower detracts greatly from its ornamental features. Some cultivators plant out their Libonias during the summer months, but as a general rule this mode of treatment is not nearly so satisfactory as growir)g them altogether in pots. The cuttings should be struck as early in the year as possible and shifted on as required. A cold frame is a very good place for the plants during the summer, and in hot weather frequent syringing will be of service, not only to encourage growth, but also to keep down red spider, which will soon cause the foliage to acquire a sickly tint. During their earlier stages the young plants should be freely pinched in order to enc:)urage a bushy habit of growth. As the pots get full of roots occasional stimulants in the shape of liquid manure will be of service, while soot-water will greatly help to maintain the foliage jn a rich green state. — T. Eranthemum pulchellum. — Introduced from the East Indies nearly a century ago, this is still one of the prettiest flowering plants we have in the stove during the winter months, for under favourable conditions it will bloom from Christ- mas onward, often for three months or more. We have very few indoor flowers at any season of so beautiful a blue as this Eranthemum, and at the time it blooms there is really nothing else to com- pare with it for colour. It is also of very easy culture, and, like most Acanthads, is more satis- factory when propagated annually from cuttings, which should be formed of the young growing shoots, and if taken in the spring will root in a few days. If shifted on as required, they will form good fiowericg plants by the winter. During the summer they will succeed very well under frame culture, but as autumn advances they must be taken into the stove. If kept in a frame throughout the summer and a liberal use made of the syringe, the plants will grow freely and keep free from insect pests, which is not always the case if in a warm house, as red spider often attacks the foliage. Fairly liberal treatment is necessary to the welldoing of this Eranthemum, and as the season advances and the pots get full of roots, an occasional dose of liquid manure will be of service. — H. P. Begonia Gloire de Sceaux. — This Begonia, which was awarded a first-class certificate at a re- cent meeting of the Koyal Horticultural Society, is not such a novelty as one might suppose, judging by some of the remarks overheard when it was exhibited. It was sent out either six or seven years ago by MM. Thibaut et Keteleer, of Sceaux, in France, who announced it as a hybrid between B. socotrana and B. subpeltata. The habit of the plant is stout and vigorous, and without any stop- ping it naturally forms a neat compact specimen, well furnished with ample foliage of a thick tex- ture and of a rich metallic tint. The flowers, too, are large and borne in good-sized clusters, while their colour is a very pleasing shade of deep pink. As a rule it commences to bloom about Christmas, and will then miint dn a succession till spring is well advanced. Public attention being now directed to this particular variety, it will no doubt be much more extensively grown than was formerly the case. — T. Eupatorium grandiflorum. — It is now about ten years since this species was first brought into notice, yet it has not become so widely cultivated as one might have expected, seeing that its habit is good and that its flowers are of a purer white than in the commoner species. The size of the heads of blossoms, too, quite justifies the s;eoific name. It is erect in style of growth, with large ovate, coarsely-toothed leaves, quite different from those of the better-known Eupatoriums. It is also a slower growing plant, and, contrary to the general practice with E. riparium, should be kept for two or three seasons. A good plan after the first year is to plant them out in the open in a sunny position about the middle of June. With regard to the history of this plant I have not been able to trace it back bayond 18.S2, when the same name occurs in the lieruc llorticola under a col- oured plate. The flowers there are pink, which may perhaps be due to the suparior climatic con-- ditions of Southern France, where the species is grown permanently out of doors. Kegel, however, figured a somewhat similar Eupatorium in his GartciijUra in 1.S52, named E. grandifolium. It is possible there may be some confusion in the two names. Kegel infers the latter is a native of Feuiiuauy lt<, 1893.], THE GARDEN 117 Guatemala, as the plants were raised from seeds which came along with some Orchids from that country. Phyllanthus nivosus. — This stove shrub, which has been known in our gardens for the last twenty years, owes its attractive features not to Ihe flowers, but to the beauty of its foliage. It is a free-growing plant of a loose open habit, whose slender shoots are clothed with ovate leaves, which where well e.xposed to the light are more or less marked with pink, white and green in varying proportions, some being almost white and others white with a pink tinge, while some have the three colours all blended together, and others are quite green. To ensure weU-coloured plants the best marked shoots only should be employed as cuttings. They strike readily enough in a gentle bottom heat, and if shifted on into pots 5 inches in diameter, lanceolate leaves that are deeply serrated. The blooms, which are borne in many-flowered drooping racemes during the summer, are white and not particularly noticeable, but they are succeeded by berries which render the plant very pretty in the winter. These berries are about the size of Peas, pure white, except a dark spot on the apex, sur- rounded by a circle and five other dots of the same tint. These berries remain fresh a very long time. It is not hardy, and the treatment given to greenhouse Khododendrons will suit it perfectly. — H. P. Rhododendrons. — The charming boxes of cut trusses of the javanico - jasminiflorum hybrids shown by Messrs. Veitch and Sons so frequently at the R.H.S. meetings should do a great deal to- wards extending their popularity. I have person- ally often longed for an opportunity of growing The Mouruing Iris (Iris susiana). (Sec p. 130.) stopped a few times and kept near the glass, they form very pretty little specimens which may be turned to account in various ways, while a large plant or two is often useful for cutting from, A second form is P. atropurpureus, more liable to lose its leaves during the winter than the preced- ing. The foliage of this becomes of a rich purple colour when well exposed to the light. There are other species in cultivation, the best known being P. pallidifolius, which is far more generally met with under the name of Reidia glaucescens. — P. Epigjmium leucobotrys. — A great many different subjects are grown for the beauty of their fruit during the winter month*, and this is one that might with advantage be added to the list of desirable plants for this purpo.se, as it is very pretty and quite distinct. It is a shrub nearly related to the Vacciniums, and indeed is by some writers included in that genus. It forms a some- what upright growing bush, with dark green oblong them, but, unfortunately, I have no house I can give up to their culture. I do not mean by this to infer that they cannot be grown with o'.her plants, but the rather I am thinking what a fine feature they are wlien a house is devoted to their cultiva- tion. One most important fact in regard to these exhibits of the Messrs. Veitch should not be lost sight of, viz., that of these examples having been grown within the fog radius ; this conclusively proves their essential properties of withstanding its pernicious effects upon vegetation. -Plasts- MAX. Tree Peeonies under glass.— The fact that these Pieonies when in the open ground push forth their foliage and flower-buds so early in the sf a^on that they are often injured by spring frosts no doubt prevents their being planted so fre- quently as would otherwise be the case, yet this very peculiarity is in their favour for flowering under glass as with just the waimth of a green- house they may be had in bloom at a time when most outdoor subjects wear their winter garb. Apart from the beauiy of the flowers, the mass of tender unfolding foliage is veiy pretty, and when crowned with huge blossoms a group of these PiEonies forms a most striking feature in the greenhouse or conservatory. The better kinds of Tree P;ponies always command good prices, owing to the fact that they are rather slow of increase and by no means of rapid growth afterwards. Whether single or double flowers are the more beautiful is at least an open question, for both have their admirers. For two or three years pre- vious to the present season considerable numbers of these Preonies have been sent here from Japan, and disposed of at tlie London auction rooms. They bore the journey well, the roots being tightly packed in Moss, while the tops were allowed suffi- cient space for the free circulation of air around, which was assisted by holes bored in the boxes opposite these air spaces. The first consignment realised high prices, but these were not afterwards maintained. Up to the present none of these PiBonies from Japan have made their appearance this winter. Of those sent last season nearly all that came under my observation had single flowers, and very beautiful they were, some huge white blooms being particularly striking.— H. P. Impatiens Sultani.— This is very useful for flowering at the present season, for just now the blooms appear to be unusually bright and cheerful. Introduced about a dozen years ago, it rapidly became popular, but of late I do not think it has been quite so generally cultivated as was formerly the case. Apart from the beauty of its blossoms this Balsam possesses two other very desir.able features, viz , its easy cultivation and freedom of flowering. Different individuals vary somewhat in the colour of their flowers, and there are now some three vaiieties in cultivation— carminea, salmonea, and variegata. The varietal name of th's last applies to the foliage, but the plant usually presents a somewhat diseased and unhappy appearance. There is, as far as I am aware, no white-flowered variety, though the name of Impatiens Sultani alba is occasionally to be met with, but the plant to which this name is applied is thi' allied I. flaccida alba, somewhat in the way of, but quite distinct from I. Sultani. When the gorgeous coloured I. Hawkeri was intro- duced great expectations were formed of it, and it was thought likely that the new-comer would prove of service to the hybridist, but, as far as I know, these anticipations have never been realised ; in- deed, I. Hawkeri has never to my knowledge pro- duced seeds, but it can be very readily propagated by cuttings. It has not become so popular as was at first anticipated, the habit of growth having, perhaps, something to do with it, while it is par- ticularly liable to the attacks of a minute insect like a small yellow thiips. which causes the buds to drop and the joung foliage to acquire a di-cased appearance, the real cause of which is often un- suspected.— T. Two Bignonias.— I am asked by " T. M." if the two species of Bignonias named below are difficult to manage. The plants named are B. venusta and B. Cherere. If you have got room enough en the roof, you may plant these with con- fidence and fully expect to see them flower freely. Both will succeed under pot culture, but they do not flower well enough to warrant my advising that system. A portion of the border should te bricked off, drained, and then filled up with good rich turfy loam. They bke an abundance of water during the growing season both to their roots and overhead. After "the growth is completed the supply of water should be discontinueil, and, with- out causing the plant to suffer, it should be kept somewhat dry for a time, when flowers will begin to appear. The plants should have ample room to ramble ; in fact, the strong leading shoots should be sullVrcd to reach the full length of the house before the knife is used to them. As these plants flower upon the lateral shoots these should be en- couraged as much as possible. Very little pruning is necessary, saving in stopping the main shoots 128 THE GARDEN. [Febeuaky 18, 1893. and sometimes cutting out a side growth when they grow too thick. When the plants get too old they should be cut quite down and the soil should be renewed, or a good part of it, with- out disturbing them too much, when they will soon throw up strong shoots, which must be care- fully trained so as to become the leaders for a new plant. B. Cherere is an old plant not much known now, but still one of the loveliest and showiest climbers that it is possible to grow upon the roof. The flowers, which appear at the ends of the lateral shoots in great numbers, are large, trumpet-shaped, ■rich orange-ied, with a yellow throat. This plant usually flowers about the beginning of July and continues in full beauty for several weeks. B. yenusta is more often caUed a stove climber, but it grows most luxuriantly and flowers most abun- dantly in a warm greenhouse. Its beautiful flowers are tubular with a spreading limb, and the colour is rich deep orange-scarlet. These are produced during (he months ot November and December.— W. H. G. PRIMULAS, CYCLAMENS AND CINERARIAS AT READING. We had the privilege of inspecting Messrs. Sutton's well-known and justly celebrated strains of these florists' flowers the other day. The Primulas are remarkably fine ; the Cinerarias will improve; whilst the Cyclamens are a trifle past their best, but sufficient can be seen of the latter even now to form a correct idea of their superior quality. All of these popular flowers, with Calceolarias (her- baceous). Begonias (luberous) and Gloxinias, each in their season are grown under Messrs. Sutton's personal supervision exclusively for their own pri- vate seed traJe, tubers of Begonias and Gloxinias, ot course, being also supplied. By growing their own stock from year to year for many years past, they have been enabled, by close observation, to effect great improvements in selected kinds ; whilst by cross- fertilisation many remarkably dis- tinct and valuable ne;v kinds have been raised. This is now most particularly observable in the Primulas. The noteworthy features of their Pri- mulas are the distinct and clear colours, the com- pact growth, with no superfluity of foliage, and the freedom of flowering. The strains of Primulas as seen here may be divided into two sections ; those with the ordinaiy form of growth, and those termed the "giant " section, each of these being sub-divided into the plain leaved ar.d the Fern- leaved varieties, and these again into single and .double forms. The former of these if sown at the same time as the giant flower, the earlier ot the two. There is also another beautiful strain in which a great advance has been made called the Moss Curled, with the foliage as much curled in some instances as in the finest Parsley ; in these also there is great variety. In the case of each named variety there is a great uniformity in the quality, not one rogue being discernible. By artificial fertilisation each colour is kept quite true to its character, and can. therefore, be thoroughly relied upon to reproduce itself. The following varieties are all decided acquisi- tions : Pearl, a white variety, raised by Messrs. Sutton in IST'.l, remarkable for its fre;dom of ■flowering, its purity ot colour, and its finely fringed blossoms. Reading Pink has lovely flowers of a soft pink shade, deeply fringed. Reading Blue (plain leaf) is a very much improved strain, and a line contrast to Pearl. Sutton's Blue is a decided advance, with Fern-leaved foliage and porcelain-blue flowers, very fine. Reading Double Blue is an exceedingly handsome and richly col- oured new form (deeper in colour than either of the preceding), the flowers ot extra size, and borne in large trusse?. Anyone seeing this trio of blues cannot but be impressed with their superior quality. Carmine Rose is valuable as an extra early variety. Purity is a large form of Fern leaf with extra trusses and pure white flowers, with dark stems and foliage ; a variety of superior constitution, Gipsy Q leen is another distinct white Fern-leaved form, with reddish-brown leaves ; a useful variety for v.ises. Rosy Qaeen is a very compact Fern- leaved form, pale rosy pink in colour. Snowdrift is an extra free-flowering white, very early, also with Fern-leaved foliage ; a standard variety. Ruby King, a rich ruby shale, is very dwart,and therefore valu- able in small pots. Double White is an unusually vigorous variety, finely fringed, very free in flower- ing, with large trusses, the foliage comparatively small. This should largely supplant the old Double White from cuttings. Double Scarlet is one of the brightest colours yet seen ; a counterpart of the foregoing save in colour. This pair and the Double Blue are three decidedly valuable d^'corative varie- ties either in a cut state or on the plant, lasting so long when cut, as we ourselves have proved. Mauve Beauty is another fine double, with the shade of colour seen in Clematis lanuginosa. Double Carmine (improved), a very early variety, was over. Double Crimson is a large-flowered form of deep colour. Double Fern-leaved Blue is yet an- other break in the blue section, scarcely so deep in colour as the plain-leaved form, but valuable all the same. Double White Fern-leaf is another great advance, the flowers large, the trusses large and compact ; a rival to alba plena. Double Car- nation B'lake is a form much admired, being flaked and splashed with purple on a white ground. The giant section includes the following, well- defined forms: Giant White, with plain leaves, a stout-growing, but compact variety, the foot stalks short, the leaves of great substance, the flowers extra large and massive; one of the finest for exhibition. Giant White (Fern-leaved) is a counterpart save in foliage, the flowers of the two even larger, assuming a pale blush shade with age. Giant Crimson is one of the very finest of all, ot the same style of growth, the flowers very large, the petals overlapping each other, the eye very dis- tinct. Giant Salmon Pink has beautifully fringed flowers of a very pleasing shade of colour. Giant Carmine, very compact, has flowers of a rich car- mine shade. In the " Gem " section, Sutton's Gem claims especial notice, being extremely compact in growth, with finely fringed foliage. Any cultivator of Primulas who has the opportunity should see the foregoing choice selection at Reading. In doing this one can select those varieties best suited to any particular purpose, whilst no one could fail to be interested in all. Of the Cyclamens, it must be added that they are splendidly grown plants, whilst in the various shades of colour there are choice breaks. One with salmon-coloured flowers and a mulberry base is very noteworthy with the true persicum charac- ter, the growth, as in every other instance, very compact with a profusion of flower. Another has rosy-lilac flowers with the same good properties. The ordinary forms with dark bases are of a deep shade of colour and broad petal. One called Vulcan has intensely deep crimson flowers, one of the richest in this respect of all. Another called Butterfly has pure white flowers, much more spreading than usual, not at all unlike a butterfly settled on the foliage ; this is an extra dwarf and comp.act form. The giant section is well repre- sented by Giant White, Rose, Crimson, and Purple, aU being choice selections of this strong-growing form, the Giant White with a crimson base being likewise an acquisition to those already enume- rated. The Cinerarias possess all the good properties of the florists' flowers with freedom ot growth, vigor- ous growth and large blossoms, the colours of the selfs rich and pure, the parti-coloured forms also well marked and defined. Of the selfs, an indigo- blue was particularly handsome, a pure white also being especially noteworthy ; the tipped varie- ties were very bright, denoting a valuable decora- tive strain. One of these seedlings had narrow, somewhat twisted florets, pure white in colour ; this struck us as a distinct novelty likely to be much appreciated by many growers who are not so de- votedly attached to what are strictly termed florists' flowers. Lachenalias as basket plants.— Lachenalia tricolor, pendula, and Nelsoni are all admirably adapted for basket culture. They grow quite as vigorously and bloom as freely grown in this way as when potted. The basket should be well lined with green Moss, which will retain much of its freshness during the time the plants are making theirgrowth. For houses of moderate dimensions baskets that will take about eight bulbs are most suitable, but in the case of large conservatories a score or more bulbs may be put together. The ap- pearance of Lachenalias in the form of such large specimens is very effective, their graceful growth being more fully displayed than when the plants stand below the level of the eye. The bulbs start naturally in the latter end ot August, so that planting must not be deferred much beyond that period. A rich compost is necessary ; the same as that commonly used for Hyacinths will do very well. As the days lengthen and the plants grow with freedom, abundance of moisture at the roots must be given, baskets naturally requiring m^re than pots. — J. C. B. Ixora Westi. — When I was writing the article upon Ixoras to accompany the coloured plate of I. Westi I could not give the parentage of this lovely hybrid. Since then I have ascertained from Mr. West, through the courtesy of Mr. J. Veitch and Sons, in whose establishment at CheLsea it was raised, and by whom it was distributed, that it is the result of crossing Ixora odorata with I. am- boinica. Both of these are species, and quite distinct in every respect. In I. Westi the robust growth of I. odorata is not so apparent, whilst the free-flowering proclivities of I. amboinica are well brought out, 'i'he truss partakes also of that of I. odorata, but it is not quite so large. I have not, however, observed in the offspring any of the per- fume ot that species. I. Westi has not been shown as a specimen plant so frequently as some other kinds, but if some ot our well-known growers were to take it in hand, they would find it a grand acquisition by reason of its perfectly distinct colour. Being a variety ot very free growth and flowering as freely, when ot good size it should yet win its way with specimen plant growers. There is hardly anything of the same pleasing shade of colour as is to be found in I. Westi; for this reason, there- fore, it should be grown for home decoration as well. I find thus far that our plants of it have wintered well, retaining their foliage in a healthy state in spite of such adverse circumstances as fogs, &c. On one occasion a well-known floral decorator expressed a wish to me that he should like to be able to obtain it in a cut state, he being quite taken with the colour, more particularly in its earliest stages whilst still of a pale shade J. Hudson. Aralia elegantissima. — This is one of the most useful for table decoration, as it lasts in good condition for such a long time. Plants which have become too tall or have lost their lower leaves should have the tops taken off and the siil kept on the dry side, which will soon cause lateral shoots to form. These, after they have grown about 3 inches, are just in the right condition for making into cuttings. Take them off with a heel and insert them in cocoa-nut fibre refuse in a pro- pagating c ise where the temperature is warm and moist. After a time, roots will form when the rooted cuttings should be potted off. By treating the above Aralia and also the allied kinds in the manner stated above, I am enabled to keep up a stock of useful plants. Many people are under the impression that these Aralias must b3 grafted to increase stock, but it is certainly an erroneous opinion. Aralias are expensive plants to buy, and this no doubt is the reason why they are not more used than they are for general house decoration. —A. Y. Iris cliinensis. — What Mr, Buxton says (p. 97) of the terms in which I spoke of the treatment of this lovely winter-flowering Iris is strictly correct, and I had my first lesson on the matter from that excellent lady gardener, the late Mrs. Rawson, who made a speciality ot this Iris, and also of the Belladonna Lily. Perhaps nobody ever grew these two plants better. There can be no doubt about the plan I described being effective, as proved by the stout flower-scapes at present on my own plants. Febeuart 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 129 wliich were only repotted last spring after flower- ing ; of course to get flowers you must retain plenty of rhizome when repotting. I see no reason why the more loamy compost should not answer, but I should say that the kinder treatment given to I'ol. Johnstone's plants being kept under glass all the year round may have something to do with the good results, and then how often we succeed as well as fail with plants without knowing the reason why. Anyhow, I agree with what Mr. Buxton says of the merits of this greenhouse Iris ; the flowers are beyond praise, and they last so long, so that any amount of care spent upon it would be justified. There certainly is no difficulty in getting plenty of flowers once you rightly man- age the repotting, especially as to date. Get plenty of good growth, gooci-sized, dark green leaves in summer, and flowers must follow if the plants are taken into the greenhouse before cold rains or frosts come. — J. Wood. SHORT NOTES.— STOVE AND GREENHOUSE. ■ Hardy Azaleas. — I have recently seen .several notes aneut these charming shrubs. I wish to put in a pica for A. arborescens, with pure white red- fctameued flowers, having just the fragi'auce of .Tessa- raiue. It is very hardy, of free growth, and about the latent to come into bloom — not before July. — T. S.MITH. Impatiens Ha'wkeri.— " J. H. B." rends me a nice spray of this plant in full flower. It is inrlocd a gliiridU'^ plant. The sender says he has throe plants whicli have been (juite a blaze of beauty all the winter. The eulour is very hrilliaut carmiue, over \^ hieh is a tinge of blue, the centre being white. It was intro- duced bv llr. Wm. Bull, of Chelsea, some few jears ago.- W. H. G. Draosena Alsace-Lorraine. — J. Hubbard Eends me a leaf of this variety for au opmiou, I do not kno.v anything of its origin, but it is a very pretty ^-ariety. The leaver in the centre are very rich and deep purple, margined with rich scarlet ; the young leave-", I am told, are of a uniform brilliant scarlet. This variety, if of good habit, should become one of the leading kiuds— W. H. G. Eclieverias in winter.— These succulent Cape plants are very useful in the winter, as they flower B on after Chrysanthemums are over. We notice them with pleasure as ta^ le plants in Loudon diuing-rjoms. Th^y remain long in flower, are very easily grown, and last for some time in a town atmosphere, which is a consideration. They are grown in the greenhouse in winter, and a.^ soon as they bloom are taken where wanteJ. — Field. Brunsvigia Josephinae.— Can anyone tell me how often Brunsvigia Josephinas blooms in a wild ttate, yearly, or not so often ? I have what, judaing by Baker's " Amarjllideae." seems a flourishing plant, with fourteen very large leaves, 4 inches to IT inches across and '2 feet long. It has increased \ii leaves by four in the three years I have had it, but has never flowered. B. g'gantea remained dor- mant two years, and is now growing well. Does not this suggest that they may lie uaturally irregular bloomers, taking their tune about it ?— W. S. Calceolaria fuchsiaefolia. — Although but little known or cultivated at present, this semi- shrubby species of Calceolaria makes a very pretty show during the present month. Its flowers are of a bright yellow, a colour which, in some shade or other, is common to all but a few of the wild forms of this genus. The foliage, however, is very distinct, the leaves being smooth, dark green, slightly toothed, and, as the specific name implies, very like those of a Fuchsia. It is well adapted for cultivation in the greenhouse, being dwarf and easily made to assume a compact bushy form. It strikes readily from cuttings, which may be taken at any time during spring. The young plants should be occasionally pinched, and kept growing throughout the summer under ordinary greenhouse treatment, potting them in a light loamy compost. By flowering-time they will be about a foot high and nearly as much through, and may be conveniently accommodated in G-inch pots. Such plants ought to bear seven or eight of the elegant panicles of flowers. The species is a native of the mountains of Peru, whence it was introduced in 1878. On March 29 of the following year a coloured drawing of it appeared in THii Garden. Orchids. TRICHOPILIA SUAVIS. This some years ago I used to look upon as one of the easiest to grow ; but, to my .surprise, a friend said to me the other day that it would not grow at all with him. The finest and most freely-flowered plants that I have ever seen were grown Ijy Mr. John Day at Tottenham. Trichopilia suavis was first found by Warsoewicz in 1848 growing upon trees on the volcano of C'hirlqui at some 8000 feet elevation. It is also found growing in similar positions some few thousand feet lower down, and consequently cannot bear a very high temperature. A pure white variety has lately flowered. It appeared quite unexpectedly, I believe, and must have been a surprise to its possessor. There is, how- ever, a tinge of yellow in the throat, which serves to enliven it, and the flower has the same e.xquisite fragrance as that of tlie typical plant. The typical plant has pure white flowers, spotted more or less with rich, bright rose-coloured spots, tinged with yellow in the throat. In the variety alba the flowers are pure white and quite devoid of the spotting. To grow this plant well, I mix au equal part of good brown peat fibre and chopped Sphagnum Moss, and with this at the time of potting I use some sharp Bedfordshire .sand. The pots .should be well drained and the jdants set upon a slight mound raised above the rim of the pot. Set the plants when potted in the cool end of the Cattleya liouse, or, lacking this, in the warm end of the Udontoglossuni house. Trichopdias, I find, do not require much water at the roots ; but they revel in a nice moist atmosphere, which, however, requires to be moderated in the winter season. I have found, too, a light syringing beneficial in building up strong pseudo-bulbs and stout leathery leaves in place of the thin, spotted foliage, which I frequently see upon the plants growing in the strong heat of the Brazilian house. W. Hugh Gower. as by the pleasant perfume they give off. Most of the plants in cidtivation are probably from Mada- gascar, where the species was first found. It was afterw.'iids discovered in that remarkable group of inlands in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles, where the doable Cocoa-nut Palm also has its only home. — B. Cattleya Dowiana and aurea. — " H. L." asks why these two Orchids do not flower and what temperature they require. As soon as the bulbs are mailo up the plants should be placed in cool quarters, where the thermometer is allowed to fall to 50^ or thereabouts as a minimum. In the culti- vation of the three Cattleya?, viz , aurea, Dowiana, and gigas. the one great point is to rest them cool enough before the buds get into a forward state. Once do this and you will prevent autumn and winter growth, which gets them the name of being shy bloomer.s, because the growth which is made through the winter months is not sutticiently strorg to make a sheath. " H. L." will not be able to EC- complidi this this season, but if he will take the matter in hand next autumn and prevent his plants starting say until about the present time, he will be able to flower them from the ne.'ct growth These Cattleyas require a lot of heat when mak- ing their growth, but a gooi rest afterwards.— W? H. G. Lselia peduncularis (G. Skeppard).—'\:h.\s is the name of the Orchid flower which you send. It is considered a variety of the plant called rubes- cens, but both Lindley and Reichenb ich accorded it specific rank. It is more robust in habit than rubescens, but the flowers differ considerably, the colour being rich rosy magenta. The lip has a dis- tinct spot of rosy crimson at the base, and imme- diately in front of this a zone of pure white, leav- ing the front lobe of a rosy magenta. This plant does well in a banging earthenware basket, which should be well drained. It requires a liberal amount of wa'er during the growing season, but only just sufficient during the winter topre7entth9 bulbs shrivelling.— W. Epidendrum aurantiacum.— J. Wheeler, in sending a bulb with leaves of this plant, say.^. '■ Can you tell me what this plant is ? I bought it for Cattleya Skinneri, but it has small orarge- co'oured flowers, which did not open." The name I have given above. It was sect home by Mr. Skinner nearly fifty years ago. It was afterwards found in Mexico, and I think it is the plants from this region which nroduce the small flowers which do not open. The" form from Guatemala, I think it is, produces larger open flowers of a deep orange- red.'which last a considerable time in beauty.— W. H. G. AngrEecum eburneum.— The delicate con- stitution of the smaller Angrsecums, which neces- sitates for that group very careful cultivation, is, fortunately, by no means so marked in this species. Like its better-known ally, A. sesquipedale, with which it simultaneously comes into flower, it will thrive quite well in the warm house without so much regard being paid to position and other con- ditions in its treatment as such species as A. cau- datum or A. modestum require. It is the strongest growing representative of this genus. The flower- spikes are quite erect and sometimes over 2 feet in lengtli, the most prominent feature of the blos- som being the large, broad, cordate lip, which is of a pure ivorydike white. The value of tlie plant is enhanced by the long time the flowers last, as well NEW ORCHIDS CERTIFICATED IN 1802. At the July meetings the following were duly recognised : Cypripedium Stonei candidum, a very pale form with the other good quahties of the type, the dorsal sepal the most distinct feature; Dendrobium crystallinum (General Berkeley's var.), a very pretty variety, shown in profuse flower ; Phalsnopsis Artemis (rosea xamabilis), a choice hybrid in a choice genus, a rosy tint suffusing the flowers, which are intermediate in size ; Cattleya Sjhilleriana Lowiana, in the flowers of which the singularity is the close resemblance of the lip to Zygopet.alum Mackayi ; Cattleya Bex, in which the flowers, as regards size, take after C. Mendeli, a pale buff colour taking the place of the pink in the petals and sepals, the lip being inclined towards C. Dowiana; Cypripedium Youngianum(C. Yeitchi xC. lajvigatum), another hybrid between two quite distinct species, and an extremely fine one also, being shown in first-rate condition with large flowers; C. Bryan (laivigatumx Argus).— This be- longs to the class of dark-coloured hybrids, being also a distinct one. In August were exhibited Lfclio-Cattleya Ingrami (L. pumria Dayana x C. aurea), a remarkable hybrid, with flowers of an intensely deep crimson in the lip the habit dwarf; Cypripedium caudatum (Luxembourg var.), with larger flowers also richer in colour, a very beautiful variety of this choice species ; Ln'lia crispa superba, which is well de- noted by its name, being one of the finest forms- Oncidium macranthum nanum, a distinct and very pretty variety, the shorter spikes being a decided advantage ; Calanthe Sanderiana, a species with dark purplish - coloured Uowcrs, very distinct ; Lmlia Oweniana (L. Dayana x L. xanthina), in which the last named parent is almost lost, the floweis possessing the rich colouring of L. Dayana; Lailio-Cattleya Baroness Scbrceder (C. TiianK x L. Jon.'hiana), a lovelv hybrid, with all the good quaUties of C Triame, which it resembles the most 130 THE GARDEN. [Febbuaky 18, 1893. During September were shown Cattley.a Oweni- ana, which has some affinity to C. aurea, but dis- tinct, inasmuch as the sepals and petals are a straw white and the lip of a deeper shade of crim- son, a valuable acquisition ; Cattleya speciosa Sanderiana, a very lovely and distinct form, the sepals and petals pure white, whilst the lip has a golden blotch; Sophro-Lselia Veitchi (L. ele- gans X Sophronitis grandiflora), an altogether re- markable hybrid, the flowers in size being nearest to the latter parent, whilst in colour they are paler— a rosy crimson suffused with purple, a fine production ; Lajlia Turneri superbissima, the flowers of which are deeper in colour than those of the species, particularly in the lip; Aerides August- ianum, an altogether distinct variety, pale in colour and of medium growth ; Cattleya Statteri- ana, which belongs to the C. aurea family, being a superb variety, intensely rich in its colouriog, the lip remarkably fine, being much expanded; Cat- tleya Minucia (C. Loddigesi x C. labiata), which approaches more nearly the former than the latter parent in habit of growth, but has some of the fine colouring of its other parent. October was not productive of many new varieties, no awards being made at either meeting. In November, however, this deficiency was fully atoned for, when the following were shown : Cym- bidium hybridum Winnianum (C. eburneum x C. giganteum), the plant shown being a finely grown one with six spikes ; the flowers partake largely after C. eburneum, the spikes and growth after C. giganteum; it is in all respects a notable hybrid possessed of remarkable vigour : in colour the flowers are a creamy yellow with crimson spots on the lip ; Cattleya leucoglossa (C. fausta x C. Loddi- gesi I, a hybrid on one side of the third generation, the C. fausta parentage being C. exoniensis x C. Lod- digesi ; in this descendant the colour is a delicate rose, with yellow on the lip, the sepals and petals finely shaped, clearer than in C. Loddigesi, a very handsome hybrid as well as a fine feature from the point of hybridisation ; Spathoglottis Viellardi rubra, deeper in its colour than the type, and alto- gether a choice variety ; Cattleya labiata Sandera;, a variety with bold flowers of large size and fine shape, rosy mauve in colour, with crimson-purple lip, one of the finest forms ; Lasjlia Perrini nivea, a pure white and very charming form of a good Orchid ; L.Tjlia elegans excellens, with flowers of fine proportions and very rich in their colouring, particularly in the lip ; Cypripedium Arthurianum pulchellum (C. Fairrieanum x C. Arthurianum), in which the parentage of the first-named is very clearly seen, whilst it has the fine and distinct properties of C. Arthurianum, itself one of the choicest liybrids ; Cyprijjedium MorganiiB burfordi- ense, a very fine form of this, one of the grandest hybrids ever raised amongst the class; in this plant the colouring was deeper than in the type ; C. Tityus (C. lenanthum superbum x Spicerianum), an extremely interesting hybrid ; on the side of its first-named parent it is of the third generation as a hybrid, in spite of which its relation to C. Spiceri- anum is evident; Cattleya labiata albanensis, a pale form of C. labiata with a fine lip ; Catasetum tubulare var., a form not particularly handsome ; Cypripedium Perseus (C. Sedeni porphyreum x C. Lindleyanum), best de=cribed as C. Sedeni greatly improved, with richer flowers, very prettily spotted ; Lailio-Cattleya Aurora (C. Loddigesi x L. pumila Dayana), with much resemblance in growth to the latter with more of the colour of the former parent. At the December meeting there was a goodly number of new kinds, as follows : Cattleya labiata alba, a pure white variety, with the lip finely fringed ; in its colour it is the best yet seen ; in fact, it is supposed to lie the first white form that has been shown ; So- phro-Catlleya Calypso (C. Loddigesi x Sophro- nitis grandiflora) is a most beautiful hybrid, its parentage being very marked ; the flowers are of a rich rose colour suffused with violet in a faint manner, the lip being distinctly marked with golden-yellow and tipped with deep rose; L;clia anceps Owenlana, a distinct form of ricli colour, with lines of white upon the sepals and petals ;' Cattleya amethystoglossa (Selwood var.), quite distinct enough in the ground colour of the flowers to merit attention (a creamy white), the lip a rosy purple ; Masdevallia hybrida McVittte (M. tovar- ensis x M. Veitchi) has pale pink flowers with the habit of M. Veitchi ; Cypripedinm Johnsonianum (C. nitens x C. Lawrenceanum), a fine rich purple hybrid, the dorsal sepal very distinct ; Laelia Fincheniana has pure white sepals and petals, the labellum purplish violet and white ; it is in the way of L. anceps. This completes the list of new varieties which have been duly recognised, save those to which botanical certificates were awarded, most of which whilst being interesting are scarcely ever so particularly handsome as to claim special notice. Obchis. Ccelogyne cristata hololeuca {G. Turner). — I have received flowers of this plant from a small grower who says : " This has cropped up among some imported pieces that have been growing with me for about five years, and this season it bloomed." My friend evidently had this plant in his posses- sion at a time when it was very rare, but it is now becoming more plentiful. It still commands a good price, pure white flowers being so much in request. The blooms of this plant are wholly pure white. I prefer a flower with a stain of yellow in the throat, such as is to be found in the variety Lemoniana, for instance, which gives it life and brightness. The plant is somewhat more lax in its growth than the typical plant.— W. H. G. Cypripedium spectabile.— It is a well-known fact that even in the hands of good growers of hardy plants generally success with this splendid Orchid is the exception rather than the rule. I have not yet met with anyone who can tell us a certain or royal way to success. To the general failures there may doubtless be many contributing causes. A few points one may have become rather certain about, such as what the plant does not like or even what the plant should absolutely have. For instance, I feel sure that the plant does not like to be set very deeply in tlie half rotten stuff we usually employ. Neither should its roots in their naked state be pressed together en masse, for these are in the wild state no doubt held asunder by pieces of vegetable matter. I admit it is difficult to solidify the wigs of roots when planting, but I would do it with silver sand rather than leave it undone. This would point to the importance of the imported roots being sent with all the soil they would fairly carry. This would no doubt be costly to the importer in the way of carriage, but it would be the less costly and safer plan to the planter, who would doubtless be only too glad to pay an extra price for such roots. Failing such roots, and dealing with those that are in large masses, Mr. Dod's plan of trimming oif the wigs should com- mend itself. I am pretty confident that two most essential things to do are to afford the plant a moist shady place, and above all to secure firmly the young growths against wind. I have seen these snapped off by the half dozen, and after a storm even those that havs not been actually de- tached have never looked healthy again. It only seems reasonable that the plants should have sup- port of this kind when we remember that the foli- age is of a very top-heavy character, and the base of the stem thin and somewhat brittle. This Cy- pripedium at home mingles with a large amount of other herbage, and even bog-loving shrubs, so as practically to have more shelter and mechanical support therefrom than we could actually afford without a deal of care in our gardens. — J. Wood. SHORT NOTES.— ORCBIDS. Laelia harpophylla.— S. .lohnson sends me the finest flowors of this species I have ever seen. They each measure over i inches aerofs, broad iu propor- tion, the colour bright ciunabar-red, tlio narrow lip reflexed and with a orispod margin. I have not soon much variation in this species, and am glad to record sucli an advanet_'. — G. Cattleya labiata Trianae.— From Mr. J. Broome, of Llandudno, comes a very good and brightly coloured form of this plant, with large and broad petals of a soft flesh colour, lip broadly marked in front with very bright magenta, which runs in a triangular streak iuto tbe deep orange in the throat. It is a very handsome variety. — G. Cattleya Trianse alba.—" W. W." sends me a very line flower of this cliarniing variety. The flower mea.sures nearly 8 inches across, the sepals and petals beuig round, full and pure white, the lip also pure white with a staiu of pale yellow in the throat. It is pleasing to find this variety has become more generally distril)uted than was the case a few yeirs since. — W. H. G. Cattleya Percivaliana. — F. M. Burton sends me two distinct flowers of this variety for an opinion. The form with light sepals and petals would be a very nice tlower liad it a bettor lip. The dark form is a better flower, but it is wanting in the rich orange, which gives such a warmtli to good varieties of this plant. The flower of Cattleya chocoensis is very good, but this Orchid has lost favour with the majority of Cattleya growers because its blooms never fully ex- pand.— G. Leelia anceps Dawsoni. — Hugh Nicol sends me a flower of this beautiful variety, saying it is from a plant which formed part of the original one imported by the Messrs. Low and Co., now many years ago. The bloom is rather small, pure white ; the lip is also white, the front lobe flat, and of a rich rosy purple, having at the base immediately in front of the throat several deep yellow crests, the side lobes streaked with radiating lines of rich purple. This variety is one of the rarest and best that has come to hand out of all the white forms, and I was very glad to see it again. — W. H. G. Garden Flora. PLATE 897. THE ONCOCYCLUS GROUP OF IRISES. (with a COLOLTRED plate of 1, IRIS GATESI ; 2, I. LORTETI ; 3, I. LUPINA.*) The editor, in asking me to write a note in ex- planation of the accompanying plate, suggested that I should say a few words about the whole group, of which the three Irises here depicted are beautiful members. Everyone knows Iris susiana, " that Flower de luce," says Parkin.son, " which for his excel- lent beautie and raritie deserveth the first place." It seems to have become known in Western Europe about the middle of the six- teenth century, having been introduced from Constantinople. It very early became a fa- vourite, and seems to have been cultivated with considerable success, for there are few collec- tions of specimens, or of drawings of Irises, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries which do not include I. susiana. The .speci- mens preserved or figured vary a good deal in size, and Parkinson distinguishes two kinds, the greater and the less, the latter diflering from the former in that ' ' the flower is neither so large or faire, nor of so perspicuous marks and spots, nor the colour of that lively (though darke) lustre." "These," he continues, "have been sent out of Turkie divers times, and it should soem that they have had their origin all from about Susia, a chiefe citie of Persia. They have been sent unto us and unto divers other in other parts from Constantinople under the name of Alaia susiana, and thereupon it has been called, both of them and us, either Iris chalcedonica or susiana, and for distinction, major or minor ; in English, the Turkie Flower de luce, or the Ginnie Hen Flower de luce, the greater or the lesser.' * Drawn for TuE Gaktikn liy H. G. Moon from flowers sent May 3(1, 1.S92, by C. G. van Tubergen, Jnn., Haarlem. Lithographed and printed by Guil- laume Severeyns. GARDEN lO 1893 :| y ^st I i GROUP OF IRISES i| IRIS GATE SI , LORTETT 3 I LUPINAf Fbbruary 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 131 For more than two centuries I. susiana re- mained isolated as a species, wlioll}' distinct from all other kinds of Iris, until the end of the last century and the beginning of this, when Iris iberica, I. acutiloba and I. paradoxa were dis- covered. In 1846 Siemssen, having the opportunity of observing at Jena in a living condition plants of Iris Gatesi. I. acutiloba and I. paradoxa which had been brought from the Caucasus by Koch, was so struck by their peculiar features that he pro- posed to found a new genus Oncocyclus, derived from (i7Kos, a curve (allied to the Latin kuciis), and«lKAi)t, acircle. Though he does not explicitly state so, he ajjparently meant this name to de- note the orbicular and curved shape of the stan- dard, the large development of which as com- pared to that of the fall, so conspicuous in the above two species, served him as one of the distinctive marks of his new genus. Siemssen further recognised that I. iberica also belonged to his new genus ; but, curiously enough, makes no reference to I. susiana. The new genus, however, was not generally accepted, and with reason ; but the name Oncocyclus may be con- veniently used to denote the group or section of the genus Iris to which the above-named Irises belong. Since that time, and especially of late years, several new species have been found (and many of them, thanks chiefly to the energy of Herr Max Leichtlin, have been brought into cul- tivation) wliich are obviously in such close affinity to the four Irises just spoken of, that they must be considered as belonging to the same group, even though the features by which their affinity is .shown does not include the particular feature on which the name of the group is founded. This is a difficulty which is always apt to arise when the name of a group is founded on some one structural character. A natural group— that is to say a group the members of which are not merely superficially alike, but possess such resemblances as to justify the view that they are " related by blood," that they have a common ancestry — can- not be defined by a single token. It is the aggregate of resemblances which shows their aftinity, and if we attempt to insist on any one character, it will sooner or later fail us. That a number of Irises do, with the three original Oncocy- clus Irises, form a fairly well- defined group there can be no doubt, and the term Oncocyclus has been now in use so long, that much may be said in favour of retaining it, it being under- stood that it is employed not in its original natural meaning, but in a new and artificial sense. The characteristics of this group are in the main as fol- lows : — In the rhizome the young bud, instead of being attached to the stock by a broad flattened base, and projecting slightly, stands out in the form of a nipple, the base of which is often much constricted. In many forms the attachment is lengthened into a cord, often a very narrow one, so that the bud is at the end of a " stolon.'' According to the nar- rowness and length (or the re- verse) of the connection of the bud with the stock, the rhizome may be spoken of as more or less spreading or creeping, or more or less compact. The foliage, as compared with that of most other Irises, is scanty ; the leaves are relatively narrow, sometimes very narrow, and in the majority of cases very falcate or sickle - shaped. The stem or scape, rarely exceeding 1 foot and generally a few inches only in height, bears a single flower (accompanied in rare cases by the rudiment of a second one), which is conspicuous by its size, by its colouring, or by its markings, or by all three. The spathe valves are large and long, generally inflated, green, and persistent for some time after flowering. The flower always has a perianth tube above the ovary of some considerable length. The outer perianth seg- ment or fall bears on the claw and hinder part of the blade a number of hairs, which in seme species are sparsely scattered and generally large and complex in structure, but which in other species are gathered into a more or less compact " beard,'' in which case the individual hairs are smaller and simpler in structure ; in some species an intermediate condition is met with, in which a more or less compact median beard is flanked by scattered hairs. The inner perianth segment or standard very frequently bears hairs on the claw, but these are usually scanty and very often wholly absent. The fall varies much as to relative size and as to shape in the ditt'erent species, but the stan- dard is relatively large and, being in all cases larger than the fall, and in mo.st cases markedly so, is very conspicuous. The crests of the style are also nearly always large and conspicuous. The colour of the whole flower is rendered striking, sometimes extremely so, .sometimes less so, by the contrast between the colour of the veins and that of the ground substance, the coloured lines of the veins running frequently into an irregular network or being broken up into a series of dots or blotches. And the fall in neaily all cases bears on the blade in front of the hairs or beard a conspicuous large patch of deep colour, which serves as a "signal" for insects. The veins are, as a rule, not only extremely bold, but of a somewhat peculiar nature. Each of them shows a thin median streak of a deeper, well-defined colour, flanked on each side by a band of lighter colour, which is not only dittuse, but irregular in outline ; it breaks away into the surrounding ground in many ditt'erent ways. The outline of the whole vein is frequently a regular or irregular zigzag. The three-sided ovary becomes after fertilisa- tion developed into a very large also three-sided capsule, which when ripe splits at the apex and for some little way down from the apex along the sides in a characteristic manner, the axial j unction remaining intact, so that the three chambers do not, as in most other Irises, come apart. It contains a variable, but generally large number of relatively large seeds. In the fresh ripe seed the wrinkled body of the seed, generally brown c.r reddish brown, contrasts strongly with the fleshy-looking creamy white appendage called a strophiole, which is some- times as bulky as itself. Of the above features, those on which Siemssen insisted were the long perianth tube, the dispro- portionate size of the stantlards, the diffuse beard, or collection of hairs on the fall, the dehiscence of the capsule, and the strophiole of the seed. Some of these characters, for instance, those pertaining to the root and seed, are shared by cer- tain other Irises, as, for example, I. Korolkowi,but these latter bear two or even three flowers on the stem, have flowers of a difi'erent form, and may by other characters as well be distinguished as a separate, though allied group, to which I have given the name Regelia. The chaiacters which I have given above as belonging to the Oncocyclus group are exceedingly consistent. When, for instance, a plant is sent to me from its native home and reaching me withered and \jlpp m. Vw ■M: ^ )t iL -^/ia m^ «L.. ^^^^ |w:'^ M^^^P H^'^jH ^ffi r ^^H R^ Iris ilicrica. Kugriived for Thk Garden from a pli. .toirraph seut by C. G. van Tubergen, Jan., lluarleiu. dry, possesses a root such as I have described above, the remains of narrow falcate leaves, and a sten), bearing within large conspicuous spathe valves the remnants of a solitary flower, in which one can perhaps only recognise that there is present a three-sided ovary with a fairly long tube, 1 have no hesitation in putting it down as 132 THE GARDEN. [Februart 18, 1893. an Oncocyclus Iris, and I feel sure that I may look forward to a Hower which will certainly prove interesting and may be very beautiful. The species, so far known, which belong to the group thus defined are as follows : — I. SUSIANA (Linn., Sp. PI., 5.")).— This is so well known that I need say little about it. Its distin- guishing features may be lirielly summed up thus : The root is compact, the leaves are relatively large, sometimes a foot or even more in height, and nearly an inch in breadth, distinctly yellowish green. The flower is relatively very large ; the falls are rather longer than broad; the styles are bent down so as to be nearly horizontal, and the prevailing colour, a dark grey, is produced liy numerous veines and dots of a dark almost black- brown with a slight tinge of purple* on a creamy white ground, which acquires a brownish hue owing to the diffusion of co'our from the margins of the veirs and dots. The hairs of the fall are black. As the flower withers the purple consti- tuent of the colour becomes very prominent. I. IBEHICA (Hoffman, Comment, i., 41).— I take this second since it is the best known next to susiana, and each of the two may serve as a standard for a group of less well-known species. The distinguishing features of I. iberica, whose home is in the Cauc.isus and adjoining regions, are as follows : The rhizome is compact, the several parts, buds and branches being more slender than in I. susiana. The foliage is dwarf, the leaves being narrow, often not more than a quarter of an inch in breadth, and short, t inches to 6 inches in length, but very falcate. The stem is short, sometimes only 1 inch, and rarely more than 6 inches or .8 inches in length. The flower, though varying in size and generally smaller than in I. susiana, is large enough to seem wholly dispro- portionate to the foliage. The fall is more or less orbicular, remarkably concave, and the style is not merely horizontal in direction, but curved sharply downwards so as to rest in the hollow of the fall, and an insect crawling in search of nectar up the tunnel, of which the style forms the roof, has at first to ascend almost directly upwards. While the fnll is marked with bold netted, irregular coloured veins, the veining of the standard is thin and delicate, often haidly visible; hence in this respect tjie fall and standard contrast strongly with each ether, whereas in I. susiana they are much more alike. On the blade of the fall, just in front of the end of the style is a very con- spicuous signal, in the form of a patch of deep colour with a very sharply defined outline, marking the entrance to the nectar tunnel. Whereas I. susinna varies on the whole very slightly and merely in f-ize and depth of colour, I. iberica varies very widely, not only in size, stacure, but in colour and in the character of the venation, especially of the fall-;. In what is perhaps the most common form, the general colour of the fall is a peouli.ar d^rk brown-purple, difficult to de- scribe, due to thick irregular, netted, more or less diffuse veins and dots, which almost hide the creamy white ground colour, while the white ground colour of the standard is so little broken by these purple veins or small dots as to appear almost white. The veins of the fall may be very thick and diffuse, running into irregular blotches, or may be thin and comparatively speaking sharply de- fined, and hence the prevailing tone may be more or less brown or more or less purplish black. The signal patch is very constant, being of rich deep, almost black-purple. The colour of the standard is very vaiiable, due chiefly to the diffusion of one or another hue over the ground substance ; thus it * I may here s.iy that I use the word purple in its broad meaning as signifying one or other of the several colours which, not bein<» present in the visible spectrum, are complementary to the ceitaiu parts of the green of the spectrum, and which may be considered as mixtures of red and blue, foUuwing upon the vinlet of the blue end of the visiljle spectrum, and thus uniting it with the extreme red o( the red end. Shortly speaking, I apply purple to any colour in which blue .seem.s to be mixed with more red tbaa can be recognised in the violet of the .spectrum. may be a light bluish purple, almost a blue, or a reddish purple, almost a red, a creamy white tinged with brown, so as to be a stone colour, and so on. Since I. ibarica is not a florist's flower, it is unnecessary to give each plant e.^hibiting any in- dividuality of colour or form a separate name ; otherwise from what I have seen myself I could easily throw into circulation some two dozen names or so. Regel {Gartenltora, t. 3SG) figures a var. och- racea, in which the fall is a rich orange tinged with brown, and the standard a nearly pure white. This I have not seen, but the var. Belli, mentioned by Mr. Baker ("Iridea^" p. 20) with dark lilac standards, seems to me one of the many varieties which have come before me. All these are beauti- ful flowers, even the least charming of them to my mind far exceeding in beauty I. susiana ; but I give the palm to two varieties from Kurdistan, which I owe to the great kindness of the Rev. Dr. Kay- nolds, of Van. One of these is remarkable for the large size of the flowers, which combine the mag- nitude of I. susiana with the graceful outline and purity of colour of I. iberica. The other, though rather small, seems to me by its exquisite tints to be one of the most lovely flowers I know ; the standard is a pure dead solid white, with only a few hardly visible black-purple spots around the base of the claw ; the fall is marked with a thick irregul.ir network of a chocolate-brown, while the signal is a deep crimson, and the style is almost quite black. The plant known as I. iberica var. van Houttei appears to me to be one of the hybrids between I. iberica and I. susiana, of which I will sgeak later on. ./ I. Gatesi (Foster, Gardenen' Chronicle. 1,S90, ii., p. 18). — This was discovered in the country above Mardin, in Armenia, by M. Max Leichtlin's collector .Sintenis in 1888, and is named after the Rev. T. G. Gates, of the American Mission at Mar- din, through whose kind assistance Sintenis came to know of it. It comes very near to susiana. The rhizome is perhaps still more compact, and the foliage smaller, shorter and narrower, and of a darker green than in susiana. The stem is taller, reaching 1 h feet or even 2 feet, and the flower when well grown larger than that of any susiana I have ever seen. The fall is relatively broader, more than 4 inches across, and curved so as to be convex from side to side as well as from above below. The standard is nearly orbicular and very large, 5 inches or even more across, and when the flower is fully ex- panded in a calm atmosphere stands erect, so curved as to be concave inwards both from side to side and from above below, so that the surface is somewhat saddle-shaped. The prevailing colour of the speci- mens so far cultivated is, when the flower is seen at a distance, a soft delicate grey, brought about by very thin clear veins (those of susiana are thick, blotchy, irregular) and minute dots or points of purple on a creamy white ground, the dots being predominant on the fall and the veins on the standard. The hairs on the claw beneath the style, grey or brownish flecked with dark purple, are crowded irregularly into a diffuse beard, which, bifurcating in front, embraces a purple patch of no great size or conspicuousness produced by the aggregation of purple dots. The style, whose yellowish ground colour is sprinkled with purple dots, is bent horizontally close down on the claw of the fall and bears two large spotted and streaked semicircular crests with finely serrated edges. The ripe capsule is exceeding large, as much as 5 inches in length. To my mind, this Iris when seen at its best, with standards and falls fully unfolded, and its delicate tint not yet marred by bruises, rain- drops, or the beginnings of withering, is of sur- passing grace and beauty. The accomplished artist has doubtless faithfully represented in the plate the specimen given him, but it was not in good condition ; the fall especially is too much folded up, the standard has in part collapsed, and the col- our is not that of the flower in its pristine beauty. The substance of the petals even in best grown specimens is somewhat flimsy ; the flower does not bear travel, and even gentle winds soon deform its natural grace of outline. As far as I can learn, all the flowers which have been borne by the roots, which Sintenis sent to M. Max Leichtlin have the same grey hue which I have just described; but Sintenis, in announcing his discovery of the plant to Mas Leichtlin, spoke of it as of a sky-blue col- our. Whether the blue was that of a dried speci- men (for as in susiana the blue or purple becomes prominent after death), or whether there is a sky- blue variety remains to be seen. If the latter does exist, I cannot but think that it will appear to have touched the very limits of graceful beauty. I. Saei (Sohott, Baker, Gardencri Chronuie, 187(3, ii., p. 788). — This, which was described by Schott in MS., but first published by Mr. Baker, derives its name from tlie river Sar, in Cilicia, in the neighbourhood of which it was found. It comes near to susiana, having a compact rhizome, relatively large foliage, a fairly tall (a foot or less in height) stem and large flowers ; indeed the var. lurida, which alone I have seen in cultivation, is often mistaken by a casual observer for I. susiana. In this var. lurida, the flower of which is rather smaller than that of susiana, the fall is somewhat narrower than in susiana, distinctly convex from side to tide, and marked with thick irregular netted dark brownish purple veins, the colour of which dift'uses into the ground substance between ; below the end of the style the blade of the fall bears a 'signal" patch of dark almost black- purple, but the outline of this is much less sharply defined than in I. iberica. Beneath the style on the claw is seen a diffuse beard of scattered hairs, which are yellow in the median region, but purple towards the sides. The orbicular standard is marked throughout with thick veins and numerous dots of very dark purple. The style, which is red- dish brown with a purple tinge, is not bent down as in I. susiana, and still more in I. iberica, but hardly horizontal, even inclined upwards. As a minor point, it may be mentioned that the scape is to a much larger extent covered by clasping leaves than is the case with I. susiana, in which the scape is largely naked. On first opening the flower has a general dark grey appearance not un- like I. susiana, but as it grows older the purple hue becomes more predominant, and when the flower begins to wither becomes very marked, at least in the standards ; but though the several plants in cultivation vary somewhat as to the pro- minence of the purple, I have not yet seen a per- fectly fresh flower with so distinctly lilac standards as that figured in Botanical Mar/azine, t. 69G0. I am now speaking of the var. lurida; in the type, as described bv Schott, the fall as well as the standard is a bright lilac, but this 1 have never seen. I. Heylandiana (Boissier, Fh Orient , v., 1.30). — This species, which is found in Mesopotamia, comes near to I. Sari. The foliage is perhaps narrower and the scape more completely clothed by clasping leaves. Both fall and standard are marked with brown-violet or black-purple veins on a dingy white ground, the purple hue not being so prominent as in I. Sari, and the white ground coming more to the front. The hairs on the claw of the fall are not purple, as in I. Sari, or black, as in susiana, but white, more or less tinged with yellow. I have in cultivation a plant under this name wh'ch I owe to the kindness of M. Mix Leichtlin, and which answers fairly well to Boissier's descrip- tion, save that the root is compact and not creep- ing. If my plant is the true one, then the differ- ences between I. Heylandiana and I. Sari are perhaps hardly of specific value ; indeed, I may re- mark that in general among these Oncocyclus Iris( s there has been a tendency to establish species on very slight differences. In my plant the claw of the standard bears a few scattered hairs, which I have not seen on I. Sari ; but this is a very minor feature. I. LoRTETi (Barbey, Herbor. au Levant, p. ITS, t. 7). — This most beautiful Iris was discovered some years ago between Meis and Hounin, in South Lebanon, by Dr. Lortet, the accomplished natural- ist of Lyons. It was described by Barbey, " Her- borisations au Levant," p. 178 1882, who there gives a large coloured figure of it. Thanks to the unwearied zeal of M. Max Leichtlin, a consider- able stock of roots has recently been imported from Palestine. February 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 133 la general features it comes very close to I. Sari, but its wonderful colouring puts it by itself as, pcrhapj, the most beautiful Iris in the world.. In the specimens gathered by Lortet the outer/ segments are described and figured as showing a very pale blue ground covered with crimson spots, which, scattered sparsely over the marginal parts of the fall, are concentrated into a dark crimson patch or "signal "in the centre beneath the end of the style ; the inner segments or standards are similarly described as being of a delicate pale rose. In a plant flowered by myself this summer the falls showed a creamy yellow ground marked with crimson spots, concentrated at the centre into a dark crimson signal, while the standards were nearly pure white, marked with very thin violet vines, hardly visible at a distance. The plant figured in liotanical Ma/f(i:ine, t. 7251, from Mr. Elwes' garden gives the prevailing tone of the standards as a light vioitt, while the veins, spots, and signal on the fall a-e purple. I learn that the p'ants imported by M. Max Leichtlin show considerable variation in colour ; apparently, however, the "note" of the plant is a peculiarly charming comb'nation of crimsm spots and blue or violet veins on a white o' creamy yellow groind. The flower figured by Ba'bey is as large as that of aT ordinary or rather s:iiall I. suiiana; the one show.T in thj plate is not quite so large. I imagine that, when well grown, the flower will be found to be about as large, but on the whole rather smaller than that of a well-grown I. susiana. When the plant is well grown, the foliage seems t") be lirger, longer, and broader than even that of I. su?iana. I. BlsilMLCKi ASA {trartciizcit., 1892,355, fig. 72). — This liis, found in the Lebanon, has been intro- duced by Messrs. Dammann, of Naples. I only know the rhizomes and imiierfeot dried specimens of the flower. It is described as having a flower as large as I. susidna, with grey falls and tky-blue standards. Soaie years ago I received from Miss Lee, of Nazareth, rhizomes of an Iris which seems fairly common in Palestine. I exhibited a flower this at the Koyal Horticultural Society under the provisional name of I. Sari var. nazarena. But it differs from I. Sari mostdistinctly in the characters of its rhizome, which is not compact, but s-pread- ing or creeping to a very marked extent ; it sends out long, thin, stolon-like shoots many inches in length. In this it agrees wiih I. Bismarckiana, and by this the two diff^er from all the Irises of which I have so far spoken. I am very much in- clined to think that my Iris is identical wilh I. Bismarckiana ; at all events, I do not put it for- ward as a new one until I have had an opportunity of comparing authentic specimens of the two in a living state. Besides the creeping rhizome, my Iris possesses the following fe.itures: in foliage and in its relatively tall stem it resembles I. su^i- an,i, and is nearly as large in flower. The fall, obovate, with the blade convex from side to side, is marked by an irregular network of dark reddish brown-purple veins on a straw-coloured ground, if we can give the name of vein to a regular row of spots or blotches running into each other. In the middle of the blade in front of the end of the style is a well-defined heart-shaped " s'gnal " patch of in'ense, almost black, crimson or red-purple. Behind this and stretching along the claw beneath the style is a diffuse beard of not very numerous dark purple, almost black hairs, disposed chiefly on each side of the middle line, leaving a bare mediin streak. The standard, orbicular, or nearly 80, but somewhat obovate, with a bluntly serrate edge, is marked with thin blue veins on a creamy white ground, there being no spots or dots, though on the claw the veins become blotched as they assume a red-brown-purple colour. The style, which is horizontal, or even inclined upwards, is some- what narrow, bears deltoid crests, which are di- vergent, reflexed, and have a finely serrate edge ; it is marked with numerous reddish brown spots or blotches on a creamy white ground. The flower is very striking and handsome, though it is inferior in beauty to Lorteti, Gatesi, or iberica. 1 have ob- served in this species what, as far as my experience goes, is very rare in Oncocyclus Irises — the rudiment (not more than the mere rudiment) of a second flower within the spathe valves. X I. LU1>I.VA (Foster, (rmrleiicrs' Chronicle, 1887, i.^ p. 738).— The live Irises of which I just spoken so far resemble I. susiana, that they may perhaps be put into a group with it. I. lupina, a native of Armenia and Central Asia Minor, which was made known to me by Mrs. Barnum of the American Mission at Kharput, is in some ways intermediate between I. susiana and I. iberica. The rhizome is compact; the foliage, though somewhat variable, is dwarf like that of I. iberica, sometimes exceed- ingly dwarf, 3 inches or so in length, and then ex- tremely falcate. The flower, borne on a stem sometimes 1 inch or 2 inches, sometimes (J inches or even more in length, differs in form from both I. susiana and I. iberica in that the fall is distinctly lance-shaped, narrowing to a blunt, but still pointed tip, and the standard also is oval, not orbi- cular. Its colour, moreover, is very distinctive, being brought about by irregular browrish red veins on a yellow or greenish yellow ground, the red of the veins often merging into purple. The claw and the hind median part of the blade of the fall bear anumberof large yellow hairs arranged in several rows, some of the hairs being tipped with purple, and on the blade of the fall in front of this diffuse beard is a more or less triangular " signal " patch of very dark almost black-purple. The style is curved down close over the fall, and bears very large semicircular crests with serrattd edges. The claw of the standard is furnished with quite numerous hairs. Though the colour is always the result of a contrast between a yellowish ground and a red-brown, more or less purplish veining and mottling, the exact result varies much in different plants. In some plants the ground colour is a nearly pure bright yellow, and sufficiently abun- dant to give a good contrast with the red-brown veins ; the whole flower is then to my mind ex- ceedingly hxndsome. In other plants the ground colour isgreeni.-Iiyellow,andthe total effectisspoilt by a certain dinginess. In other plants, again, as in the one figured in the plate, the peculiar red- brown-purple of veins so encroaches on the ground colour, especially in the standards, as to make these too sombre and dark. In its native home it is called the " Wolf's-ear," to which indeed an open ing bud presents no small likeness. Hence I have called it I. lupina. I. ,\TBO-PURPURi5A (B.aksr, Gardeners' Chronicle, 1.8811, i., p. 330).— This Iris, introduced into culti- vation from Syria by Messrs. Dammann, may per- haps be considered as coming within an iberica group. The foliage is not unlike that of I. iberica, and the stem, though always of some length, never rises very high. The flower is somewhat small. The fall, narrow and ovate, bears on the claw and hind part of the blade a yellow patch, on which are numerous, but scattered yellow hairs, tipped with dark purple or black. In front of this is a semicircular " signal " patch of almost black-pur- ple, and the rest of the fall is a very dark purple, almost black, no distinct veins being discernible. The standard, larger and orbicular, is also of a deep black-purple, but on this veins of a still deeper colour may be distinguished. The style is of a reddish purple-brown, with relatively small quadrate crests. Within the spathe valves a rudi- ment of a second flower may sometimes be seen. The plant varies somewhat, one variety being called by Messrs. Dammann "Odysseus." I. Maei.e (B irbey, " Herborisations au Levant," p. 159, under the name I. Helenas).— This, which very clearly belongs to the iberica group, was dis- covered by M. Barbey on the confines of Egypt and Palestine, and was first named by him I. Helens. Owing to the name having been already used by Koch for an Iris of which I will speak later on, M. Barbey has recently withdrawn the name Helena; and proposed that of Maria;. The rhizome is compact, but rather slender, the foli- age not unlike that of iberica, but narrower and less distinct'y falcate. The stem is short— about (1 inches. The flowers, which are somewhat smaller than in I. iberica, are of a uniform lilac colour, though marked with veins, but the uniformity is broken by a conspicuous " signal " patch of deep purple on the fall. The standard is larger and more rounde i than the fall. The claw of the fall ii beset by numerous deep purple hairs, which, scattered at the sides, are crowded together along the middle line more after the fashion of the beard of an ordinary bearded Iris. I. B.VRNUM.E (iJ'oster and Baker, Gardeners' ChriinicU, 1888, ii., p. 182). — This Iris, a native of the hills of Kurdistan, in the neighbourhood of Van, was made known to me by Mrs. Barnum, of Kbar- put, after whom I have named it. It seems closely allied to I. Mariic, and with that Iris may be classed in the iberica group. The rhizome is slender, and especially when starved has some tendency to creep. The foliage is not unlike iberica, but perhaps narrower and less falcate. The stem is some few inches high. The flower, which is distinctly smaller than in iberica, has the fall smaller and narrower than the orbicular standard, both of which are of vinous-red-purple marked with darker veins, the standard being lighter in colour than the fall and its veins more conspicuous. The style, which is horizontal, is of a brownish yellow col- our marked with red-purple spots or splashes, and bears somewhat triangular crests with finely ser- rated edges. On the claw of the fall numerous hairs, bright yellow tipped with purple (there are also a few hairs on the claw of the standard), are crowded together into a triangular space, the apex of the triangle pointing forwards and abutting on a signal patch of deep almost black purple, which, however, is much less conspicuous than in I. iberica and many other Oncocyclus Irises. This collection of hairs may be called a beard, but it differs from the bear.l of a so-railed Pogoniris Iris, such as I. pumila, since the h'iirs cover a relatively wider space, whereas in a Pogoniris Iris they are confined to what is almost a linear space along the median vein. I. Barnumic possesses every character of an Oncocyclus Iris except that the hairs on the fall are somewhat crowded together ; it seems to me wholly irrational to separate it from the group on this account. Moreover, there are several scattered hairs outside the triangular space spoken of above. Further, a plant found near Urumiah, on the con- fines of Kurdistan and Persia, kindly sent me by Dr. Cochran, of that place, in every way resembles the plant from Van, save that the hairs, which are "irk purple, are much more diffusely scattered. I ave also received from Dr. Cochran a plant almost exactly resembling the typical I. Barnumse save that the entire flower is a fine rich yellow ; and in this, too, which if I wished I might call var. flava, the hairs on the claw are much more scattered, so that the crowded arrangement of the hairs in the typical form seems more or less an accidental matter. Mr. Baker, in his " Irideie," has placed I. Barnumas in the section Regelia. I can only say that it seems to me to have none of what I consider to be the distinctive features of tha'. group. The typical I. Barnumie falls much shoit of I. iberica in point of beauty owing to t'oe somewhat dull vinous-red- purple colour; but the yellow variety i) in my eyes an exceedingly charming plant, and it has the additional virtue of being deiiciously fragrant, the odour being not unlike the Lily of the Valley. I. ACUTILOBA (C. A. Meyer, Ind. Cauc, p. 32).— This Iris, a native of the Caucasus and known for some considerable time, though rarely met with in cultivation, differs so much in certain respects from other Oncocyclus Irises, that it may be taken as the centre of a sub-group of its own. The rhizome is slender and very distinctly creeping. The leaves, which are slender and narrow, are exceedingly curved, forming a semi-circle, with the tip bent down to the ground. The stem is an inch or two or even less in height. The fall is very narrow, not much more than half an inch bread, almost strap-shaped, with a lanceolate blade, which is sharply reflexed, in fact, curled back on itself. The standard is very much larger, oblong, twice as broad as the fall, and more than twice as long as broad, erect with a wavy edge. In fact, that feature of the Oncocyclus group, which con- sisls in the standard surpassing the fall, is greatly exaggerate 1 in this Iris. The style, which lies dowii^ close on the fall, than which it is rather nar- rower, bears two small triangular crests. The claw 134 THE GARDEN. [Februaey 18, 1893. of the fall beneath the style is densely covered with short, dark purple, almost black hairs, which stretch on to the blade in front of the style, and in front of these is a conspicuous, but rather smaller "signal" patch of deep purple, tlie edges of which are very irregular. The rest of the fall is, accord- ing to Meyer's desciiption, a very pale lilac, with daiker, conspicuous veins; while the whole stan- dard is of a fuller, but still pale lilac, and the style a pale yellow with purple sireaks. In a plant which I have had in cultivation for some years, and which agrees in respect to everything but colour with Meyer's description, the liody of the fall is creamy white marked with thick purple veins, and tinged, especially towards the front of the blade, with brown ; the standard is creamy white, suffused with brown and marked with close-set, thin purple veins ; while the style is a pale greenish yellow, striped with rows of purple dots. Among the drawings and MS. notes by Dean Herbert, pre- served in 1 he Lindley Library, is a sketch of an Iris named I. acutiloba major. In this the standard is broader than in my plant and very strongly veined. The species prol)ably varies a good deal. The flower is not without charms ; indeed, has a quaint beauty of its own, but is far les.s showy than I. iberica and some others. I. Meda (Staipf, Denkschrft Wien, Acad., vol. 50, 18.S5, p. 1). — This Iris is a native of Persia. The rhizome, though small and slender, is compact. The leaves are very narrow, narrower than in I. iberica, and for the most part erect, not falcate. The stem is about i; inches in length, more or le.ss, but seems to vary a good deal. The fall, which spreads horizontally, is elliptical, but narrow and pointed, the blade being sharply curled back on itself. The standard is also elliptical, but rather larger than the fall, and the style, which lies close down on the claw of the fall, is narrow, ending in two small triangular crests. In the plants which I have cultivated, and which, like many other of my garden rarities and treasures, I owe to M. Max Leichtlin, the colour of the fall, standard, and style is a greenish yellow, marked in the case of the fall with th'ck purple veins, in the case of the s'andard with brown vein.s, which, well defined in the median rpgion, become diltuse towards the edge, and in the case of the style with rows of brownish dots. On the claw of the fall beneath the style a number of bright orange hairs form a distinct linear, but thick beard, which is continued on the fall in front of the style (being here especially thick), ending against an oval, well- defined signal patch of deep, almost black-purple. In the typical plant described by Stapf the fall is lilac in colour with a yellow beard and a deep purple sign-il patch, while the standard is of a paler lilac. He says there is a yellow variety, and of this my plant seems to be an example. The roots given me by M. Max Leichtlin come from two dilferent gatherings, and the plants, though all of the variety yellow, differ in some minor features. Now, I. Meda exhibits the characters of an Onco- cyclus Iris in rhizome, in general habit, in capsule, in seed, and in other features— in fact in every respect except that the hairs on the fall are not scattered, but crowded together into a beard. In this feature only does it markedly fail in answering to the distinctive tokens as given by Siemssen, for other partial failures, such as the erect attitude of the leaves, the shortness of the perianth tube, and the slightness of the difference in size between standard and fall, are shared by one or other members of the group, and indeed of themselves are not of great moment. Led by the feature of the beard alone, Mr. Baker (" Irideaj,'' s.v.) places I. Meda in the Pogoniris group, and indeed says that it differs very little from Chama3- iris. I cannot accept this view. As I have already said, the character of the beard is perhaps the least safe token to tru't to in judging of the affinities of Irises, and when weighed' against all the other characters may without any fear be at once thrown on one side. Anyone who has grown I. Meda can- not help recognising its Oncocyclus nature; it needs exactly the same cultural treatment as do the other members of the group ; and indeed when it and I. acutiloba are put side by side in flower. e\eryone would, I think, say at once that the two not only belong to the Oncocyclus division, but to the same group of the division. And one may continue to take this view of the Oncocyclus nature of the plant, while admitting that in its beard, in its short perianth tube, and in some other features it exhibits a temlency to approach the ordinary dwarf bearded Iris. As a garden plant I. Meda is not so striking as I. acutiloba ; some of the specimens, however, have the charm cf being sweeily fragrant. Though the figure of this spe- cies in Botanical Maijazine, t. 7010, is said to have been drawn from a' plant supplied by myself, I fear some accident or other must have happened, for I am bound to say that the resemblance be- tween the figure and any plant of I. Meda grown by me is extremely small. I. PoLAKi (Stapf, ibid).— This Iris, also a native of Persia, which I only know from the author's description, seems very closely allied to the fore- going I. Meda. It has much the same general characters ; the fall, however, is a dark purple, with a very dark purple, almost black beard, and an intensely coloured deep violet or black-purple "signal" patcli, and the standard is a deep lilac with deeper coloured veins. The author says it differs from I. Meda in having relatively longer leaves, a shorter stem, a still shorter perianth tube, broader, more darkly coloured flowers, with broader perianth segments. And what I have said con- cerning I. Meda may probably be repeated con- cerning it. I. PARADO.XA (Stevens, Mem. de la Sol. Imp. Nat. Mosc, v., p. .'iSS).- In this singular Iris, a native of West Persia and the Caucasus, fitly called " paradoxical," one of the features of the Oncocyclus group, the disproportion between fall and standard is carried to extremes. The fall is reduced to a narrow strap half an inch or less in width, stretching horizontally outwards and ending in a rounded apex. It looks very much as if the lateral parts of an ordinary fall liad been cut away by two parallel incisions, leaving only ihe median region containing the beard. The standard, on the other hand, is large, orbicular and eiejt ; and while the small fall is stout and firm, almost leathery, the standard is delicate and flimsy in texture. The style, which lies close down on the fall, being gently curved over it, bears two very smad nail-like crests, the division between the two being very slightly marked. The rhizome, though slender, is fairly compact, and the narrow, short, scanty leaves are very falcate, though dilferent plants vary a good deal in the amount of curva- ture. The ground colour of (he claw is a rich crimson or deep pink, but beneath the claw and for some little distance in front of it the crimson hue is all but entirely hid by numerous short dark purple, almost black, hairs, so thickly set as to imitate velvet very closely indeed. This velvet area, at some distance in front of the end of the style, comes abruptly and squarely to an end, being marked off by a cross bar of rich crimson devoid of hairs. The small portion of the fall in front of this bar is of a creamy white, traversed by radiat- ing thick dark purple veins, which are so close set as to leave little of the ground visible. Along the edge of the hinder part or claw of the fall, by the side of the velvet beard, is a lim of similar veined nature. The standard in the type, as described by Stevens, is marked by deep violet or bluish violet veins,the interspaces between which are coloured of a paler violet. Over the claw of the standard and along a median streak over the blade the colour is a creamy white, studded with violet dots. A number of dark hairs are also seen on the claw. The style is brownish yellow, marked with dark purple spots or dots arranged in lines. The plant varies much in size and colour. I have grown plants differing a good deal in the exact hue of the dominant violet, and plants have been observed with white standards or with red-purple standards, the purple being so red as almost to be called merely red. The total effect of the flower is very striking, and, unless an element of grotesqueness be thought inconsistent with beauty, very beautiful. It at once suggests the idea that it is some strange butterfly which is pretending to be a flower. I. Haynpi (Baker, dardencrs' Chronicle, 187il, ii., 710),— This Iris, a native of Gilboa, in Palestine, has been so named by Mr. Baker. The diagnosis was founded on two dried specimens, and the de- scription is very incomplete. The specimens evi- dently belonged to an Oncocyclus Iris, but whether they really represent a distinct Iris, or are only examples of I. Bismarckiana, remains to be seen, if it can ever be settled. I. Helex^e (Koch, see Wochenscrift in Gar- tenbau-'Verein, Preuss,, 1870, No. 23),— This name (in favour of which Barbey has substituted I. Mariic for his previous name of I, Helena) was given by Koch to an Iiis found by him in the Cau- casus, near the town Helenenburg. It illustrates the difficulty of determining Irises from dried spe- cimens only, to mention that while some authori- ties say Koch's type specimens are those of I. iberica, others say they are of I. acutiloba. From the description given in Ihe journal quoted above, I should be inclined to think that it was simply a deformed I. iberica. The above named Irises are all the known and described Iri.ses which I can with certainty place in the Oncocyclu.s group, but the future will doubtles.s add to the list. M. Max Leichtlin has received at various times from Persia Irises undoubtedly f the Oncocyclu.s group, some of which, had they prospered, might have proved new species ; but, unfortunately, difficult of cultivation as are all the members of tlie group, tliose from Persia are, perhaps, the most troublesome. I believe I am not betraying con- fidence in saying that M. Max Leichtlin has also quite recently received from Persia rhizomes which .seem likely to furnish one new species, if not two or more of this group. And I myself received some few years ago from Central Persia, through the kindness of Mr. Reece, of the telegraph service, rhizomes of an Iris, cer- tainlyan Oncocyclus Iris, and apparently belong- ing to the acutiloba division, but probably anew species. Unhappily, the only flower it has yet produced was deformed, so that I cannot satis- factorily describe it. Moreover, I have a sus- picion that .some of the dwarf, single-flowered Central Asian Iri.ses, which have generally been described as belonging to the ordinary Pogoniris division, will, when tliey come into cultivation (if ever they do), and are thus more closely studied, prove to be in reality Oncocyclus Irises. I am nearly sure that I. tigridia l)elongs to this group, and I fancy others do .so. There are also probalily in Beloochistan and Afghanistan, in the region stretching from South-east Persia to the Himalayas, several Irises either belong- ing to this group, or forming connecting links between it and other groups. I know of one such Iris growing in the neighbourhood of Quetta, but my many prayers, directed both through official and private channels, have hitherto failed to gain an answer in the shape of living roots. The striking features of an Oncocyclus Iris, the large flower, so out of proportion to the scanty foliage, the conspicuous coloration, the boldness of the marking, as seen, for instance, in the intense colour of the " signal " patch on the fall, tire manner in which the anther is covered over and hidden by the curved style, all these and other features tell us very clearly that the flower needs the intervention of some insect to secure fertilisation. From the fre- qtient occurrence of seed-pods on imported rhi- zomes, I am led to infer that in its native home an Oncocyclus Iris goes to seed freely ; and fur- ther, from the condition of imported roots, strengthened by the behaviour of the jilants cultivated in tliis country, I am also inclined to believe that the life of an individual rhizome is not a very long one, and that the race is largely continued by seeding. Here in this country plants left to themselves do not seed freely. Febr-akt 18, 1393.] THE GARDEN. 135 But this is due not to the coldness of our climate, but to the absence of the proper fertilising in- sects. Our bees, accustomed to more sober flowers, appear frightened at the strange aspect of an Oncocyclus Iris ; at least I have never, so far as I remember, seen one of these Irises visited by a bee or other insect. On the other hand, if the flower be artiticially fertilised, it goes to seed with great readiness. I think I may say tint I am more sure of getting seed from an Oncocyclus Iris than from almost any of the ordinary bearded Irises. They cross readily with each other, and hybrids may be without any great difliculty obtained between them and the ordinary bearded Irises. M. Max Leichtlin, for instance, has produced several hybrids. I myself, too, have reared and flowered the following hybrids, and possess mmy more in various stages of development. I. IBERICA X I. SUSIANA AND I. SUSIAXA X I. IBERICA. (The species coming first in these and the following hybrids is always the mother seed-bearingplant.) — Of these two crosses I have raised several plants. Tlioiigli varying in the exact colour and size of the flower, tlie height of the stem, Sec. they all have a common likeness, and are all more or less intermediate between the two parents. One of them so exactly repeats the I. iberica var. insignis of Van Houtte, or I. iberica var. van Houttei", that I have no hesitation in re- cognising that plant as a hybrid. I. PAUADOXAxI. IBERICA. — I have so far raised some four or five hybrids of this strain, dilfering chieHy in size and in tlie colour of the standards, but all, fo to speak, half way between the two parents ; the fall especially is strikingly interme- diate. The flower is a very handsome one, and the plant seems perhaps more robust than either of the parents. I. IBBEICA X I. PARADOXA. — This, again, is like the preceding ; but in one plant which I reared the flower was a very large one, since the parent (I. iberica) was not a pure strain, but itself a hy- brid with I. susiana. It was, moreover, rendered especially beautiful by the standard being a heavily veined red-purple. I. LUPINA X I. IBERICA AND I. IBERICA X I. LU- PINA. — In these cases, again, the I. iberica used was in reality a hybrid with susiana, and some of the plants bear very large handsome flowers, in which one can trace the characters of the two parents. One of them, in which the colouring is a mixture of yellow with brownish crimson, is to my mind exceedingly beaut if id. I. LUPIXA X I. PARADOXA. — 1 have so far flowered three or four hybrids of this kind, all of which, especially in the fall, betray their double parent- age. One of (hem, by reason of the contrast of the violet hue of the standard with the yellow and purple of the fall, is especially chaimirg. I. Mbda X I. PARADOXA. — This has a relatively small flower showing the characters of both its parents, bat follows its mother in being less hand- some than any of the preceding. The following are hybrids between an On- cocyclus and an ordinary bearded Iris : — I. LUPINA X I- Cbxgialti. — This has the in- florescence of the father, but iu flower and rhizome is intermediate between the two parent?. Ii; is an interesting plant, but the colour is disappointing, being a fusion of the yellow and brown -purple of the mother with the light blue of the father into a dull, peculiar livid purple, a feint iftyradc. It has an advantage over the mother in being per- fectly hardy, needing no special culture. I. Cengiai.ti X I. LUPINA. — This resembles the preceding, but is of a better colour, though less vigorous in constitution. I. Cham.eiris k I. IBERICA. — This gives a pleas- ing little flower in which the iberica blood is shown by the more rounded form of the perianth segments, the boldness of the veining. the richness of the purple colour, a rudimentary signal patch on the fall, and the presence of scattered hairs outside tlie beard. Without being especially handsome, it is a useful little plant. The seed- bearer was not a typical ]. Chamaairis, but one of the numerous probable garden hybrids of the wild species. I. ITALICA X I. IBERICA.— This again has very much the same characters as the preceding. In both cases the hybrid plant is not vigorous ; it does not need special culture, but it grows slowly and blooms shyly. 1. BALKANA X I. IBERICA. — I have flowered two hybrids of this kind. One was a mo5t charming flower with a rich yellow fall, heivily veined with purple, and a light purple standard. tTnhappily, in moving it I lost it. I. SUSIANA X 1. PALLIDA. — I have raised several liybrids of this strain, which in rhizome and foliage are quite intermediate between the parents. Unfortunately, they are most difticult to manage. I have wholly lost several before they flowered, and those which have flowered have always, as is often the case in Iris hybrids, produced deformed flowers. The flower if properly developed would, as far as one could judge, be one having the form, markings, and general characters of I. susiana, but one in which the black and grey of the mother were changed into the deep and light blue of the father. If well grown it would have been ex- ceedingly handsome. The cultivation of the Oncocyclus Irises has recently been so fully discussed, that I need s.ay nothing here on the subject. Shelfijnl. M. FoSTEE. The Week's Work. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Preparing hotbeds for sowing seeds.— A gentle hotbed will be found of great assistance just now for forwarding some of the vegetables which are lienefited by a little assistance in this way. Generally the seeds are sown in boxes, but unle.ss the ]>l,ants are well cared for, they are apt to receive a check, either through being drawn or crippled from the want of timely pricking off. For a small garden a gentle hotbed that wiU hold a two-light frame will prove of great assistance in the raising of the different kinds I shall recom- mend. Not a violent heat through a preponder- ,ance of stable litter, but a depth of about 2 feet, and the greater portion of leaves is best. After the frame is put in position and with a surfacing of li2;ht soil to the depth of (i Inches, the surface of the bed should be about 10 inches from the glass. After the seeds are raised and the seed- lings pricked out, the frame may be utilised for forwarding early Vegetable Marrows, or even a few French Beans. In large gardens where quantities of vegetables ara needed, frames are in great re quest, and even in small gardens they will be also usefuL Autumn Cauliflowers. — Veitch's Autumn Giant should now be sown, but to ensure an early supply as well, note should be taken of Eclipse or Sutton's Autumn Mammoth, two varieties which will precede the Autumn Giant if sown at the same time. Either sow thinly in drills on a gentle hot- bed or in a box of light soil. If in the latter, take particular care as soon as the seedlings are through the soil to place the box on a shelf in a greenhouse temperature. When sown in a frame the lights may be tilted according to the weather. A sowing should also be made in the open air about March 21, weather permitting. Brussels Sprouts. — There are two evils to be guarded against in the cultivation of Brussels Sprouts : one, that of sowing the seeds in too much heat, and the other raising the plants too late. Our springs appear to have altere 1 too much to depend upon sowings made in the open air, unless in fa- vourable districts and soils ; therefore, as a safe- guard it is best to raise the plants in a cold frame. In this way the plants are hardy and strong. Boards fixed together- if a proper frame .should not be available — will suflicj. Into the frame, when placed in position, p it 3 inches or 1 inches of light and friable soil, on which sow the seeds very thinly. If kept close, free from fro-t and fairly moist, the seedlings will soon appear, when ventilate as needed. When large enough the seedlings must be pricked out before being eventually placed in their permanent quarters. If the seeds are to be raised in a box, pay particular attention to watering and pricking off. Seed Potatoes. — These will now require care- ful attention or the sprouts will become much too long and blanched to make a good start when the time comes for planting. Seed Potatoes which have lost their primary sprouts are of no value for planting. If they are already spread out thinly in boxes or even a light room, let the air when the weather is mild circul.ate around them, when the sprouts will be sturdy, of a deep green colour, and start freely into growth when planted. Any tubers that may have bsen received from seedsmen and do not appear to have started should be placed in a single layer in a box and stood in a greenhouse, for unless they are treated thus it will be late be- fore they start, and when planted, even on the same day, they will be quite a month later than others with a good strong sprout. In the case of the first earlies, too much stress cannot be placed upon this detail in the routine of Potato culture. Cultural reminders. — Just now the careful cultivator will have to pay great attention to the ventilation of young vegetables being forced oil hotbeds. The ventilation is most important with such subjects as early Potatoes, young Car- rots, and Radishes, which are now appearing through the soil. On fine days give ventilation before the sun has raised the temperature very high. Put a little on at first, increasing it to- wards 1 1 o'clo3k. Early ventilation and then clos- ing early, so that the sun-heat may be retained through the fore part of the night, will help sub- jects on considerably. The soil about Potatoes will no doubt be moist enough at present, but Radishes and Carrots must be freshened up with tepid water in the early part of the day, so as to keep them in a growing state. If such subjects lack moisture in the soil, the quality is lessened considerably. Also pay due attention to matting the frames up closely at night. A. Young. HARDY FRUITS. Peaches and Nectarines. — Pruning and nailing these may well be deferred another fortnight or three weeks, or till the flower-buds, which are very plentiful this season, begin to show colour, the aim being to retard them as much as possible. The trees move admirably, alwajs provided pains are taken in the operation either now, or, better still, just when the wood-buds are bursting. Those, therefore, who may have trees that they would like to shift to a better position or are anxious to give some of the best varieties more room may well wait a few weeks longer, or till both top and root growth is commencing. Fewer roots are lost owing to imperfect healing of the wounds in connection with the early spring re- movals than at any time previous, and it is possible to move quite large trees at that period especially if they have been partially lifted or root-pruned at any time during the past two years, without the loss of a crop. The trees ought to be thoroughly well undermined, the commencement being made by means of a deep circular trench cut not less than i feet away from the stems. The aim should be to save as many healthy roots as possible and to preserve a moderately large ball of soil. It is pos- sible to be over-anxious wdth regard to the latter, extra large balls or any that cannot be conveni- ently shifted on and off and carried on a short, wide, and stout board being liable to break to pieces. Replant rather high to allow for sink- ing, the collars being at all times best kept well above the ordinary garden le%-el. Also give the trees the benefit of a fresh start in moderately good iDamy compost, and the roots being well and evenly distributed among this will soon commence forming fresh fibres. Mulch with a good thickness ile Ballianum, a pale form ; D. nobile, imported plants ; D. Leechi- anum, much resemliling D. Ainsworthi ; I). San- der;e. with white sepals and petals, the lip ex- panded and with a dark blotch of maroon. L. Skinneii alba, always a choice and much appre- ciated, as well as beautiful. Orchid, was repre- sented by two plants bearing fine flowers ; L. Skinneri was also represented by very fine forms, distinct in shading, L. S. picturata, very bright, and L. S. leucoglossa, with broad petals, being two good varieties. Cypripedium Exul, a variety with small, but distinctly marked flowers, and a good example of Dendrochilum glumaceum were also shown ; also Masdevallia Hincksiana and Ar- pophyllum spicatum (silver Flora medal). Messrs. B. S. Williams and Son bad a large group of finely grown and well-flowered Cypripediums, remarkably vigorous and bearing large flowers for their kinds. These consisted of C. Morgani;c, very fine in size and colour; C. Williamsi, with large blooms, having much of C. superbum, but devoid of the spots. C. nitens, shown in a basket in excellent condition, is a finely marked hybrid and very showy. C. insigne and C. Harrisianum were shown in variety. C. Leeanum, C. eury- 140 THE GARDEN [February 18, 1893. andrum, C. Sedeni candidulum, C. Meirax and C. Fitchianum were also in good form ; C. selligerum, rich in colour, and C. Measuresianum, with C. Sal- lieri and C. Amesianum were also included. Other things consisted of Lajlia harpophjlla and a fine form of Cattleya Triana? alba (silver Flora medal). Messrs. Hugh Low and Co. sent a beautifully flowered lot of Phalajnopsids, chiefly P. Schilleiiana, many with branching spikes of good size, the col- our also good. P. Schilleriana aurea was also shown, and Saccolabium bellinum, making in all a ■very charming exhibit of well-grown plants (silver Flora medal). Messrs. Pitcher and Manda had a group of small plants of Cypripediums, consisting of several hybi ids, C. porphyrospilum (Lowi x ve- nustum) being a very distinctly marked and pretty variety, as well as an unusual cross. Odontoglossum Insleayi leopardinum, with good spikes, Cattleya Trianre and Odontoglossum Rossi aureum were also shown here (silver Banksian). Mr. G. Le Doux had also a small group consistirg chiefly of good forms of Cattleya Triana;, the best of which were Empress Frederick and Formosa, the lip of the latter finely blotched with dark crimson ; Miltonia Eoezli magnifica, an excellent variety, was included (silver Banksian medal). Mr. Crispin, Fishponds, Bristol, sent a large boxful of cut Cypripediums in numerous varie- ties, amongst which C. Haynaldianum in fine condition, C. calurum, C. vernixium. C. gemmi- ferum, C. Sallieri Hyeanum, and others were shown (bronze Banksian medal). Mr. Ingram, Elstead Hou.se, Godalming, bad Cattleya Waroc- queana alba (Linden's var.), a pure white form. From Mr. E. G. Wrigley came Cattleya Triana; alba, a lovely variety with golden yellow blotch on the lip. Mr. Lucas, Warnham Court, sent cut blooms of Dendrobium Wardianum album, and plants of Angrsecum hyaloides, a very small, but compactplant.and A, polystichum, withRenanthera- like growth, both bearing small white flowers, and the Warnham Court var. of Cattleya Trianse, the lip of which is its distinguishing feature, a rich velvety crimson colour. From Mr. White, Arddar- roch, Dumbarton, came a small form of Cattleya amethystoglossa, and from the Royal ^Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. Dendrobium teretifolium and Epidendrura xanthinum. Messrs. Veitch and Sons again showed Epidendrum Endrcsio-Wallisi, a small, but most interesting Orchid ; and from Mr. Winn, Selly Hill, Birmingham, came a hybrid Cypripedium, bearing an extra large flower, C. The Duke (barbatum grandiflorum x Stonei). A few other cut examples were shown from various sources, but not specially noteworthy. Floral Committee. The work of this body was at this meeting com- paratively light, the Orchid and the fruit com- mittees having the greatest share of the labour. No first-class certificates were awarded, but awards of merit were made to — Amahyllis Hon. W. F. D. Smith, a remarkably fine self, with extra large and finely formed flowers of an intensely deep vivid crimson, darker at the base ; the plant bore two spikes, one only de- veloped. From Viscountess Hambledon, (jreen- lands, Henley-on-Thames. Chey.santhbmum Beauty of Castle Hill (Japanese large flowering), with extra fine flowers, strikingly distinct and showy, the colour a golden yellow with bronzy yellow centre, the florets nar- row, the form good. From Mr. Owen, Maiden- head. Mr. Miller, Ruxley Lodge, Esher. had a beauti- ful mixed group of plants, consisting mainly of Orchids interspersed with a few other flowering plants. The Orchids consisted of good decorative kinds, Ccelogyne cristata being finely represented by well-grown and most profusely flowered plants, being of themselves quite a feature. Phaius grandiflorus was also well shown, the spikes strong, and carrying each an extra number of fine large flowers. _ Calanthe vestita liitea, bearing also good spikes, and Cypripedium insigne were also in good condition. Of other flowering plants, some beautiful examples of Thyrsacanthus ru- tilans were shown, with Lily of the Valley and other early flowering plants (silver-gilt Flora). Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt, sent a group of Ccelogyne cristata. small, but densely flowered plants, and profusely bloomed examples of the pure white Lilac Mme. Legraye, the best of all whites for forcirg, and very free. Alba grandi- fiora, Mathieu Dombasle. a double Lilac, and Abel Chateney, a double white form, were also shown, but they did not show to such advantage as the first-named. Lachenalia Nelsoni in fine colour, with other kinds, was also staged here. Messrs. H. Low and Co. had a very attractive and showy group of early-flowering Cape and New Holland plants, embracing Acacia lineata, A. cordata, A. rotundifolia, and A. Drummondi ; Pimelea spec- tabilis, Eriostemon linearifolium, Correa cardina- lis. and Chorczema Lowi, their new variety, which blooms profusely in a small state. The flowers are of a brighter shade than those of any other kind (silver Banksian). From the Hon. P. C. Glyn, Rooksnest, Godstone, came some superb cut specimens of Acacia deal- bata, much finer than the imported examples ; also several dozen cut blooms of Camellias, as fim- biiataand Countess of Dorking, with other good old kinds (bronze Flora). Messrs.E.D.Shuttleworlhand Co., Peckham Rye, and Fleet, Hants, had a small group of such forced flowers as Lilies of the Valley and Azalea mollis, interspersed with Drac.-cna Lindeni and Cocos Weddelliana. With these were included some very good examples of early forced Dafi'odils, con- sisting of such good kinds as Emperor, Ard-Righ, Sir Watkin (extra), Henry Irving, very fine ; with obvallaris (the Tenby), rugilobus. bicolor Hors- fieldi, the double Daffodil, Countess of Annesley. poeticus ornatus, Leedsi, Circe, and incomparabil'is Cynosure— in all a very attractive exhibit (bronze Flora). Mr. Chas. Turner staged a quantity of well grown and freely flowered Cyclamens, the plants of large .size (bronze Flora medal). Jlessrs. Cutbush and Son had a number of dwarf and profusely-flowered Erica Wilmoreana, very showy, and a lot of well-grown Dracicnas of the narrow-leaved kinds, as D. superba and D. elegant- issima, with D. Sidneyi, which has its foliage more recurved. Messrs. R. A'eitch and Son, Exeter, showed two examples of Arum sanctum paliEsti- num, with dark maroon spathes ; also Asparagus retrofractus arboreus. an erect growing form. Mr. Mortimer. Swiss Nursery, Farnham, Surrey, had a valuable decoiative Chrysanthemum called Golden Gem, just the kind for cutting, being still very fresh and good. Mr. H. B. May showed a small basket of Carnation Miss Joliflte in good form. Messrs. ,J. Laing and Sons showed Clivia Exquisite with well formed flowers. Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons sent Pandanus Baptisti, a spineless species with graceful arching foliage, deep green in colour, with here and there golden stripes, a promising decorative plant. Several good and very vigorous forms of seedling Amarvllis came from Viscountess Hambledon's garden, all being of good quality and extremely showy from a decorative point of view. Fruit Committee. Some splendid collections of fruit, several lots of seedling Apples, and a quantity of ."Mushrooms and other \egetables were staged at this meeting. An award of merit was given to — Apple Standard-bearer, a variety above medium size, somewhat like Lady Henniker in shape, with firm, brisk flesh of good flavour. It was of a dull yellow colour, slightly tinged with red on the sunny side and russet on the reverse. It is said to be a heavy cropper. From Mr. W. H. Bannister, Cote House Gardens. Westbury-on Trym, Gloucester. Seedling Apples were sent by Mr. Clarke, Saffron Walden, and Mr. R. Maher, Yattendon Court, Berks. Some very fine Apples, grown within the five mile radius, were sent by Mr. Roupell. the varieties being The Queen, Newton Wonder, Beauty of Kent, Prince Arthur, Melon Apple, and Bau- mann's Red Winter Reinette. A very large collec- tion of fruit in excellent pieservation (lUO dishes of Apples and six of Pears) was staged by Messrs. Cheal, of Crawley. The fruits, remarkable for their beautiful colour and clear skin, were firm and of large size, and comprised the best keeping varieties. Among those noted for size, colour, and good quality were Annie Elizabeth, Waltham Abbey Seedling, Winter Queening, Fearn's Pippin, Ribston and King of Pippins, Royal Russet, Bess Pool, Col. Vaughan, Swedish Reinette, Cox's Orange, Lane's Prince Albert, Mother Apple, and the recently certificated new Appile named Ar- morel, a great addition to our late keepers (silver- gilt Knigbtian medal). Sir. A. H. Smee, The Grange, Wallington, Surrey, sent seventy dishes of Apples of distinct varietie.=. This was a very fine collection, and included some kinds rarely exhi- bited, the best dishes being Bismarck, Golden Noble (very fine). Lady Hayes. Ramborough, Beauty of Kent, Jubilee, Annie Elizabeth. Baumann's Red Winter Reinette, Pearson's Plate, Court Rendu Plat, Wealthy, Wadhurst Pippin (very fine), Caro- line, Sandringham, The Queen, and others (silver- gilt Knightian medal). Messrs. Rivers and Son, Sawbridgeworth. sent thirteen distinct varieties of home-grown Oranges and one dish of Citrons, with a very fine lot of Apples. The Oranges were staged in beautiful condition, being specially bright and clean with foliage attached. The va- rieties staged were St. Michael's, the Variegated Orange, Seville, Maltese Oval, White Oiange, the Long Orange, Maltese Blood, Pernambuco, Silver Orange. &c. Among the Apples were some noble fruits of Wadhurst Pippin, King of Tompkins County, Buckingham, Nancy Jack- son. Tower of Herts, Jacquin, Bismarck, Cox's Orange. Reinette dori^e de Henogen, Belle de Bos- koop and a very fine dish of Passe Crassane Pear (Mlver.gilt Knightian medal). From Lord Foley's gardens (gr., Mr. Miller), Ruxley Lodge, were sent numerous varieties of Apples, including good Blen- heim Orange, Claygate Pearmain. Cellini Pippin, Minchal Crab, Beauty of Herts, several dishes of Pears and a basket of Black Alicante Grapes, with some pots of Strawberries in bloom (bronze Knightian medal). Mr. Miller also sent several lots of Peach wood in bloom from the open walls to show earliness of season, also a dish of Mush- rooms. A box of Peaches was staged from the Cape Fruit Syndicate Co. These were flavourless and undersized. A quantity of Mushrooms was staged of excellent quality, those from Mr. Hardy, Ash House, Parson's Green, S.W., being very fine and of great substance. Mr. George, of Putney, and Messrs. White. Camberwtll, showed excellent dishes. Messrs. Laxton, Bed- ford, sent Laxton's Chou de Bedford Broccoli. This was considered too coarse to find much favour, being somewhat like a large Cabbace. A very good lot of Witloof Chicory was sent ; this was nicely blanched and not at all bitter, thus showing its value either as a salad plant or for cooking as a vegetable. It had been grown in the society's gardens at Chiswick. Annual Meeting. The gei;eral annual meeting was held at the so- ciety's offices. Sir Trevor Lawrence in the chair. The secretary read the minutes of the last meet- ing, and the" report, having been handed to the Fellows present, was taken as read. Forty-seven new candidates were elected. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to the three members vacating their seats at the council — Baron Schrceder, Rev. W. Wilks and N. N. Sherwood. Messrs. A. Sutton and Laing were appoiiited scrutineers of election of new members of council. Sir J.T. Llewelyn. Bt., the Hon. W. Rothschild, and J. T. Bennett-Poe being declared unanimously elected. The retiring ofiicers were all re-elected. The chairman stated the year just closed had been one of steady pro- gress and good work. The Temple show was very satisfactory, and the conferences at Chiswick on fruits and Begonias were encouraging. The meet- ings at the Drill Hall were much better attended and had given great encouragement. With regard to the work done at Chiswick in the way of testing vegetables and fruits, much good had been accom- • plished. As far as the proceedings of the society were Fedruary 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN 141 concerned, the country members now got full value, as they were kept fully informed of the society's doings by the journal. The conifer conference report was a valuable book, and enabled Fellows at a distance to reap the benefits of the work of the society. This work necessarily causes the society a large outlay, and this brought him to appeal to the Fellows to get a larger number to bear the strain. The loss of Fellows was also to be taken into account, and though there was an in- crease of 20() Fellows, there was only a flight gain in the amount brought into the society. Last year the large vinery needed extensive repairs, this alone absorbing £38(5, including 'new boiler. Had this not occurred, the l)alance would have been on the right side of the year's total, but for some time less would be needed, as most of the buildings were now in a fairly good state of repair except two old houses they did not require and which would be removed. The report furnished to Fellows gave full particulars as to expenditure, and it would be found the work had been done very economically. ■With regard to the scheme for examination of students in horticulture, 72 candidates presented themselves at Cbiswick, and they now had the pro- mise of three scholarships of 10s. a week for three years from the Company of G.udeners, and hoped to get more from the Government in due course and to extend the work. Chiswick had done good work at a net cost of £1.514, including repairs. Their thanks were due to the gentlemen who read papers at the various meetings, and he anticipated the papers promised for this year would prove equally interesting. He then calle 1 on Professor Foster to more the resolution concerning the secretarv, Kev. W. Wilks, that in future he he a paid officer of the society. This was seconded by Mr. Hudson and carried unanimously. Sir 1'. Lawrence, in referring to the Chiswick Gardens, spoke of Mr. Barron's good work and the excellent way he conducted the affairs of the society. NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY. The general committee of this society held a meet- ing at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, on Monday evening la*t, Mr. R. B.dlantine being in the chair. After the minutes of the preceding meeting had been read and confirmed, the secretary announced that Sir Edwin Saunders would not he able to take the chair at the annual meeting next Monday, and it was resolved to ask Mr. H. R. Williams, one of the society's vice-pre-idents, to occupy that position. It was resolved to have the society's form of certificate reduced by process and printed for the purpose of adapting it to commendations and votes of thanks for exhibits staged at the meetings of the society. An interesting letter was read from Mr. J. Ear- land acknowledging the receipt of the silver-gilt medal awarded to him for the frozen Chrysanthe- mums he sent from New Zealand last autumn, and giving some account of his work in the rai-ing of new seedlings. The chairman announced that the two stands of frozen prize bloom i which the N.C.S. had decided to send out to Xew Zealand as a reciproc.ll exiiibit would be despatched by steamer oa the 24th inst. The special prize fund, without counting cups and medals offered by friends of the society, now amounts to £128 14s. r The draft report and financial statement which will be presented to the annual meeting were then discussed and agreed. The past year promises to be a very successful one, but the actual figures cannot yet be ascertained, as some impo'rtant Items may yet come in before the auditor's work is finally concluded. Eleven members and four Fellows were elected, and three societies affiliated inclu'ling one in Ireland, viz.. the Dalkey. Killiney and Glenageary Chrysanthemum Society. Votes of thanks to the chairman and the secre- tary brought the meeting to a close. trnited Horticultural Benefit and Provi- dent .^rciely.— The luuutlily m./etiuu uf this .society was held at the Caledonian Ilutel, Adelphi Terrace, totrand, on Monday evening last. Seven new members were elected, and one other nominated. Two members only are on the sick fund. The annual meeting will be held at the above hot°l on Monday evening, March 13, at i8 o'clock. Mr. Arthur Veitch has kindly con- sented to presido. G-ardeners' Orphan Fund.— I hive the plea- sure to intorni you that; Haron Ferdinand de Rnth- seh'ld has kindly consented to preside at the annual dinner of the Gardeners' Orphan Fund, on Wednesday. Jlarch 22, at St. James's Hall, Recent Street.— A. F. B.VUKON, Hon. Si'crctanj. The Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Insti- tution.— As an instance of what local societies are able to do in aiding the gardening charities we are asked to mention that the Reigate and District Chrysanthemum Society has remitted to the Gar- deners' Royal Benevolent Institution no less a sum than £130 10s. during the four years it has been established, and has thus been the means of nomi- nating thirteen of its menibeis as life members of the institution. Mr. James Brown, the inde- fatigable honorary secretary of the Reigate So- ciety, expresses a hope that kindred societies, if able, may be induced to do likewise, and thus not only add to the funds of an excellent charity, but also benefit their own members by conferring upon them, as funds permit, the privileges of life mem- bership of the institution. ANTHRACITE COAL AND GARDEX BOILERS Is the absence of fuller information it is n-^t possible accurately to determine why " G. C. L." (see pa2;e 98) has failed with the above named coal, which I consider the best for horticultural purposes generally. The suggestion to remove the boilers to such a distance is a serious item, and one which I should myself consider long and well before deci ling up )n. Of course it is not impossible by any means, for there are many places where the boilers are situate at far greater distances and do their work well, but the seriousness lies in the fact that the cost would be nearly doubled for maintain- ing the heat as before. For some years past I have used anthracite, and I always speak of it in the highest terms. One large saddle boiler in j articular happened to be so arranged by working in conjunc- tion with others, that the flue had to cross a road- way 10 feet or more before it reached the chimney. This flue, moreover, was nearly level, but with a chimney-stack l(i feet high anthracite coal was a perfect success, the boiler itself being merely covered with iron sheets to throw off the wet. In the early part of IS91, with bitter cold wind blow- ing day and night (it happened in the month of March), I have recorded in my diary the fact that it burned for twenty-one hours, and maintained a splendid heat without any interference. In other words, it was made up under my personal super- vision at 5.30 p.m., and was not interfered with till 2.30 p.m. the following day, and would have easily gone to twenty-four hours had it not been severe weather at the time. I continued this test for some days purposely to convince a stoker that anthracite could be burnt in that particular boiler. The size I prefer to use is about that of a 2-lb. loaf of bread, as I have found that the more open the fuel lies in the fire-box the better for combustion generally. Draught, then, I consider an all-im- portant point, and in places where it can be done, 1 would much prefer 25 feet or 30 feet for a stack than one at Hi feet, because the damper v/ill do the rest. Anthracite coal will not stand poking, neither does it require it, provided alwajs you make up your fire with clear bars and then allow it to burn quite low again before recharging it. The fire that I record above as lasting twenty-one hours was never touched with a poker the whole time, and when eventually it was cleaned it was done more by pushing the embers to and fro with a strong iron hoe along the bars, which cleared them sufficiently to go on again as before. At a certain heat this coal has the peculiarity if interfered with of breaking up precisely as lime does in the process of slacking, and if interfered with much while in this state it quickly becomes a dead black mass. If left alone it will steadily burn and consume almost every atom, and a fire that will burn steadily for such a time cannot do aught else but maintain a steady uniform tempera- ture. Only a week or so since an instance was brought before my notice of a nurseryman having a fire of anthracite which lasted for nearly three days ; the boiler was not in active use, and the fire was merely kept going for the purpose of keep- ing it dry ; hence it was charged with anthracite and, the damper pushed nearly home and the weather being comparatively mild, forgotten, but being required a few days after, the proprietor was surprised to find fire still remaining, so that its lasting properties sesm almost endless. I have successfully employed anthracite in varying forms of boilers. There are. of course, differences in the coal itself, and what I find best is that known as the "big vein"; this is very satisfactory, while "cobbles " are just the reverse. By using anthra- cite night stoking can be entirely dispensed with, combined with which is the satisfaction of a good heat being maintained and a good fire still remain- ing to work upon ; the saving, too, of labour is con- siderable, so that even if the coal in some districts is the most expensive, I believe it would be equally cheap all round in the end. Another point, it is smokeless, and has not those overwhelming sul- phurous fumes attending the use of coke. The ashes and clinkers also are reduced to a minimum, a proof that the greatest amount possible is ob- tained from the coal. It is to be hoped that " G. C. L." may yet see his way to overcoming his difficulty in the existing stokehole with perhaps a few needed alterations. E. JENKINS. Hampton Hill, Middlesex. Notes of the Week. Early-flo'wering Irises.— Thr.?8 others of the early-iioweriD>; Irises have stood the lite winter at Oakwood. Ins Bakeriana is in fine flower, and I. Histrio and I. histrioides are in large bad. The only protection when growing that thoy have hal was a few (Jak leaves. When the'flawers open they have a glass over them wheu the weather is trymg.— George F. Wilson. Chinese Primulas.— Jlessrs. Veitch send us a gatheiiog of Ibwers of their strain of Chinese Pri- mulas, many of them being remarkably fine and showing a decided advance in this favourite winter flower. Some of the semi-double varieties are very good. All the single sorts, ranging from rich crimson to pure white, have flowers of great substance, while at the same time they are large and of good form. Coccocypselutn discolor may be made note of as an interesting stove plant for a basket. It produces ultramarine - blue berries, very rich against the small deep-coloured leaves. An ordi- nary basket will suffice, and this should be lined with Sphagnum Moss, the soil being composed of equal parfs loam and peat, mixed with suflicient sharp silver sand to keep it porous. It is a native of the mountains of Jamaica. There is a specimen in the stove at Kew. The Glory of the Snow (Cbionodoxa Lu- cili.-e) is a beautiful thing to grow in pots. It may be readily grown in this way. and home-grown bulbs should be selected, as when collected, it sometimes happens that bulbs of Scilla bifolia get mixed with those of the Chionodoxa. They are similar, but it is disappointing to get such a mixture. The bright cheerful blue colour of the Chionodoxa makes it of special value for this pur- pose. C. sardensis is also useful, the flowers of the richest blue. The weather ia New Orleans.— This is the coldest winter we have had in New Orleans for a long lime. We have had 7^ to 8° of frost, which destroyed a few of the Palms out of doors, Pha-nix reclinata principally. Phceuix canariensis and dactylifera. Latania borbonica, Rhapis flabellifor- mis, Cocos australis. and Brahea filamentosa have not suffered, with the exception of some of the 142 THE GARDEN. [Febkuabt 18, 1893. outer leaves being scalded by the sun striking them while (he frost was on them. Seafoithia elegans stood 4° of frost last year ; also Cooos plu- mofa. This .year the Seaforthia was killed. I do not know how the Cooos plumofa has done. We have had srow here only twice in fifty years. — C. E. Panteb, iXnc Orleans. Carnation Miss Joliffe Improved. -I must say another woid in favour of this useful Carra- tion, which, in fpite of all the bad foggy weather we have experienced, is now flowering freely with rne. It was some time before I could feel con- vinced that plants which I had setn were any other than well cultivated examples of the old form, but after growing it myself, I must say I never had the old variety in such good condition at this season of the year, either with regard to quality or number of flowers. — H. Hyacinthus azureus is one of the most charming of early spring flowers. It is known also as Muscari azureum and M. lingulatum, the plant doing well against a warm sheltered wall. The flowers are of great lieauty, quite bell-shaped and of a beautiful azure-blue colour. It is always well to protect the blocms, and even leaves for that matter, by placing a line cf coal ashes orsimi- lar mateiial round the plant to prevent slugs from devouring them. Slugs are extremely partial to both foliage and bloom. Seedling Clivias.— I am sending you blooms of my seedling Clivias similar to the group which I exhibited at the R.H.S. show last March. Grouped with Palms or in vasts, Clivias are most effective for mid-winter or spring decoration. Of easy culture, lasting long in bloom, they merit more extensive cultivation.— P. Davidson, Inerne Minster Oarthns, Blandford. *** Flower-heads remarkably large and the col- ours good, but we cannot see any advantage in naming every soit, seeing that in the case of many there is so very little difference in the shade —Ed. Gardens at Cannes.— In a recent letter Sir P. Currie wiites to us of the tjardens at Cannes : " The prettiest things in the floral way at Cannes were the common Roses de Bengale, which were rampaging all over the place, and falling in great festoons from the terraces. I like the terraced Olive grounds much and the blue- green shade where the Anemones and Vioiets will soon be making a lovely carpet. The sustaining walls built without any cement or mortar put our builders to shame, but it is perhaps the absence of severe frost that alone makes them possible. One has a surfeit of Palms at Cannes. The place has, I think, been spoilt by sweeping away the beau- tiful old Umbrella Pines and Olives, and filling every corner with those cabbage-like exotics. A tall Palm in a landscape is lovely, but the shorter varieties, crowded as they are, are quite uninterest- ing." *#* It is too often the rule to neglect or forget the native things of the spot. We remember with pleasure the few gardens in the Uiviera where the fine Heaths of the district and the native trees and bushes were preseu'ed. The gardens in the Rivieia have a very hard look from the prevalence of plants for which the country is not really fitted. — Ed. The flowers of Siberia— Can anyone tell us anything of the flora of Siberia ? Although for the most part a frozen desert during the winter season, yet it is by no means a floweiless waste during the hot days of spring and summer ; in- deed, travellers now and then tantalise us with their praises of the flowers which spring up soon after the snow melts away. For example, in Sir John Lubbock's recent volume, " Beauties of Na- ture," in the introduction at page 28, he tells us that " M. Patrin, on coming down from the frozen heights of the Altai, came suddenly on a view of the flowery plain of Obi" ; and the description goes on to say that the ]ilain was "green only in places, and for the rest covered by three flowers— the purple Siberian Iris, the golden Ilemerocallis, and the silvery Narcissus— green, purple, gold and white as far as the eye could reach." Is the Iris referred to I. sibirica or is it I. Itcvigata, now be- lieved to be the wil 1 parent of the I. Ka;mpferi of Japanese gardens ? Most of the Day Lilies, or Hemerccallis, extend from N. Europe through Siberia to Japan, but to what species the "silvery Narcissus " can belong completely puzzles me. and I shall be glad of any practical information.— F.W. BUEBIDGE, Dllhlhl. Lachenalia Nelsoni. — In a small group of Lachenalias exhibited at the DrDl Hall on Tuesday last, E. Nelsoni was by far the finest, surpassing in beauty L. aurea and the other forms shown with it. It is strange tlat such a beautiful flower as L. Nelsoni does not become more common in gar- dens, but one seldom sees it, although most useful at this season of the year. The good work accom- plished by the late Rev. John Nelson in the raising of hybrid Lachenalias is well known, and L. Nel- soni, appropriately named after the raiser, is un- questionably his greatest triumph. A coloured plate of it, together with some others, was given in The Gabden, July 17, 1880, and an interesting note from Mr. Nelson concerning this hybrid appeared in the issue of February 5. 1881. At first it was considered too close to L. aurea, but there is no question as to its absolute distinctness and superiority over that type. The flowers of L. Nel- soni are large and rich golden yellow in colour, sometimes touched with grcen,lwhich, however, does not detract from their beauty, whilst they are borne on strong scapes. The growth is free and robust. Well-grown plants will bear scapes carrying nearly twenty flowers, which stand out boldly from those of the other Lachenalias. Public Gardens. Park at Stockton-on-Tees.— f he new public p;irk at Stockton-on-Tee.-i, whicli it is hoped that the Duku of York will open in duu course, is a tine open space lying between Stockton and the pictur-esque little village of Harthurn. For many years the fjround was cut into grass iield,s, through w Iiicli ran a public t"otpath cormeclinfr Harthurn witli the town. The wlnile neighbourhood is rrow wonderfully improved, and quite a colony of cbarrning yi^las has sprung up in the vicinity of the new park. An open space for Clerkenwell. — The London County Council have in trust .£10,000, re- ceived from the Treasury in lieu of the reservation as an open space of a portion of the site of Cold- bath Fields Prison, now entirely utilised for parcel post purposes. The Clerkenwell Vestry suggests that this money should be used in the acquisition, as an open space "for ever," of a vacant plot of land abutting upon Rosebery Avenue and opposite the New River Head, Sadler's Wells, which is now opened out to the public view. The ground in question is owned by the County Council. The weather in "West Herts.— During the past week the weather has been very changeable ; the most noteworthy feature, however, was the violence of the wind after such a long period of calm weather. Throughout Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in last week the wind remained singu- larly high, and often rose to the force of a gale — direction south-west to west. Rain fell on each day of the week, but to the total depth of less than haif-!,n-inch. — E. M., Berhkainsted. RAINFALL IN 1892. I SEND you, as in previous years, the rainfall record of Belvedere House, West Meath, and Belvoir Castle, Grantham. Both places have much the same relative positions. The fall in Ireland is much in excess of that in Lincolnshire, as during the first eight months of the year that county suffered greatly from drought. There is one peculiarity in the two records, both of which have been accurately kept. While the rainfall at Belvedere is more than 12 inches in excess of that at Belvoir, the days on which rain fell are less by IG than atBel voir. One thing surprised me this year in Ireland : While it was a disastrous year for all fruits, and, as a rule, for many kinds of herbaceous plants, the Roses, especially the Tea varieties, at least in my garden, were quite up to the average. I have come to the conclusion that Tea Roses adapt themselves remarkably well to the Irish climate, and should be largely planted. Beinsley Maklay. Belvedere, West Meath. Number of days on Month. Total depth. Greatest fall in which -01 24 hours or more fell Inches. Depth. Date. Jan. 1-65 •2(5 21 14 Feb. 201 •56 17 March •69 •32 14 6 April 1-31 •36 24 13 Way .5-23 120 26 17 Juire 2-92 1^56 9 10 July 379 114 0 12 Aug. 7'66 1^53 7 19 Sept. 37-1 •64 0 16 Oct. 2-fi-t •SO u 15 Nov. 3-92 •59 17 20 Dec. 1-91 •27 8 1.5 Total 37'99 174 —James Bayliss. Belvoir Castle, Lincolnshire. Number of days on Month. Total depth. Greatest fall in which '01 24 hours. or more fell Inches. Depth. Date Jan. 1-24 •25 11 19 Feb. 20.5 ■52 15 17 March l-.'iO •32 16 17 April 113 •27 28 13 May 2-47 •63 4 14 June 277 1^56 29 18 July 184 ■70 20 11 Aug. l,-,.5 •28 24 14 Sept. 3()."> 1-25 21 17 Oct. .5 -92 1-48 3 24 Nov. 1-18 •24 .■> 16 Dee. 091 •28 9 10 Total .. 25 49 190 —William Ingram. Names of plants. — Jiiles.—\, Correa cardinaHsj 2, Acacia platyptera. 11'. W. — 1, Zygopetalum in- termedium ; 2, t'attleja Trianse ; 3, a good coloured Lfelia anccjis. Odunto. — I, t)ncidium Phalpenopsis ; 2, OdontoglosBum Andersonianum, ordinary form; 3, OdontoglossBui crifpirm. extra good; 4, Odontoglossum Fdwardi. C. A'.— 1, Cattleja chocoeusis, dark form ; 2, t)ncidiiim curium ; 3, Cypripediirm ]«ililum, good bright flower. J. Seehriijht. — 1. Calantlie Rcgnieri ; 2, C. Sander i ; 3,C. Stevensi'.- IK. Harding.— K\]]herg\3, nutans. E. Cadle. — 1, Cattleya TriansB ; 2, Odon- toglossum Kdwardi. C. R. Panter. — Your tufted Pansy is probably Ahercorn Gem. R. B. S. — 1, Conoclinium ianthirum ; 2, Cclsra cretica. Harry Buckley. — Forms of Hellehorus orient alls. "The Garden" Monthly Parts.— Thii journal i« pub- litked in r.eaCy bound Mcnth'y Pi rts. In this form the ccto-ured plates are best prccericd, and it is wosi suitable for rf/ercnce previous to the ifsue of the half-yearly volumes. Frice 1.-. ed. ; post free, \s. ?d. Complete set of volumes of Thk Gaeden /om it^ rnmmencenent to end o] 18 2 feyrtr tiro \ioU,f price, cloth, J[;^0 128. "Gardening lilustpatad" Mo^th1y Parts. — T*'« journal is publ's^ed in neatly bound Monthly PartSt in uhiih fcrm it is most s::itable fer reference previous to the issue of ihe learly vcluires Price td.',postJree, Sd. "Farm and Home" Monthly Parts.— 3*" ioumalu published in ntxtly bound Monthly Partt, in vihichform it it most suitable fir reference previous to thi issut of Ou yearly volumes. Price bi. ; post free, Sd. "Hardy Flowers." — Giving descriptions of upwards o, thirteen humlred of ihe most ornamental species, with directions for tht-ir arrangement, culture, dee. fifth and Popular Bdiiion, Is.; post free, \s. 8d. "The Garden Annual" for \S5S.- Contains All ha- betical Lists of all Branches of the Horticultural Trade. Ihe Lists 'f Gardens and Covvlrii Seats (containing over ECCO; have been very carefully and ejtn'sively reviled, and ore ct'viitted to be the most complete evir inildishcd. Price !».: {i po:t. )». Ul. All of our nadersuho are inlaested in He inpiovimcnt oi cottage hemes are invited to hilp vs to nwke Cottage Gar- dening Inoicn. It is pvhlithid at the riiy lowest fri,e to mat lie vanis of those for iihcm it is intindid, aid copies tcill be sent /or dist iluiicv, fiee. by the fvbhthirs. Meisrs. Cassell and Ccvpany, La Belle Sauvage Ivdgate Hill B.C. THE GARDEN. 19 No. 1109. SATURDAY. February 18, 1893. Vol. XLIII. " This is an Art WUcli does mend Nature : cluintre it rather ; but The Akt itself is HArvnE."- Shakespeare. Orchard AND Fruit Garden, PHASES OF PEACH " YELLOWS." When the tips of youEf; Peach and Nectarine shoots do not assume a rich green colour in due course, but are rather of a sickly yellow hue, the tree is said to be aflected by the "yellows." Unless somewhat drastic rf medies are applied the trees go from bad to worse, and are soon unworthy of the space they occupy. Whether these yellows are curable or not is a moot point, and if we accept the view of American observers with whom I have had a discussion on the matter, they are not, or at any rate not in all cases. In my opinion, however, very much depends upon what causes the disease, if such it may be termed, and also upon the time when proper remedial measures are iirst attempted. I repeat proper measures, as I have proved that what answers well in one case fails completely in another. In most cases the sickly state of the trees is due to a deficiency of something that goes to make a soil suitable for the growth of Peach and Nectarine trees. Restore these con- stituents, and if the trees are not already half dead, there will soon be a welcome change in their health and appearance. In America the trees rapidly attain a highly productive size, are cropped for a few years to their full extent, and are rooted out directly they give signs, in the shape of theyellows,of complete exhaustion. Labour is too scarce and the idea too slow for any attempt to be made in the way of renovat- ing the greatly impoverished soil, but in this country circumstances are very different. We prefer to keep our trees in a prcductive state for as many years as possible, and, as a rule, tucce(d in doing so three times as long as they do in the Pf ach-growing States in America. The remedy most often recommended and very generally applied for "yellows" is wholly or partially lifting the roots of the aflected trees. It is the surface soil that absorbs most of the food supplied to the borders, and the further down the roots descend the worse they fare. If the bulk (jf the roots is deeply located, the foliage soon indicates that something is re- quired more than reaches it, the " yellows " being the usual outcome. There are chemicals which, if they could be placed within reach of the roots, would to a certain extent correct the unhealthy top-growth ; but the first proceeding ought in all cases to be root-lifting. Wholly lifting and raising the collar well above the level are sometimes most beneficial, this being espe- cially the case when the trees had previously sunk several inches below the level. Bringing up the roots to near the surface and relaying them in quite fresh compost is not unfrequently a per- fect remedy for the yellows, but not always. Soils vary so considerably in their composition, that one very important constituent may be either missing or not strong enough, unless acted upon by some other element, to restore the proper balance. I have lifted trees and re- planted them in quite fresh compost, and yet not cured them of the "yellows." A tree of Peach Bellegarde in an early house was par- tially lifted in the autumn of 1880 and to a cer- tain extent restored to better health. Being regarded as a supernumerary, it was heavily cropped the following summer, and still more heavily in 1891. In spite of good attention in the way of supplying water and liquid manure, the yellowness of the leaves became only too apparent, and last February, when the leafy growth commenced, this was as yellow as the tips of properly blanched lily-white Seakale. Curiously enough, a large tree of Peach A Bee on one side of it and Nectarine Lord Napier on the other were in a moat satisfactory con- dition, or as green as could be desired. So bad was the condition of the tree, that I decided to either kill or cure it. A 12-inch potful of newly - slaked lime was spread over an area of about 7 feet by 5 feet — this being the space principally occupied by the roots — and duly forked into the surface, a good soaking of soft water following. The effect was almost magical. Before the leaves were fully grown they became beautifully green in colour, the tree also making good growth, as well as ripening an extra heavy crop of fruit. Moist probably the lime (made from niagnesian limestone rock), acting chemically on the rather strong loamy soil, liberated potash previously locked up therein, and these ele- ments, that is to say, potash, lime and mag- nesia, supplied the missing links. If there is little or no chlorophyll in the leaves they can- not possibly perform their functions properly, and unless the deficiency in the soil is made good or corrected in stme way, the tree is bound to gradually dwindle away. Where, therefore, newly-started trees present a some- what sickly appearance from the first, and it is known that lime has not reached the soil about the roots for two or three years or longer, the efl'ects of a good dressing, well washed in, should be tried at once in prefer- ence to either tampering with chemicals about which not much is known or, worse still, doing nothing at all. If lime does little or no good, its employment in moderation will certainly not be harmful, unless it comes into contact with (|uite fre.'-h farmyard manure, soot, or chemical manures, in which case it might generate ammonia to such an extent as to be injurious to the young foliage overhead. A light attack of the yellows may in the first place be due to poverty at the roots, and if the soil of the border is naturally very poor, a dressing of lime would perhajis only aggra- vate the evil- that is to say, njake it after a short time still more impoveiishtd. The remedy in this case is plain enough, and con- sists in feeding at the roots more frequently than previously. Gardeners seem to bo afraid, or else think it wasteful, to use liquid manure for the trees either during the winter or just prior to their starting into active growth. More often than not they wait till the trees are well advanced in growth or till the greatest strain is put upon them by the fruit ; whereas they would do well to commence very much earlier. Exhausted borders shoulel at least have a soak- ing of moderately strong liquid drainings from a mixed faimyaid or that in which urine abounds, the roots being less likely to be in- jured before they are active than afterwards. The presence of ammonia — that is to say nitro- gen- -in the soil in appreciable ejuantities favours a stronger top-growth than would have been the case if at all deficient, and the winter supplies being supplemented by spring applica- tions of liquid manure, the healthy start is well sustained, better crops of fruit resulting as a matter of course. All are not in a position to use farmyard liquiel manure or even the drain- ings from horse stables, but that is no excuse for starving Peach and Nectarine trees into the yellows. Perfect chemical manures are adver- tised and supplied at comparatively cheap rates in when I he trees are started and subseeiuently now-a-days, and if these are freely applied and washed in quantity, as advised by the vendors, there will l)e no marked absence of chlorophyll in the leaves, unless red spider is allowed to gain the mastery. Both native and Peruvian guano are very good fertilisers for Peach bor- ders, and so also are fish-bone manure and such like. There is yet another cause of the trees pre- senting a sickly yellow appearance, this being none other than a manvire-sick border. It once fell to my lot to take charge of a large Peach house that had for several winters previously been heavily mulched with solid manure from a mixed farmyard. Drainings from the same yard, and which were very strong, had also been very frequently and liberally used, with the consequence that the naturally retentive loam of which the border was principally com- posed had become poisoned by manure. The removal of some of the much-trodden soil down to the surface roots is desirable in most cases where the trees are large and bear heavy crops annually, a moderately rich compost being sub- stituted. If instead of this mixture of loam and solid manure a good thickness of farmyard manure is used, this is apt to keep the border too cold as well as rich, as it eflectually excludes warmth and air, and is about the worst form of mulching that can be used. The remedy, as I soon found, for over-iichness of borders is a dressing of lime and a change of treatment generally. Apply this at once at the rate of a r)-inch potful to every equare yard of border, lightly fork it in, and then give a soaking of soft water. In the woi.'t cases this application should be repeated two or three seasons in suc- cession, and then cease for about three years. W. Iggulden. Seedling Gooseberries. — A most unusval feature in any garden is found in seedling Goose- berry bushes. 1 saw a batch of about 100 of these, I hough yet not much beyond yearlings, in the kitchen garden at Titsey Park. I learned from Mr. J. Dean, the gardener, that he saved the seed m- (iiscrimicalely from a number of vaiieties, dried and matured it, then sowed it in the autumn of lIS'.ll in pans. The.seedlay dormant the whole of the winter, then began to geimir.ate irregularly in the spring. After being hardened ofE in a cold frame the seedlings, carefully lifted, were dibbled out into the border where" I saw them growing. One only had fruited this year, producing fruits cf the Whitesmith character. Not a few show the cha- racter of one parent— the lied Warrington. Tied up to stakes the stems were clean, and had gene- rally broken into .side shoots at from I'i inches to 15 inches high. Most probably the bulk will fruit during the ensuing summer. It is very doubtful whether there will be material variation froin the parent torts, as to produce vaiiation some inter- crossing is needful, and most unlikely insects affect Gooseberry blossom to any appreciable extent, as it opens so very early in the spring. The fact that seedling Gooseberry bushes can be so easily raised may encourage some to try their hands at the more difficult task of intercrossirg, although it is not easy to determine in what direction very much good can be accomplished. We have literally a wealth of good Gooseberries, but whiht flavour seems to be chiefly allied to smallness of fruits, very heavy croppers and large fruits are rather de- ficient. Such sortsasLancashire Lad and Whinham's Industry may be intercrossed with advantage with Ironmonger or Champagne in the hope of securing in the former higher flavour, but then we may but get in return something allied to Red Waiiingtcn. This variety, however, is notorious for the excessive 120 THE GARDEN. [February 18, 1893. number of its spines, and for that reason makes a capital fence plant. Still tbere is room for intelli- gent effort in the direction of raising more and, if possible, improved sorts of Gooseberries. — A, D. Apples on chalk. — The experience of Apple culture on chalk which Mr. Molyneus has at Swan- more is of the utmost value to all in his district. He seems, however, to be in better state than Mr. J. Dean at Titsey Park, East Surrey, who is also growing Apples largely on a warm sheltered hill- side looking nearly due south, but has only the merest surface of soil, hardly more indeed than it inches, and on which it is naturally much more difficult to induce trees to grow than is the case in the rather deeper and stiffer soil at Swan- more. The bulk of the trees that constitute the large orchard at Titsey Park are standards on the Crab stock, for there is little fear here of growth becoming too gross on so thin a .soil. Necessarily the trees were planted very shallow, indeed, origin- ally almost level with the surface, but with time they have settlei down materially. They have been planted from twelve to fifteen years, and gene- rally are both clean and healthy. Very few indeed show evidences of canker, and those are such as will exhibit this disease in almost any soil. The after course of treatment, so far as circumstances will allow, for labour is distinctly at a discount, is to take advantage of hard weather to haul into the orchard a quantity of manure and to lay this thickly about the roots, so that it becomes during the summer a valuable mulch and also materially feeds the roots. As it decays and thus becomes incorporated with the soil, it encourages the roots to keep to the surface. Occasionally, too. accumu- lated heaps of garden refuse, road- sweepings and trimmings, &c,, that have become decomposed are carted on to the ground and spread about. The fruit product is usually an excellent one, so far as quality is concerned, and abundant, though the Apples are not large. They, however, seem to keep well, perhaps because on this sunny slope so tho- roughly matured.— A. D. YOUNG WOOD ON OLD TREES. The article by "I. M. H." (p. 50) might be read by those who work on the close pruning system with a great deal of profit. I have held the opinion for some years that the knife is as much a weapon for evil as for good in the hands of many who prune indiscriminately, and whose only object appears to be to keep the trees in shape and to prevent them from making any headway after they have reached a certain size. Nothing can be more oppo.sed to-Nature than the attempted restriction of trees to a small size by the use of the knife and by cutting away year after year all the young wood of the pre- vious season's growth. The character of the young wood made after such severe pruning well shows this, for it protests annually against the treatment by making a great number of gross shoots only to be cut away again. But suppose these gross shoots are left to their en- tire length, what do we find ? Not that they again grow to a similar length the suceeding year, but that they increase only a little, and their vigour is spent in throwing out fruit spurs all along the last year's wood, so that eventually these growths when fruiting can be well com- pared to " ropes of Onions," as your correspon- dent says. This giving the trees their heads has, too, a steadying effect on the over-produc- tion of useless shoots all along the branches, shoots that come out as regular thickets on a hard-pruned tree. Instead of these we get ad- ditional fruit-spurs. Nature, being satisfied by the freedom given at the ends of the branches, does not force so many of these useless youn" growths to form. ° Though " I. M. H." did not point this out, I feel sure that this freedom of growth combined with free root-action is a great antidote to canker. Canker, it is generally conceded, may be produced by a variety of causes, and I think I have ample proof for saying that over-pnuring or over- restriction of root and branch, the latter especially, is one of the most frequent causes of this disease. I know at the present time many Apple trees that were badly cankered, though young, a few years ago, and now on the same trees there is scarcely a sign of canker, while in many cases the trees are more than double the size that they were five years ago. Since that time no digging has been done between them, and three times they have been allowed to "have their heads," and well they have paid for it. Even where it is necessary to restrict the size of the trees this should not be done with the knife, but by working the trees on dwarfing stocks and giving them a fair amount of free- dom on these. Of course, it is necessary to use the knife more or less on all trees to preserve the balance and to prevent them from becom- ing too thick, or making their growths in the wrong direction, also for shortening and thin- ning old fruit-spurs, but beyond this or for in- ducing fruitfulness the knife is a failure. J. C. Tallack. WALL FRriTS. It is always a good plan to get nailing well in hand before Christmas, pending a spell of very sharp weather, for, however active and willing workmen may be, they can make little headway at the nail- ing or tying with the thermometer several degrees below freezing point. There is a very fair promise of fruit ; Peaches and Nectarines, Plums and cor- don Pears especially show plenty of buds, and given such fjir promise, the fruit grower will not be sorry to get the weather rather on the cold side for another three weeks from now (F^eb. (>), as a damp, close February is often answerable for an early plumping of bud and consequent expansion of flower. So far as Peaches and Nectarines are concerned, it is. I think, matter for congratulation that the very early ripening varieties are not pro- portionately early in the flowering ; it seems rather strange that a sort ready by the middle of July should be contemporary in the expansion of bud with a.iother that is not fit until the end of Sep- tember. These two periods with the intervening time represent a long outdoor Peach season. With sufficient trees in variety, one can get an uninter- rupted supply for two and a half months. Hale's Early is a capital Peach to succeed the first earlies and does well outdoors, but I cannot say as much for it inside. Here it is a bud-dropper, and there .are few houses where it will not show more or less this objectionable characteristic, even when all other varieties in the same structure may never show any tendency to such a failing. Between the completion of nailing or tying and the time for covering up, it is well, especially on old walls, to keep a sharp look-out for red .spider. Given a few sunny days this pest will be putting in an appear- ance, and should be promptly dislodged with a rather strong mixture of some insecticide vigor- ously applied with the garden engine, the operator receiving instructions to do the work thoroughly and give a regular drenching to all parts of both wood and wall. Dessert Cherries are also attacked some seasons with the same pest, an \ can have a similar drenching before the covering goes up. Whilst on the subject of enemies, I may mention that wasps are already in the field, two having been killed. No quarter should be given these early visitors ; all fruit growers suffer from their depre- dations in late summer and autumn. If fish net- ting is to be used as a spring protection, the stock already in hand can be overhauled at once and any mending done that may be necessary, for a spell of mild weather will mean a rapid bud opening of our earliest waU fruit, the Apricot. I like to give Apricots the benefit of a net or two if possible, for covering with boughs is but a sorry makeshift, and unless one goes to a lot of trouble in providing uprights and crosspieces, a sudden and violent gale is apt, by bringing the branches into sharp contact with the trees, to damage the bloom as much as frost. We lost nearly all bloom that remained un- covered last year, except towards the top of the wall, where it was partially protected by the brick coping. It Plums are to be spring covered — and one is never sure of a crop unless this is done — it is a good plan to plant the best and most useful va- rieties as much as possible together. Early Prolific, a very useful Plum, a good type of Gage ; Jeffer- son, Golden Drop, and Kirke's would certainly amply repay the little extra trouble and expense incurred through spring covering. The Pear is so valuable for dessert, that I should strongly advise it should receive prompt and effectual covering when there is the promise of plenty of fruit. This being the case at the present time, and our cordons only as yet reaching three parts of the way up the wall, I have, in order to economise our netting, fastened some stretches of board 3 inches by 1 inch to other pieces projecting from the wall just above the line of the top of the trees and standing out when finished some 4 inches from the same. By tacking the netting just above the board we thus get it to swing clear of the trees and save a con- siderable breadth of net which is not required so high as the coping when the upper portion of the wall is as yet unfurnished with trees. Dessert Cherries I always cover, they are a favourite fruit, and one consequently likes to make sure of a crop. In addition to the protection from frost provided by the netting it acts as an admirable shelter against the heavy storms of cold sleet we often get in the spring, and which prove disastrous to the tender bloom of the Cherry when this is quite ex- posed. If there is any American blight lurking about either on wall, bush, or pyramid trees it is a good plan to look over them before new growth begins. Many different mixtures are recommended for this pest, some composed of six or seven ingre- dients, but there is nothing simpler or more effica- cious than paraffin, and I have known trees badly affected completely cured a''ter the second appli- cation. Instances are quoted of the loss of trees through this same use of paraffin, but this arose probably from a careless use of the oil. working it in on old and young wood alike, and very likely soaking the buds ; these although dormant would certainly not bear such treatment. ilaremonf. E. BURRBLL. Pear Bishop's Thumb. — We are not over- stocked with Christmas Pears, and amongst others this Pear will be found to give satisfaction if always as good as with me, though it has the name of being only of second quality. No doubt it vaiies on different soils and is better in some seasons than in others, but I consider it one of the best, and can recommend it as profitable for a wall and sure to succeed where any Pear will grow. I have a tree covering the west end of a house against a public road. It is a certain cropper, although with a tendency to bear chiefly at the top or on the young growth. Most people in passing glance up to admire the crop, for in some seasons the Pears will hang over each other like thatch on a rick. This is not a tree that exhausts itself in bloom, which appears so thin that we imagine the crop must be light, but every flower seems to set. It is a long, but not a large Pear ; still I have sold them by the dozen, the crop one year realising £3 whole- sale. Bishop's Thumb is very hardy and a good keeper, and the tree ought to succeed well as a pyramid or standard, seeing that I have very satis- factory results from extended growth above the roof.— E. W. B. A good early Plum— Czar. — The market is sometimes overstocked with Plums, but an early va- riety like the above, suitable for either cooking or dessert, will always be of value. The Czar is rather a new Plum, very hardy and prolific. It will with- stand frost better than most kinds and comes in just after Rivers' Early Prolific, but is altogether I February 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 121 superior to that sort, being larger and more highly coloured. As a rule, the fruit grows too thick to come to full size. The large amount of saccharine matter contained in this fruit makes it more whole- some than many other well-known kinds and in great request for stewing and jam-making. The bush form suits it well. On young standards I have fometimes to tie the head together, or the small branches would collapse with the weight of fruit. The Czar is a strong grower, throwing up a straight stem for the standard and making a well-balanced, handsome tree. I am now syringing the Plum trees and bushes with liquid lime containing a little paraffin as an insecticide and a protection from the finches. — E. \V. 1).. I/olmer, Hereford, STORING APPLES. To THE Editor of The Garden. Sir, — I was very plea.scd, but not surprised witli your verdict as to tlie superiority of our best English grown Apples as compared with foreign importations, for lately I have been testing all the imported Apples I could meet with, and am confirmed in my opinion that the best of them are far inferior to our best home- grown fruit, of which we now have so many late keeping sorts of excellent quality. Nearly all sorts of Apples are capable of being kept much longer than they are credited for in cata- logue descriptions if they are gathered at the right time and properly stored. I (juite agree with your remarks as to njany of our best kinds being spoiled by storing in too dry and hot an atmosphere. 1 have what I consider an ex- ceptionally good place for storing all kinds of fruit, viz., a tower with walla nearly 4 feet thick, which guards ua against all extremes of temperature. All our Apples are left upon the trees as long as they will possibly hang, some sorts, especially Sturmer, Scarlet Nonpareil, Cornish Aromatic, &c., being kept out as late as the middle of November. I never trouble about their being wet or dry when stored, so long as they are handled carefully to prevent their be- ing bruised. All our shelves are formed of slate stones, upon which the Apples are placed from 9 inches to 10 inches deep, each kind to itself, and never touched again till required for use, excluding all light and air as much as possible. Nine people out of ten keep their Apples on straw, which engenders mildew, and soon de- stroys the flavour of the best of fruit. I attri- bute the fine appearance of the samples I sent for your inspection to their having been allowed to hang upon the trees as late as possi- ble, when the foliage being less dense gives the fruit a much better chance to colour and ma- ture, and after storing keeping them as cool, close, and dark as possible. In this way I have been able to keep the grand old Blenheim as late as April, though its proper season is said to be from November to January. There are thousands of acres of orchards in this country devoted to growing Apples for cider, whicli cannot possibly pay the most careful and skilful manager, for it takes nine to twelve imperial bushels to make a hogshead of cider worth from ISs. to 22s., thus leaving little if anything over Is. (id. per bushel for the Apples after deducting all the expenses of mak- ing, itc. Then there are thousands of trees which produce fruit only fit for cooking, and which will not keep beyond the month of Octo- ber. This must be sold when the markets are glutted and fetch a price that barely pays for the labour of picking and marketing. I believe that if our existing orchards were carefully managed, the right sorts of Apples grown, and properly stored, there would be little chance for imported Apples Ln the English mar- kets, excepting perhaps Tasmanian ones, which though of inferior quality, coming in at the end of our season, will doubtless always find a ready sale. Many of our orchards after being planted are taken but little notice of beyond gathering the wretched produce, many of the sorts being worthless. At the present time many owners of orchards in this neighbourhood have not an Apple left, while all the shops have any amount of imported fruit for sale. I think this is a great disgrace to Englishmen, who have an easy remedy in their own hands. By heading back trees of worthless sorts and inserting from ten to sixty grafts of a really valuable sort upon each tree the loss of time and labour will be well repaid. W. Sa>owin. Trelissick, Truro. Chrysanthemums. STRIKING CHRYSANTHEMFM CUTTINGS. There is, I think, no advantage gained in mak- ing a start with these plants before the present month, unless it be that the old stools take up room in our greenhouses which is wanted for other things. Early-struck plants are likely to show flower-buds in the spring months. This is not at all desirable in what may be called the large-bloom system, but, of course, it matters little if bush plants are to be grown. In the former case a free, uninterrupted growth from the beginning should be aimed at. Careful cul- tivators will make a start with clean pots, the smallest sizes being best for the purpose. Mix a compost of loam, leaf-mould and sand in equal parts for the cuttings, and place one firmly in each pot. In choosing the cuttings it is well to avoid those that grow up the stem of the old plant and also any that may be showing a flower-bud at the tip. Some few years ago not many growers, I imagine, thought of any other place to root the cuttings in than a cold frame, which position still, in most cases, gives the best results. In very severe weather, such as we are now j)assing through, there is a difti- culty in giving them daylight ; but it is bad indeed if we cannot let the frame be uncovered for just an hour or two in the middle of the day ; 20 of frost and more may be prevented from damaging the young cuttings by covering with mats and straw. What I have noticed in cold frame-struck Chrysanthemums is tliat they seldom flag, but they must be con- stantly watched to prevent damp. A little air may be given at times, and if a decayed leaf be seen, be prompt in taking the same away from the rest. A quicker mode of rooting the cuttings is under handlights or lightly con- structed frames in a cool house, and here damp- ing may be avoided by occasionally wiping the condensed moisture from the glass. But it is not wise to start the Chrysanthemum plant on its season's work by tenderly striking in fire- heat. Traders, to keep pace with the demand, are oftentimes obliged to root young ones of the new varieties in a high temperature, hence it is so seldom we find out the true qualities of novelties the first year of trial. After the first watering when the cuttings are potted we must be guided entirely by the weather as to when it shall be repeated. In mild sunny times I would prefer sprinkling them overhead to pre- vent the leaves flagging to shading for the same purpose. But little air will be needed until the plants are rooted. Some kinds being much more free to emit roots than others, the for- wardest should be taken from the rest and placed into another frame. They may here re- ceive a plentiful supply of air and water and be brought on sturdily. Those, too, that have been rooted in the warmer temperature of a greenhouse should be gradually brought to a cold frame to prevent a spindly growth. A me- thod of striking Chrysanthemum cuttings prac- tised, and not without success, by some is to stand them on shelves or stages and take no notice of the leaves flagging. They appear withered for some time, but by ordinary watering when dry they prick up their heads and make first-rate progress. If exhibiting at shows be an object there are some notable kinds that it may be ad- visable to defer striking for yet another month. The naturally early ones, as Avalanche, W. H. Lincoln, Anna Hartshorn, Cesare COsta, and I have generally noticed such large-leaved kinds as E. Molyneux, Mrs. Wheeler, and Beauty of Castlewood make comparatively better plants from late cuttings. Again, some of the most esteemed varieties of American origin are very late in showing flower-buds. These, if struck in February or March, will produce very fine blooms if allowed to carry but one on the plant. Besides the Ijetter-known kinds, Mrs. F. Jameson and Mrs. E. W. Clarke, Lord Brooke, Harry May, Ruth Cleveland, Robert Flower- day may well be tried on this plan. H. S. Chrysanthemum Mrs. L. C. Madeira. — This, referred to in The Garden, February i, appears to be a capital sort for late flowericg; the colour is a very rich orange-yellow, always a favourite ; it is deeper in tint than Mrs. Nor- man Davis, long recognised as one of the best of the late sorts amongst the incurved section. Were it not that the flower of Mrs. L. C. Madeira is so much deeper in colcur, it would be difficult to recognise it from that of Mabel Ward, as it has the petal of that now almost obsolete kind, and the peculiar quartering or rib so well known to cultivators of the incurved section. — E. M. Chrysanthemum L. Canning.— This variety has been a failure from an exhibition point of view, but for late blooming it ranks as one of the best among the white kinds. I have at the present time (January 21) a capital lot of flowers of this and of the purest white, and most useful they are for the decoration of tall vases, as the plants have been so managed to have a sufficient length of stem which renders them so much more useful than they are when the stems are but a few inches instead of at least 1 fcot. Those persocs who have not given this Japanese kind a trial should lose no time in doing so. — E. M. A wall of Chrysanthemums —The culture of the Chrysanthemum on walls is cot much con- sidered, judging by the bare fiiaces that one finds in gardens. Last November we saw in quite a suburban garden, shut in hy surroundirg houses, a wall covered with Chrysanthemums, not so fii;e, of course, as in the purer air of the country, but very pleasant to look at in spite of their smoky position. The varieties were not named, but, as far p.s one could judge, they comprised Jules Lagravcre, Jardin'des Plantes, Kefulgence, and Mrs. G. Bundle, the bottom part of the wall being filled up with pompon kinds. It would be well if more would follow out this plan of growing Chiy- santberaums on walls. There is much beauty to be got from thus growing Ihem if the varieties se- lected are suitable. Good strorg plants were put in early in the spring, the soil being well prepared so as to give the Clii^yfanthemums every chance of producing a creditable dispilay ct flowers, ard the branches were well trained out, being placed in a slantirg direction. Almost every inch of the wall was covered with foliage, occasional syringings being given, also plenty of water at the roots, varied with liquid manure to promote vigorous growth. This is of importance, the syringing in particular, especially 122 THE GARDEN. [Februabt 18, 1893. in a hot, dry garden, where the soil quickly gets into a powdery condition. In the autumn disbud, that is if fairly large flowers are desired, as this is the only way to get them of fair dimensions, but of course in the case of the pompons this is not ne- cessary to the same extent. It would be well to have a coping of some kind to protect the flowers from the rains and fogs of November, but in the instance above referred to this was not provided. The result was that, although only just on the verge of full beauty, the flowers were becoming soiled. GROWING CHRYSANTHEMUMS FOR CUT BLOO.AIS AND FOR CONSERVATORY DE- CORATION. While thanking your correspondents for their in- formation on the subject of Chrysanthemums for market (p. 31) in reply to my query (p. 14), I wish to ask for a short cultural note on growing these plants purely for cut blooms and for conservatory decoration. Nearly every treatise on this plant is devoted to growing them for the sake of one large single bloom for exhibition, or for elaborately trained plants for show. I am therefore in doubt as regards pinching, topping, taking the bud, tim- ing the bloom, and so on. I ask, are all the perform- ances required in the case of plants to be grown purely for the above purposes 7 — A. E. *^* Assuming " A. E." has made a start with some such collection as advised (p. 81), the young plants should either be rooting or fairly established in small pots. Perhaps it will be as well to notice first the early-flowering kinds — Mme. Desgrange and its sports, Mrs. Burrell, G. Wermig. and Mrs. Hawkins. These being among the most tender of Chrysanthemums in the small stages, therefore re- quire not only a little more warmth, but a soil composed of lighter material than the bulk. Place these on a greenhouse shelf near the glass till well on in March, when they may go with the rest in cold frames. In giving them the first shift into 5-inch pots mix a compost of equal parts loam and leaf-mould with a good sprinkling of sand and broken charcoal or mortar rubbish. The last, of course, is the cheapest, and answers well the pur- pose of keeping the soil porous and sweet. The final repotting should take place before the plants become root-bound, which will be quite early in May. This time use pots of .S-inch diameter and the leaf mould in a smaller proportion. The Des- granges are rather impatient of manure, and it need only be used in a liquid state, then al ways weak later on when the bloom buds are swelling. If the plants do not of themselves start branching, they may have each tip taken out when !) inches or so in height, and being of a bushy nature this probably will be the only topping needed. They generally throw out from half-adozen to nine shoots, which are ample to forma compact bush, and if all the buds are left, a fine head of bloom results. They may be disbudded at the will of the cultivator, who has only to take away all but tlie centre flower-bud on each shoot to get larger blooms. The plants should be stood in the open after the end of April, but again placed under glass to flower. They will bloom outside in September, but it is obvious that the weather may damage them, nor do the colours come so pure as when under glass, lightly shaded during the sunny part of the day. If not already in frames without fire-heat, place the rest of the young plants in structures where they may receive plenty of air on all favour- able days. Here they will become sturdy. Give them the first shift into larger pots before they get in any way stunted through want of root-room, and it is well to bear this in mind when thinking of subsequent shifts. A suitable soil is that where good loam forms the major portion, and in- stead of the leaf-mould use rotted manure, sand and the mortar rubbish. A (j-inch potful of bone- meal to the bushel is of great assistance to the plants and gives the foliage a healthv tone. Pot firmly. The soil can scarcely be rammed into the pots too tightly at the final potting. When 6 inches high, take out the tip of each plant ani again top each of the shoots when later on they get the same length. This should be enough stopping to induce most varieties to form a bush of considerable size with from half-a-dozen to a dozen leads. These, again. Then the crown bud shows itself (which, in the case of plants for a quantity of bloom, should be allowed to go unheeded), should each give three or four more ; thus we get a plant of excellent dimensions. For the pompon varieties an 8-inch pot is large enough for the flowering size ; the rest may have those of liinch diameter. If it is thought desir- able to go beyond this last size, place two plants in each pot. Stand the pots well apart in their summer quarters. Tie the principal shoots to sticks, about a yard long, before they get high enough to be broken by the wind, and never neglect watering. Till well on in the season the plants will not require anything in the way of manure ; a dose of soot water once a week after they are well established in the large pots is suflicient. But from the time flower-buds show, stimulating manures become a necessity, and in a weak state may be given at almost every watering. I would not advise the labour-saving practice of plunging the pots in ashes, fibre or other material, for the roots are bound to find their way into such and produce a soft growth, besides resulting in a check to the plants when they become severed. There need not be any bother about taking the bud or timing the bloom. Choose the varieties named to flower at a particular period, do not pinch back the shoots after June, because time should be given for matured growth ; then let them bloom naturally. Place the plants under cover quite by the end of September, and let abundance of air pass among them. The necessary checks to green- fly, mildew, and so on need hardly be referred to here, for perfect cleanliness is one of the chief things, yet one of the simplest in the culture of any plant. H. S. METHODS OK GROWING CHRYSANTHE- MUMS. Now is the time to decide on what method the plants are to be cultivated for the next flowering season. The most popular style, whether for home use or exhibition, is that which produces large blooms. Although I am in favour of the system which develops a variety thoroughly in every way as to size, form, and colour, I am not an advocate of those blooms which have nothing but mere number of inches in diameter to recommend them. Such blooms do much to disparage the method of large bloom cultivation. When judging at Chry- santhemum shows I invariably attach great weight to those blooms that are remarkable rather for the depth of the blooms than the number of inches in diameter. Raisers of new Chrysanthemums are turning their attention to dwarf growing sorts of the Ava- lanche and Mrs. Falconer Jameson style of growth in preference to those of which Mme.C. Audiguier is an example. The finest blooms of the latter ever seen were from plants 12 feet high. For- tunately, this variety is now fast becoming obso- lete, owing mainly to the extreme height which the plants reach. It is not possible to obtain blooms of this variety of high-class quality unless the plants are allowed to assume their natural growth. Although some growers manage to obtain very good blooms of certain varieties by topping them at different stages, the most general plan is to allow the plants to grow uninterruptedly from the cutting stage until they make their first natural break, which is caused by the formation of a flower-bud at the point of the shoot. The time of the first break varies according to variety and circumstances, sometimes taking place during April or even in May, and in some cases even later than that. While soma varieties will make the first break at 1 foot high, others will grow i feet before it takes place. When the plants are allowed some freedom, all their wants are met at the proper time, the growth being then properly ripened. Badly ripened wood will produce blooms large enough in diameter, but they lack the most essential points — depth and solidity— especially in the incurved section. Some persons say that plants raised from cuttings inserted in February and March will give exhibition blooms, but they have not as yet produced them. The reason is not far to seek, want of time to perfect the growth being the cause of failure. Some growers restrict the number of blooms on a plant to two and some even to one, but this, I think, is quite unnecessary. I have seen others attempt to produce six blooms upon one plant up to exhibition form, but that also failed. For many years three blooms have been considered the orthodox number, and although I have tried more and less, and seen othersattempt the same, I have long since considered that number sufficient. When the natural break takes place, re- strict the number of shoots to three, allowing one flower to each. I know some growers treat their plants quite differently, topping them at 8 inches high, allowing three shoots instead of one to grow from near the base. From the growths resulting from this topping the blooms are taken, one from each shoot. I have not seen the advocates of this principle take a high position in the exhibition room. Topping the plants at stated heights with a view mainly to regulate the date of certain buds forming, so as to have the blooms in perfection at a stated time, is attended with so many risks, that it is not likely to be universally adopted. The weather is so uncertain as to preclude the chances of success becoming general even in the Japanese section, and certainly never with incurved varie- ties. Some sorts in the former section bloom too early for exhibitions at the middle of November when cultivated on the ordinary method. By a judicious method of topping the shoots when a few inches high, the blooms can be retarded fully a fortnight, but in no sense are the blooms of the same quality as when obtained by the usual method. Mrs. Falconer Jameson affords an instance of this. As grown in the ordinary way, the blooms are too early for the date namerl. but the first blooms are considerably finer in every respect than from plants that have been topped. I am acquainted with a large grower who thought he could improve his previous efforts in the Japanese sec- tion by topping the plants. For instance, he ope- rated iipon all his stock of Stanstead White, with the result that when November came round he had not a presentable flower of this uncommonly fine white. The somewhat cold and wet August mili- tated against the perfect derelopment of the plants and blooms. Many other instances might be quoted in support of the fallacy of ttiis system. The next most popular method of culture is that known as the " bush " plan. To sm.all cultivators who wish for a good home show and a quantity for cutting also, this method can be recommended. The plants are topped when 4 inches high to pro- duce additional shoots to form a " bush." Cutting down the plants is a .<.ystem very much in vjgue by exhibitors of groups as well as for conservatory decoration, as it is seldom that naturally grown plants can be tastefully arranged. By cutting down, such varieties as Avalanche can be had 18 inches high from the top of the pjt, and those of taller growth may be reduced in proportion, all giving fairly large blooms, but of course not equal to those obtained in the usual way. The plants should be laised from cuttings in the usual way and grown on as though intended for giving large blooms. About the middle of May they should be cut down to within a certain height of the soil, according to the variety. For instance, the dwarf -growing varieties should be cut down to within about 4 inches of the soil, others to 6 inches, 8 inches and 12 inches. The shoots re- sulting from this will form the future flowering shoots. E. MOLi'NEUX. The English Flower Ga.rden. — Design, riem and Plans. Third edition, revised, with manv neio Illustrations. London: J. Murray, and throdgh all booksellers. Febrdary 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 123 Flower Garden. LYME GRASS. (EI.YMrS AKEXARIl'S. ) Tins is a British maritime Grass well worthy of garden cultivation. It is a valuable plant for "clothing a bank of loose soil or even sand, as its roots run through, forming a perfect mat and effectually holding in position the soil of the bank. If planted in deep good soil upon the shrubbery margin it grows more vigorously, attaining to 4 feet in heiglit. Its sole beauty is its leaves, which are of a glaucous or blue-green colour, and as the flowers are not very showy they might be removed to preserve the plant in its beauty of leafage for as long a time as possible. It is easily increased by division, and rapidly grows into a large specimen. In a wild hosa is a medium-growlDg climber whose clusters of deep green, divided leaves are very pretty, espe- cially during the winter, while tlie flowers are freely borne for a month or two. They are smaller than those of most of the others, being less than an inch in diameter, bell-shaped, and of a greenish white tint, the exterior of the bloom being clothed with a kind of silky down. It is a native of the south of Europe, and, according to Loudon, was introduced therefrom in 1.591;; but it is at the present day one of the most uncommon kinds, and numerous lists may be searched for it in vain. — H. P. THE ROCK GARDEN. Selecting the Stone. Large sums of money are often spent on, what most people call, ornamental rockery stone. The owners of quarries, as a rule, reserve carefully all stones obtained from sucli The Sea Lyme Grass (Elymus arenarius). Engraved for The Gauiikn from a photograph sent by Mrs. Martin, Bournbrook Hall, Birmingham. state it is most abundant upon our northern shores. There is also an American representa- tive of this family, E. condensatus, which is very ornamental and must be included in a selection of the best Grasses. It is very vigorous, of tufted habit, dense and erect, grow- ing to a height of 8 feet. The leaves are long, arching, and graceful, and the shoots are terminated by a flower-spike 0 inches long and greatly resembling an ear of wheat. Clematis cirrbosa. — This species of Clematis is remarkable from the fact that it often flowers thus early in the year, that is, if the plant has the protection of a south wall. It is not by any means showy, yet at the same time it is a very interest- ing species, and with the paucity of outdoor flowers, it is far more attractive than would be the case if the blossoms expanded about the same time as many of those of its showy relatives. Another feature is its evergreen character, as nearly all the species of Clematis are deciduous. C. cirr- parts of their quarries as contain veins of quartz or other glass-like crystals, mostly of a glaring light colour. Sometimes the whole stones are almost white. They are generally broken into pieces convenient for a man to lift easily, and are, therefore, very even in size. I know many cases where such stones as these were obtained from a great distance, and there- fore at a great cost. They may by some be considered pretty to look at, and might be a suitable feature in a collection of niineralogical specimens, but for the purpo.se of our alpine gardens they should, in my opinion, never be used except crushed into small fragments and mixed with the soil. The beauty of a rock garden, whetlier large or small, should consist in its being true to Nature. But where in Nature do we see glaring crystals in exposed rocks and in connection with plants .' Do we not, on the contrary, admire most the rough, weather-beaten surface of boulders which have stood the test of untold ages, and whose dark hues show to still better advantage the bright flowers springing up from their crevices ! For the interior of caves and similar places, the shining crystals of this so-called rockery stone may sometimes be admissible, but the unfor- tunately too general practice of using them for outdoor rock gardens cannot be too strongly condemned. Moreover, the Ijrittle crystal.s when exposed to the weather .soon crumble into dust, and the ornament (!) so dearly paid for vanishes from view. Instead of incurring heavy expense for stones from a distance, it would in most cases be far better to use those indigenous to the locality unless they should be of an unsuitable nature. In order to be able to build good rocks we must study Nature, and, at least a little, geolo- gical knowledge is indispensable. Geologists divide all rocks into two great classes, viz., stratified or sedimentary rocks, and unstratified or igneous rocks. Tlie latter are again divided into plutonic rocks, which have been upheaved by heat from the interior of the earth, like granite or porphyry, and volcanic rocks, like trap, basalt, or greenstone, which, it is gene- rally assumed, have been produced by volcanic eruptions during bygone ages. The stratified rocks comprise all the different varieties of our slates, limestone, flint, sandstone, oolite, chalk, (fee. All have been deposited originally as sedi- ment from water, and are, therefore, always found in distinct parallel layers or strata of varying thickness, but always in the same order of succession, though by subsequent upheavals the plutonic or volcanic rocks have in many places forced their way through the layers and tilted them. The stratified rocks also include the so-called metamorphic rocks, which have become crystallised in consequence of having been in contact with plutonic rocks in a state of fusion. If our rock garden is to resemble Nature, it mu.st be of the utmost importance to know which class of stone is to be used for its for- mation. If the available rocks are of the un- stratified class it would be absurd to arrange them Ln the same manner as stratified rooks, perhaps showing distinct strata, where in Nature none would occur. Generally speaking, granites and other igneous rocks are in Nature found scattered in the wildest confusion, as, for in- stance, on Dartmoor, Lidford Gorge, and other places. They are, therefore, more suit- able for the formation of bold masses of rock in a wild garden or hardy fernery than for an alpine garden where the construction of nar- row crevices would be required. By far the greater number of mountain plants are indigenous to limestone, and if the colour, size and shape are suitable, this material should, gene- rally speaking, be selected in preference to any other. For the few plants which oliject to limestone, pieces of granite or other rock may be mixed with the soil without interfering with the general design. If, on the other hand, limestone of a suitable kind should be difficult to obtain while good pieces of weather- beaten granite, oolite, sandstone, or any other suitable rock are plentiful, it would be folly to reject the material close at hand. In such localities the rock garden might be constructed with tlie best stones obtainable in the neighbourhood, adding old mortar, chalk, or even the inferior quality of limestone used for ordinary building, road-making, ifec, for such plants as may require it. The Colour anh Shape of stones used for the construction of crevice.i underground can be of no consequence, but I should like to give a few general hints for the 124 THE GARDEN [February 18, 1893. selection of the main body of stones which are to form the visible part of the rock garden. Stones of a glaring white colour, no matter whether flint, spar or limestone, should, I think, be avoided altogether. Not only do they afibrd little or no contrast to white or light- coloured flowers and are cold and ineffective in appearance, but they also repel and reflect the rays of sunshine in a manner injurious to some of the tender kinds of plants. Dull red, dark grey, brown and yellowish brown are the colours which form perhaps the most pleasing contrast with the verdure and flowers of plants. Sometimes stones having, at least on one side, a rougli, weather-beaten surface, perhaps even covered with Moss or Lichens, are easily obtainable, and if so should in all cases be preferred to fresh broken material, as they will impart to the rock garden a cha- racter of natural antiquity, otherwise possible only by long years of exposure. The shape of the most eligible stones depends entirely on the nature of the material to be used. If the rocks are of the unstratified kind, their manipu- lation in the alpine garden must be an entirely difierent one from that of the sedimentary class. It would be well in this case to have as much variety of shape and size as possible, ranging, say, from half a cwt. to 10 or 12 cwt. Stones heavier than this are rather unwieldy, and should only be used in rock gardens on a large scale, where special arrangements for lifting heavy weights would be required. If, however, the stones available belong to the stratified rocks, it should be borne in mind that we have to imitate— to some extent at least — the natural stratification in order to give our alpine garden that appearance of reality so pleasing to the eye. In choosing the stone, therefore, as many flat and thin pieces as possible should be selected. These will be found of the utmost importance for the imitation of natural strata, and are also most valuable for the formation of narrow crevices for choice alpines, rocky steps, tVrc. Even the thinnest slabs will be found useful for this purpose, and whilst unstratified rocks of a size less than about half a hundredweight would be of little use for the main work (excepting the very small pieces required for covering the sur- face of the soil around alpinf s), the sedimentary stone, if chosen for rock building, might vary in weight from only a few pounds to say 15 cwt., unless the work is to be of a very extensive cha- racter, including caves, waterfalls, itc. , which would necessitate some of the stones being still larger. It must not be understood that I would recommend thin or flat pieces exclusively ; on the contrary, let there be as much variety of shape as possible, but the flat stones should predominate. In concluding my remarks about the selec- tion of the stones, I would draw attention to the fact that some kinds of very porous rooks are apt to crumble to pieces by the action of rain and severe frost. It should, therefore, al- ways be ascertained whether the stones selected will stand exposure to all weathers. For a rock garden under glass this may be imma- terial, but for a rock garden out of doors it is of the utmost importance. It would also be advisable not to use many difl'erent varieties of stone in the same rook garden. One kind is suSicient, unless, for instance, good lime- stone and good g'-anite can be used, and are separated into difierent groups. Where other kinds are required for the benefit of the plants, they should, as a rule, l>e used underground, as already stated. Stones having a surface partly covered by Moss or Lichens require to be handled with extra care throughout the work to prevent the destruction of that natural ornament, and if they are very large they should be lifted by special gear. As the best contrivance (barring large cranes) for hoisting all large stones I would recommend a tripod made of three extra strong poles about 15 feet long, and secured at the top by a strong mov- able iron bolt. When double blocks and pulleys, working by means of an endless chain, are attached to this tripod, stones from 1 ton to 2 tons in weight can be lifted quite easily and without injury. For turning over stones of extra size or for dragging them into the re- quired position, an iron winch (generally known by the popular name of " crabb ") will be found of great service ; but for most rock gardens the method of moving stones by means of planks and rollers, as described in my former notes under the heading of "preparatory work," should be quite sufficient, and such extra ap- pliances should never be required for work on a small scale. F. W. Meyek. Exeter. (_To be continued.) FLOWERS IN IRELAND. With a mean temperature of about 45° Fahr. for the last eight or nine days and no great severity of weather before that, the garden here is showing a most alarming vitality. The winter so far has been singularly free from cutting winds, wliicli may b3 the cause; but a number of plants appear to be still seeking for that lost summer of 1S!I2. S^me genuine spring flowers testify to the mild season. Rhododendron precox and Er.mthis hye- malis have been in blossom for a week. Chionodoxa is just opening. The following plants are in blos- som or nearly so : — Cytisus Evereatiauus racemosus Haraamelis Zucoariniana arborea Pyrus japoirca (just open- ing) Viiica minor Primulas, miuy, but no alpine Saxifraga Burseriana (just opening) corioefolia (?), do. oppositifolia (pyren- aica), do. o. maxima, do. o. St. Anne, do. Snowdrops nf sorts Aubrietias (several) Veronica An^lersoiii deeussata and others Lithospermum prostra- tum Campanula fragilis Schizo3tylis coccinea Erica medit:irnincM caffra carnoa (just open) HeUantliemum (white) Cyclamen coum Primula japonica }h'llob..ivs Bellis sylvcstris ApoDOgeton distachyon is just out of blossom. It has been continuously in flower in a small pond from Easter till the middle of January, It in- creases itself very freely by seed. I know no other plant in or out of cultivation with so long a flower- ing season. But the alarming feature I alluded to is the early growth of all bulbs. All sorts of Daf- fodils, Lent Lilies, Polyanthus Narcissi, i:o., hive been above ground, or coming up, since before Christmas, and now, 1 think, all are showing their leaf-tops. Maximus (true) is U inches or more in leaf, and so is Tazetta. Spanish and English Irises are both sprouting, the former (> inches to 8 inches high. Paiony buds are above ground. Tulips (sylvestris and Gesneriana) are well up. Two sorts of Eremurus are bursting their great fat buds. Oncooyclus Irises (of several sorts) are in leaf. Glaucium luteum is growing strong, and Ornithogalum umbellatum is doing likewise. St. Bruno's and St. Eno's Lilies are not behind. Ixias, Sparaxis and Babianas are all in growth. Again, a number of delicate species are more evergreen this winter than is their wont. Mau- ranciya Barclayaiia is still leafy, and there were a few blossoms at Christm.as. This year it ripened no seed ; last year I could have supplied a quantity. It is evident it never completed its season's growth. Romneva Coulteri, Agapanthus umbella- tus, maximus, intermedius, Libertias (two or three), Hypericum olympicum, triflorum (against a wall), empetrifolium are shooting and green. Wood- wardia radicans has not withered. Todea superba is unusually fresh looking. Lilies are all above groumb Again such shrubs as Acacia armata, Senecio Foster!, Eupatorium riparium, several Ceanothuses, Clethra arborea, Aster argyrophyllus, Margyri- carpus setosus look as hearty as they did at any time in the summer. I noticed a remark in a correspondent's letter the other day that it was better to plant out young and let things be acclimatised. I find exactly the opposite to be the case. Plant out old hardened specimens and they take a lot of killing, no matter how deli- cate naturally. I have a large collection of Nepau and Sikkim Rhododendrons; this season theyseem to be filling out their flower-buds fast. The only one I cannot succeed with is Nuttalli. It does not die, but it does not do well. The first Rhododendrons to blossom here will be ciliatum and Countess of Haddington; glaucum will run them close. The leaves of eximium are magnificent. Arbutus An- drachne and Andromeda floribundaare in beautiful flower now. A very charming Daphne that I got from Mr. Smith, of Newry, as D.iphne " Dauphne," evidently a form of indica (?), is very content in the open and about to bloom ; it is deliciously sweet. I was tempted to write this little report by accounts of the severity of the weather across the Channel. English people do not half realisa the merits of our Irish climate, and I wish these remarks may tempt even one visitor to come and see f 'X himself. Both kinds of Furze are in bloom in the coun'y here. H. C. Hakt. Carrahlagh I Lough Sivilly. FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. Some time elapsed after the commencement of the thaw before one could get on the ground, owin» to the depth the frost had penetrated. On the majority of soils, however, the surface is now fairly work- able, and flower garden work can be resumed in earnest. Besides digging where necessary, mulch- ing over borders, making up gaps in spring-flower- ing p'ants, and a general cleaning up of beds, any planting possible may be seen to at once. The system of utilising hardy plants to a great extent for a summer and autumn display is now general, and such planting can be extended or alterations made where existing arrangements were not quite satisfactory. We have a stock of Lobelia cardi- nalis in boxes that will shortly be transferred to beds that were partially filled with Pinks. The idea is to plant the Lobelia in little clumps about 1 feet apart, leaving the Pinks to fill theremai.der of the beds. A large batch of new Violas will go in on a wide border already thinly planted with double Peach-leaved Campanula, and as the last- named is over rather early in the season, I shall reserve an occasional space for a good-tized plant of Eucalyptus. We have been lifting and repbint- ing a large bed of White Swan Viola that acts as a carpet to some nice clumps of a rosy pink Py- rethrum. Tiiis is generally a very attractive bed from quite early in the season, as the foliage of the Pyrethrum, even when the flower is gone, makes a pleasing contrast to the mass of white. I remem- ber finding Violas of great service in a lot of small straight beds which were not easily planted. They were a series of beds about twenty in number, each 8 feet by 6 leef, Box encircled, with about a foot of tiny gravel path between each, and the whole running along by the side of a broad walk. Carpet bedding with such a number was out of the question, strong growing plants of any description out of character, and I found, as I have said, the most satisfactory results from Violas. Free-flower- ing varieties of dwarf compact habit were selected, each bed had its own colour, and the flat surface was broken up by a few plants of Dracsena indivisa and D. gracilis, some irregular pyramids of Fuch- sia Sunray and one Humea elegans in the centre of e.ach bed. The recollection of the difliculty here experienced in finding suitable plants reminds one that among the points to be specially considered Feb RU ART IS, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 125 in all flower garden operations is the selection of suitable plants for different situations. Thus whilst things of dwarf compact habit are so suit- able for beds above nameil. they are decidedly out of character in situations where the object is to secure a telling effect from a considerable distance, and there is no greater mistake made than in crowding in a number of small plants of different shades, however bright the individual colours may be. in beds or borders lying, for instance, at the top of slopes of considerable height, having the principal walk at the foot of such slopes, and from whence the chief view of any operations at the summit is to be obtained. No- thing is better for such positions than simple and yet bold planting in a mass, and if permanent clumps of bold plants already exist, the ground about them can be filled in with something that will present in the distance the idea of a nicely contrasting carpet. Thus Fuchsia gracilis may be surrounded with Chrysanthemum Mme. Desgrange, Aster Amellus, A. bessabaricus or A. acris. The double perennial Sunflower may do duty as dot plants for bold grouping of Aster ericoides, and Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora encompass single plants of the new bronze foliaged Maple (Acer p. atro-pur- pureum). The above will serve as examples in which bold perennials can be utilised ; plenty of similar combinations will doubtless suggest them- selves. If such situations are exclusively " sum- mer-planted," a few useful things that may be mentioned are free-flowering Dahlias of the Cactus and bouquet type, Marguerites (both white and yellow), large specimen Fuchsias, and the white- flowering Tobacco. A very easy filling-up that I once adopted, and which was very showy all through the season, was effected by inserting rounds of Pea sticks at wide intervals, confining them at the top as one does for Sweet Peas and sowing Canary Creeper to cover the sticks, all in- tervening space being afterwards planted with an- nual Chrysanthemum Sultan. Spring-flowering stuff seems to have wintered well ; there are hardly any gaps, and looking through the Polyanthus beds the other day I no- ticed they were slightly on the move. A large bed that will be attractive presently is planted with a dark strain of this favourite spring flower, with small patches of Star Daffodil John Bull interven- ing. Very bright beds are made by alternating a primroie Polyanthus and scarlet Tulips. There is not a single miss in the beds of border Carnations — grand testimony, if more v.-ere needed, to the unmistakable hardiness of these flowers. I should like, by the way, to enter a protest against the name given to a new border Carnation in a cata- logue received the other day. "Newdwarf yellow self," it reads, "Comtesse de Paris." Surely the compiler of the catalogue must be aware that one of the very best border Carnations already in com- merce bears the same name in, it is true, a more Anglicised form. Anyhow, 1 think the new intro- duction should be re-named. E. Btjrrell. Claremont. Passiflora Constance Eliott.— This plant is not quite hardy, yet in a sheltered position it will stand most winters. In unusually severe weather some protection should be given, especially round the roots. We had one trained round the stone pillar of a porch. This was killed by the severe frost two winters back. Last spring 1 replaced it with another, and I was agreeably surprised to see the pillar covered in summer, the growth the first se.ison being some 12 feet, and which flowered freely. -E. W. B. Begonia Worthiana —Two and three-year- old tubers of this fine bedding or pot Begonia will throw up shortly numerous stout shoots. These taken off when 3 inches in height and inserted into sandy soil in heat very quickly root and so pro- duce fine plants during the summer. If tubers be specially held over in a cool, dry place as late as possible, then be started and propagated, plants can thus be obtained which will make admirable subjects for flowering in gentle warmth till Christmas. There seems to be no indeed why they may not be induced to flower all through the winter. The considerable employment of this beautiful Begonia at Hampton Court Palace and other places of popular resort has created for it a great demand, and whether employed for bedding or for pot culture it is equally attractive. Plants from cuttings are used the first season for edgings. Then the tubers the second year are not propa- gated from, but allowed to carry all thfir shoots, making very fine plants; and then the third season they are used for giving stock for cuttings. — A. D. Lathyrus splendens — May I ask your corre- spondent "D. K ," who writes sc e.xhaustively on Ever- lasting Peas (p, 8S), whether Lathyrus splendens, which about a dozen years ago attracted a certain amount of attention(and was then described as a very beautiful member of the family from the moun- tains of C.ilifornia), has proved to be of any value, for I do not see it mentioned in his admirable article ? It is, however, described with other mem- bers of the genus inthe"Dictionary of Gardening," -H, P, THE BOG GARDEN. IXTERKSTiNi! and practical notes were contributed by Mr. J. Wood to The Garden. Feb. 4 (p. 79), and those who have bog gardens would do well to read them carefully. A bog garden is a delightful feature, and the number of moisture-loving plants that can be grown in a comparatively small space is great, whilst by the side of a small brook or stream a host of plants thrive to perfection. In the bag garden at Cambridge, or in the High Beech nurseries of Messrs. Paul and Son. there is much to be seen in the early summer months especially, and even in comparatively small places a spot can be reserved for the Caltbas, hardy Orchids, &c., that need a perpetually damp situation. Cypripedium spectabile I have never seen better than in a recess in the rock garden, where the Trilliums and the Primulas delight to grow. Orchis follosa makes a splendid mass under such conditions. The Calthas are a fine group and must have a boggy soil to succeed well. There are now many kinds, both double and single, brilliant maSses of yellow in spring, and the forms of C, monstrosa bear flowers each like a little rosette, whilst in C, leptosepala they are of a rich orange shade. The Cardinal Flowers make a picture of colour in the bog garden. Lobelia fulgens Queen Victoria in particular. I have seen this splendid plant make almost double the growth as in the ordinary border simply through the moist peaty soil. The size of its rich crimson flowers is remarkable. The Huntsman's Horn (Sarracenia purpurea) is quite at home in such situations, and the Prim- ulas flower with great freedom, P, rosea in particular, but one may have many types, as P, japonica and P, farinosa. Our native bog plants, as Painassia, Drosera, and Pinguicula, could be grown, and they require little attention. There are many spots in gardens that could be converted into a bog garden, and the plants grown therein would give much pleasure. A brookside may be made, with even a small selection of plants, bright with colour, and by the margin of a lake colonies of various things can be formed. P. japonica is a bold flower for such a spot, and when well established, seedlings spring up in great numbers,sothatitbecomes naturalised. By thelake in Livermere Park, in Suffolk, this fine Primrose grows with great vigour in the more shady spots. The stems rise over 2 feet in height, and the flowers, arranged in tiers, appear for many weeks. One gets a great variety from white to deepest crimson. A very pretty kind has white flowers with a buff salmon eye, and the leafage of all the forms of this Primula is robust. Seen from the opposite side of the bank a large group is very effective. But one need not be tied down to a few plants only. By the side of water or in the bog garden the Japanese Irises, I. Ka^mpferi. Spirrea palmata. &c , may have a place. S. palmata is never seen to better advantage than when grow- ing in boggy soil, the growth made being very robust, and the mass of crimson flower-heads lights up the garden with colour. This interest- ing phase of English gardening is not taken sufficient account of, but from such a feature one may get much pleasure. E. Varieties of Iris stylosa. — This charming winter-flowering Iris varies much in colour, and some of the varieties have received distinctive names. One of the best known forms is alba, in which the flowers are white or tinted with lilac. It is a delicately beautiful flower, just as fragrant as the type, and in other respects similar. Then there is a kind named lilacina, the flowers lilac, and another called marginata, in which the falls and standards are rich lilac, set off by a paler shade of the same colour. Speciosa has deep blue flowers, and there are variations from the type, but they differ merely in degree. An Iris fancier would covet them, but they are not S'-iBciently impor- tant for a place in ordinary gardens. This variability in the colour of I. stylosa increases its interest. The best position for the plant is a thoroughly well-drained border in a warm sheltered spot fac- ing south preferably. A rich soil is unnecessary, and it should be kept dry in the summer months. Sunny, warm nooks on the rockery may also be chosen for it, and the time to plant is the autumn, affording some protection until the roots have got well eslablijhed. I, stylosa, by reason of the deli- cate beauty of its fragrant flowers, is very charm- ing in pots, and if potted in the early autumn, the bulbs will bloom well. The Winter Aconite. — This seems almost too common a plant to write of, but at this season, when its charming little yellow flowers in their collar of green leaves appear above the surface of the ground, it is delightful. Although very easily grown, one sees comparatively little of it in gar- dens. We have been lately in a few places, but, save for a single root here and there, the Winter Aconite was unrepresented. Some years ago we remember seeing a fine garden in early February where the Eranthis was planted freely in the half- wild spots, colouring the ground beneath decidu- ous trees with its yellow flowers, and good clumps of it on the rockery, in the border', or a sprinkling of roots on the Grass make a pleasing winter picture. Zinnias. — I think those who have grown the superb varieties of double Zinnias now so abun- dant will agree with me that it is well to have the plants as strong and forward as (hey well can be so soon as it is safe to ccmmit them to the open ground. It will not be too early to sow seed of double Zinnias next month in gentle warmth. Great importance is attached to keeping the seed- lings near the glass and where they can get ample light. To have them weak or drawn is to do them infinite harm. If seed be sown in pans and placed near the glass the seedlings will be sturdy and dwarf. When some 2 inches in height they may be pricked off thinly into other pans or shallow boxes, and then a month later go from these into a frame, where they may become (! inchf s in ht ight and be very strong before being transplante 1 into the open ground. It is not every grower who cares to take so much pains, but when the soil in which Zinnip.s arc planted is well prepared and manured, the result is fine plants and flowers far beyond what come from \ery ordinary treatment. The double Zinnia is such a beautiful flower i^nd gives some colours that hardly anything else fur- nishes, so brilliant and beautiful are they, that special good cultivation is amply repaid. — A. D. Dicentra spectabilis — Jlr. Wood's note re- specting the frequent cutting down of the early growth of this by frost induces me to say that at Bedfont, where I grew a quantity of lar^e roots, producing during the season very fine clumps of foliage and bloom. I always planted beneath the overhanging boughs of spreading trees, and never found the shoots injured by late spring frosts. This Dicentra is peculiarly fitted for wild garden planting, for it lives without replanting for several 126 THE GARDEN. [FtBRUART 18, 1893. years, and only when the i.l mts are strong is its real beauty seen. .Still further, no plants .show the same noble growth ami very long flowering endurance that well-establisheil roots do. The early growths are usually quite f afe if the plants have shelter on the north anil east, but with overhanging branches of trees I have found the shoots unharmed in any aspect. It is one of the most beautiful of border plants, but exposed ii liable to the injury referred to. Even in such cases a large basket or a light framework covered with canvas turned over the plants at night until danger is past will make all safe from injury. — A. D. The Huntsman's Horn for colour. — We have visited a few gardens and nurseries during the winter, and amongst hardy things the common Sarracenia purpurea is conspicuous for the rich crimson colouring of its curious leaves, fashioned in the shape of a horn. A large clump of this in moist peaty soil on the rockery or in the bog gar- den is a bright feature in the winter season. One must have a good mass of it to get effect from its crimson foli^ige, and if in a peaty bo2rgy soil, not too wet. it will grow away with vigour, forming a charming mass with its richly-coloured, horn- shaped pitchers. Stove and Greenhouse. TREE OR PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATIONS. I WAK much interested in the article by Mr. Douglas which appeared in The Garden, Feb- ruary 4, respecting these useful winter-Hower- ing plants. Few, however, have the same con- veniences for carrying on their culture so suc- cessfully, but even without such exhaustive reso".rces it is surpri.sing what results may be achieved by those who take an interest in the cultivation of these winter flowers. Although 80 valuable as button-hole flowers, it does seem strange that so little trouble is taken with them in many gardens and so little space devoted to them. I am inclined to think this is attribut- able not so much to the unsuitableness of the structures gardeners have to deal with as to the want of a proper system or method of procedure. To be successful, an early start must be made in striking cuttings, as unless this is done the plants cannot attain a useful size or sufHcient maturity in their growth to flower freely and continuously during the most sunless months of the year. I have adopted for the last few years a similar course to that so well described by Mr. Douglas, and although not many plants were grown, there were but few days in the year when a bloom could not be found ; indeed from a l)atch of not more than two dozen plants I was able to supply a coat flower daily for my employer the whole year. In growing so few plants I found there was an advantage in keeping a portion of the stock over the second year, as the older plants furnished the earliest autumn supply. This course may, or may not be necessary, varieties differing in point of early flowering very materially, but the plan suited my case so well, that I shall not be inclined to give it up until I have found a better one. After a stock of cuttings had been secured, the best of the year-old plants were selected and placed into pots a size or two larger, removing at the time as much of the old and unoccupied soil as possible by the aid of a small pointed stake. Turfy hiam broken fairly small, with leaf- mould and dried cow manure added in good proportion, formed the potting compost, soot, bone-meal, and sharp .sand, a small sprinkling of each, aiding its richness and porosity. Cocoa- nut fibre I find a good substitute for leaf- mould, and there are seemingly few plants that will not root freely in this. Sturdy and short- jointed growths may be gained to some degree by firm potting, although in Tree Carnations tall shoots are naturally expected in many of the best sorts. To flower them well in winter they must necessarily have some open-air treatment for the consolidation of their stems, which have a sapjiy tendency when kept permanently under glass. If a good strike is secured in February and the plants grown steadily on, they will be ready for placing into their flower- ing pots in May or beginning of June, by which time they can be stood in a sunny spot outdoors, and there remain until September. The old plants share a portion of the same space, allowing room for the plants to stand clear of each other, so that a maximum amount of air and sunshine may reach every leaf and stem. The same rule .should be followed in the autumn when they are hou.sed for the winter, for if stood thickly together, shaded by other plants, or standing a long way from the glass, they quickly become enfeebled, and disappointment to the grower is sure to follow. Tying and staking must not be neglected. Stakes of sufti- cient length to support the full-grown plant ought to be put to it early, securing these to strained wires or some other convenient arrangement to prevent them being blown about by the wind. When standing un.secured, they fall about one over the other with the slightest wind, which renders them liable to be broken, and the roots injured by tlie swaying of stakes to and fro. If the pots are wholly or partially plunged in the ground, or in cocoa fibre or ashes, they are kept steady as well as protected from scorching sun, which, when the plants are in small pots, does a deal of injury to the fibrous roots exposed to the heated surface. When the soil is well occupied with roots, stimulants should be resorted to frequently in a liquid or dry state, or, preferably, both alter- nately. Good flowers and a continuous supply cannot be had without the aid of stimulants of some kind. Prepared chemical manures are now so numerous, that it would seem superfluous to mention any pai'ticular one as being likely to suit Carnations best ; it is a question that can well be left to the discretion of individual cultivators. I would strongly advise the use of li({uiU natural manures ; if these cannot be had from farmyard tanks, resort should be had to some favourite kind prepared in a small slate tank ; or, failing this, a petroleum barrel i)re- viously freed from oil by charring the in- side. Soot in a diluted state is a valuable stimulant for Carnations, and may be employed as a change from cow, sheep, horse or fowl ma- nures, each prepared in the .same way. Seed of good strains is oflered by the leading .seed firms, and this sown at once and the seed- lings treated as advised for cuttings will result in good flowering plants by ne.xb winter and spring. W. Strugnell. Muod Ashtvn Oardens, Trowhridge. Libonia floribunda. — In a warm greenhouse the pretty bright-coloured blossoms of this Libonia are borne for months together, and that too during the winter season ; still, despite this very desirable feature, it is not always met with in a satisfactory condition, for the foliage often wears a yellow and unhappy appearance, which even if the plant is full of flower detracts greatly from its ornamental features. Some cultivators plant out their Libonias during the summer months, but as a general rule this mode of treatment is not nearly so satisfactory as growing them altogether in pots. The cuttings should be struck as early in the year as possible and shifted on as required. A cold frame is a very good place for the plants during the summer, and in hot weather frequent syringing will be of service, not only to encourage growth, but also to keep down red spider, which will soon cause the foliage to acquire a sickly tint. During their earlier stages the young plants should be freely pinched in order to enciurage a bushy habit of growth. As the pots get full of roots occasional stimulants in the shape of liquid manure will be of service, while soot-water will greatly help to maintain the foliage jU a rich green state. — T. Eranthemum pulchellum. — Introduced from the East Indies nearly a century ago, this is still one of the prettiest flowering plants we have in the stove during the winter months, for under favourable conditions it will bloom from Christ- mas onw.ard, often for three months or more. We have very few indoor flowers at any season of so beautiful a blue as this Eranthemum, and at the time it blooms there is really nothing else to com- pare with it for colour. It is also of very easy culture, and, like most Acanthads, is more satis- factory when propagated annually from cuttings, which should be formed of the young growing shoots, and if taken in the spring will root in a few days. If shifted on as required, they will form good flowering plants by the winter. During the summer they will succeed very well under frame culture, but as autumn advances they must be taken into the stove. If kept in a frame throughout the summer and a liberal use made of the syringe, the plants will grow freely and keep free from insect pests, which is not always the case if in a warm house, as red spider often attacks the foUage. Fairly liberal treatment is necessary to the welldoing of this Eranthemum, and as the season advances and the pots get full of roots, an occasional dose of liquid manure will be of service. —II. P. Begonia Gloire de Sceaux. — This Begonia, which was awarded a first-class certificate at a re- cent meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, is not such a novelty as one might suppose, judging by some of the remarks overheard when it was exhibited. It was sent out either six or seven years ago by MM. Thibaut et Keteleer, of Sceaux, in France, who announced it as a hybrid between B. socotr.ana and B. subpeltata. The habit of the plant is stout and vigorous, and without any stop- ping it naturally forms a neat compict specimen, well furnished with ample foliage of a thick tex- ture and of a rich metallic tint. The flowers, too, are large and borne in good-sized clusters, while their colour is a very pleasing shade of deep pink. As a rnle it commences to bloom about Christmas, and will then muntiin a succession till spring is well advanced. Public attention being now directed to this particular variety.it will no doubt be much more extensively grown than was formerly the case. — T. Eupatorium grandiflorum. — It is now about ten years since this species was first brought into notice, yet it has not become so widely cultivated as one might have expected, seeing that its habit is good and that its flowers are of a purer white than in the commoner species. The siz2 of the heads of blossoms, too, quite justifies the Sfecific name. It is erect in style of growth, with large ovate, coarsely-toothed leaves, quite different from those of the better-known Eupatoriums. It is also a slower growing plant, and, contrary to the general practice with E. ripatiam, should be kept for two or three seasons. A good plan after the first year is to plant them out in the open in a sunny position about the middle of June. With regard to the history of this plant I have not been able to trace it b.ack bavond 1S82, when the same name occurs in the Ucvue Ilurtlcole under a col- oured plate. The flowers there are pink, which may perhaps be due to the superior climatic con- ditions of Southern France, where the species is grown permanently out of doors. Kegel, however, figured a somewhat similar Enpatorium in his Gartenttora in 1852, named E. grandifolium. It is possible there may be some confusion in the two names. Kegel infers the latter is a native of FBura'ARY IS, 1893. J THE GARDEN ]i7 Guatemala, as the plants were raised from seeds which came along with some Orchids from that country. Phyllanthus nivosus. — This stove slirab, which has been known in oar gardens for I he last twenty years, owes its attractive features not to the flowers, but to the beauty of its foliage. It is a free-growing plant of a loose open habit, whose slender shoots are clothed with ovate leaves, which where well e.xposed to the light are more or less marked with pink, white and green in varying proportions, some being almost white and others white with a pink tinge, while some have the three colours all blended together, and others are quite green. To ensure well-coloured plants the best marked shoots only should be emplo.ved as cuttings. They strike readily enough in a gentle bottom heat, and if shifted on into pots 5 inches in diameter. lanceolate leaves that are deeply serrated. The blooms, which are borne in many-flowered drooping racemes during the summer, are white and not particularly noticeable, but they are succeeded by berries which render the plant very pretty in the winter. Tliese berries are about the size of Peas, pure white, except a dark spot on the apex, sur- rounded by a circle and five other dots of the same lint. These berries remain fresh a very long time. It is not hardy, and the treatment given to greenhouse Khododendrons will suit it perfectly. — H. P. Rhododendrons. — The charming boxes of cut trusses of the javanico - jasminiBorum hybrids shown by Messrs. Veitch and Sons so frequently at the ll.H.S. meetings should do a great deal to- wards extending their popularity. I have person- ally often longed for an opportunity of growing The Moumiug Iris (Iris susiaua). (.Sec p. I'M.) stopped a few times and kept near the glass, they form very pretty little specimens which may be turned to account in various ways, while a large plant or two is often useful for cutting from. A second form is P. atropurpureus, more liable to lose its leaves during the winter than the preced- ing. The foliage of this becomes of a rich purple colour when well exposed to the light. There are other species in cultivation, the best known being P. pallidifolius, which is far more generally met with under the name of Reidia glaucescens. — P. Epigynium leucobotrys. — A great many different subjects are grown for the beauty of their fruit during the winter month=, and this is one that might with advantage be added to the list of desirable plants for this purpose, as it is very pretty and quite distinct. It is a shrub nearly related to the Vacciniums, and indeed is by some writers included in that genus. It forms a some- what upright growing bush, with dark green oblong them, but, unfortunately, I have no hou?e I can give up to their culture. I do not mean liy this to infer that they cannot be grown with o'her plants, but the rather I am thinking what a fine feature they are when a house is devoted to their cultiva- tion. One most important fact in regard to these exhibits of the Messrs. Veitch should not be lost sight of, viz., that of these examples having been grown within the fog radius; this conclusively proves their essential properties of withstanding its pernicious effects upon vegetation.— Plants- MAX. Tree Paeonies under glass. — The fact that these Piconies when in the open ground push forth their foliage and flower-buds so early in the season that they are often injured by spring frosts no doubt prevents their being planted so fre- quently as would otherwise be the case, yet this very peculiarity is in their favour for flowering under glas-, as with just the warmth of a green- house they may be had in bloom at a time when most outdoor subjects wear their winter garb. Apart from the beauty of the flowers, the mass of tender nnfoltiing foliage is very pretty, and when crowned with huge blossoms a group of these Pteonies forms a most striking feature in the greenhouse or conservatory. The better kinds of Tree Paionies always command good prices, owing to the fact that they are rather slow of increase and by no means of rapid growth afterwards. Whether single or double flowers are tlie more beautiful is at least an open question, for both have their admirers. For two or three years pre- vious to the present season considerable numbers of these Pa3onies have been sent here from Japan, and disposed of at the London auction rooms. Ihey bore the journey well, the roots being tightly packed in Moss, while the tops were allowed suffi- cient space for the free circulation of air around, which was assisted by holes bored in the boxes opposite these air spaces. The first consignment realised high prices, but these were not afterwards maintained. Up to the present none of these PsEonies from Japan have made their appearance this winter. Of those sent last season nearly all that came under my observation had single flowers, and very beautiful they were, some hitge white blooms being particularly striking.— H. P. Impatiens Sultani.— This is very useful for flowering at the present season, for just now the blooms appear to be unusually bright and cheerful. Introduced about a dozen years ago, it rapidly became popular, but of late I do not think it has been quite so generally cultivated as was formerly the case. Apart from the beauty of its blossoms this Balsam possesses two other very desirable features, viz , its easy cultivation and freedom of flowering. Different individuals vary somewhat in the colour of their flowers, and there are now some three varieties in cultivation — carminea, salraonea, and variegata. The varietal name of this last applies to the foliage, but the plant usually presents a somewhat diseased and unhappy appearance. There is, as far as I am aware, no white-flowered variety, though I he name of Impatiens Sultani alba is occasionally to be met with, but the plant to which this name is applied is the allied I. flaccida alba, somewhat in the way of, but quite distinct from I. Sultani. When the gorgeous coloured I. Hawkeri vvas intro- duced great expectations were formed of it, and it was thought likely that tbe new-comer would prove of service to the hybridist, but. as far as I know, these anticipations have never been realised ; in- deed, I. Hawkeri has never to my knowledge pro- duced seeds, but it can be very readily propagated by cuttings. It has not become so popular as was at first anticipated, the habit of growth having, perhaps, something to do with it, while it is par- ticularly liable to the attacks of a minute insect like a small yellow thrips, which causes the buds to drop and the joung foliage to acquire a diseased appearance, the real cause of which is often un- suspected.— T. Two Bignonias.— I am asked by " T. M." if the two species of Bignonias named below are difficult to manage. The plants named are B. venusta and B. Cherere. If you have got room enough on the roof, you may plant these with con- fidence and fully expect to see them flower freely. Both will succeed under pot culture, but they do not flower well enough to warrant my advising that system. A portion of the border should te bricked off, drained, and then filled up with good rich turfy loam. They like an abundance of water during the growing season both to their roots and overhead. After the growth is completed the supply of water should be discontinuerl, and, with- out causing the plant to suffer, it should be kept somewhat dry for a time, when flowers will begin to appear. The plants should have ample room to ramble ; in fact, the strong leading shoots should be suffered to reach the full length of the house before the knife is used to them. As these plants flower upon the lateral shoots these should be en- couraged as much as possible. Very little pruning is necessary, saving in stopping the main shoots 128 THE GARDEN. [February 18, 1893. and sometimes cutting out a side growth when they grow too thick. When the plants get too old they should be cut quite down and the soil should be renewed, or a good part of i^, with- out disturbing them too much, when they will soon throw up strong shoots, which must be care- fully trained so as to become the leaders for a new plant. B. Cherere is an old plant not much known now, but still one of the loveliest and showiest climbers that it is possible to grow upon the root. The flowers, which appear at the ends of the lateral shoots in great numbers, are large, trumpet-shaped rich orange-red, with a yellow throat. This plant usually flowers about the beginning of July and continues in full beauty for several weeks. B yenusta is more often called a stove climber, but It grows most luxuriantly and flowers most abun- dantly in a warm greenhouse. Its beautiful flowers are tubular with a spreading limb, and the colour IS rich deep orange-scarlet. These are produced during ihe months of November and December — W. H. G. PRIMULAS, CYCLAMENS AND CINERARIAS AT READING. We had the privilege of inspecting iMessrs. Sutton's well-known and justly celebrated strains of these florists' flowers the other dav. The Primulas are remarkably fine ; the Cinerarias will improve ■ whilst the Cyclamens are a trifle past their best, but sufticient can be seen of the latter even now to form a correct idea of their superior quality. All of these popular flowers, with Calceolarias (her- baceous). Begonias (uiberou,) acd Gloxinias, each in thou- season are grown under Messrs. Sutton's personal supervision exclusively for their own pri- vate seed trade, tubers of Begonia? and Gloxinias of course, being also supplied. By growing their own stock from year to year for many years past they have been enabled, bv close observation, to effect great improvements in selected kinds; whilst by cross- fertilisation many remarkably dis- tinct and valuable new kinds have been raided This 13 now most particularly observable in the Primulas. The noteworthy features of their Pri- mulas are the distinct and clear colours the com- pact growth, with no superfluitv of foliage, and the freedom of flowering. The strains of Primulas as seen here may be divided into two sections ; those with the ordinary form of growth, and those termed the -'giant" section, each of these beint' s;ib-divided into the plain leaved and the Fern°- leaved varieties, and these again into single and double forms. The former of these if sown at the same time as the giant flower, the earlier of the two ihere is also another beautiful strain in which a great advance has been made called the Moss Carled, with the foliage as much curled in some instances as in the finest Parsley ; in these also there is great variety. In the case of each named variety there IS a great uniformity in the quality not one rogue being discernible. By artificial fertilisation each colour is kept quite true to its char.icter. and can. therefore, be thorou'^hly relied upin to reproduce itself. '' The following v.irieties are all decided acquisi- tions : Pearl, a white variety, raised by Messrs Sutton in 187'.l, remarkable for its freedom of flowering, its purity of colour, and its finely fringed blossoms. Reading Pink has lovely flowers of a soft pink shade, deeply fringed. R3ading Blue (plain leaf) is a very much improved strain, and a fine contrast to Pearl. Sutton's Blue is a decided advance, with Fern-leaved foliao-e and porcelain-blue flowers, very fine. Reading Double Blue is an exceedingly handsome and richly col- oured new form (deeper in colour, than either of the preceding), the flowers of extra size, and borne in large trusses. Anyone seeing this trio of blues cannot but be impressed with their superior quality Carmine Rose is valuable as an extra early variety. Purity is a large form of Fern leaf with extra trusses and pure white flowers, with dark stems and foliage ; a variety of superior constitution Gipsy Queen is another distinct white Fern-leaved f jrm, with reddish-brown leaves ; a useful variety tor vases. R^sy Queen is a very compact Fern- leaved form, pale rosy pink in colour. Snowdrift is an extra free-flowering white, very early, also with Fern leaved foliage ; a standard variety. Ruby King, a rii.'h ruby sha ie, is very dwarf,and therefore valu- able in small pots. Double White is an unusually vigorous variety, finely fringed, very free in flower- ing, with large trusses, the" foliage comparatively small. This should largely supplant the old Double White from cuttings. Double Scarlet is one of the brightest colours yet seen; a counterpart of the foregoing save in colour. This pair and the Double Blue are three decidedly valuable d.'corativo varie- ties either in a cut state or on the plant, lasting so long when cut, as we ourselves have proved. Mauve Beauty is another fine double, with the shade of colour seen in Clematis lanuginosa. Double Carmine (improved), a very early variety, was over. Double Crimson is a large- flowered form of deep colour. Double Fern-leaved Blue is yet an- other break in the blue section, scarcely so deep in colour as the plain-leaved form, but valuable all the same. Double White Fern leaf is another great advance, the flowers large, the trusses large and compact ; a rival to alba plena. Double Car- nation Flake is a form much admired, being flaked and splashed with purple on a white ground. The giant section includes the following well- defined forms : Giant White, with plain leaves, a stout-growing, but compact variety, the foot stalks short, the leaves of great substance, the flowers extra large and massive ; one of the finest for exhibition. Giant White (Fern-leaved) is a counterpart save in foliage, the flowers of the two even larger, assuming a pale blush shade with age. Giant Crimson is one of the very finest of all, of the same style of growth, the flowers very large, the petals overlapping each other, the eye very dis- tinct. Giant Salmon Pink has beautifully fringed flo.vers of a very pleasing shade of colour. Giant Carmine, very compact, has flowers of a rich car- mine shade. In the " Gem " section, Sutton's Gem claims especi.al notice, bein? extremely compact in growth, with finely fringed foliage. Any cultivator of Primulas who has the opportunity should see the foregoing choice selection at Reading. In doing this one can select those varieties best suited to any particular purpose, whilst no one could fail to be interested in all. Of the Cyclamens, it must be added that they are splendidly grown plants, whilst in the various shades of colour there are choice breaks. One with salmon-coloured flowers and a mulberry b.ase is very noteworthy with the true persicum charac- ter, the growth, as in every other instance, very compact with a profusion of flower. Another has rosy lilac flowers with the same good properties. The ordinary forms with dark bases are of a deep shade of colour and broad petal. One called Vulcan has intensely deep crimson flowers, one of the richest in this respect of all. Another called Butterfly has pure white flowers, much more spreading than usual, not at all unlike a butterfly settled on the foliage ; this is an extra dwarf and compact form. The giant section is well repre- sented by Giant AVhite.Rose, Crimson, and Purple, aU being choice selections of this strong-growing form, the Giant White with a crimson base being likewise an acquisition to those already enume- rated. The Cinerarias possess all the good properties of the florists' flowers with freedom of growth, vigor- ous growth and large blossoms, the colours' of°the selfs rich and pure, the parti-coloured forms also well m irked and defined. Of the selfs, an indigo- blue was particularly handsome, a pure white also being especially noteworthy ; the tipped varie- ties were very bright, denoting a valuable decora- tive strain. One of these seedlings had narrow, somewhat twisted florets, pure white in colour ;this struck us as a distinct novelty likely to be much appreciated by many growers who are not so de- votedly attached to what are strictly termed florists' flowers. lachenalias as basket plants.— Lachenalia tricolor, pendula, anl Nelsoni are all admirably adapted for basket culture. They grow quite as vigorously and bloom as freely grown in this way as when potted. The basket should be well lined with green Moss, which will retain much of its freshness during the time the plants are making their growth. For houses of moderate dimensions baskets that will take about eight bulbs are most suitable, but in the case of large conservatories a score or more bulbs may be put together. The ap- pearance of Lachenalias in the form of such large specimens is very effective, their graceful growth being more fully displayed than when the plants stand below the level of the eye. The bulbs start naturally in the latter end of August, so that planting must not be deferred much beyond that period. A rich compost is necessary ; the same as that commonly used for Hyacinths will do very well. As the days lengthen and the plants grow with freedom, abundance of moisture at the roots must be given, baskets naturally requiring more than pots. — J. C. B. Ixora "Westi.- When I was writing the article upon Ixoras to accompany the coloured plate of I. Westi I could not give the parentage of this lovely hybrid. Since then I have ascertained from Mr. West, through the courtesy of Mr. J. Veitch and Sons, in whose establishment at Chelsea it was raised, and by whom it was distributed, that it is the result of crossing Ixora odorata with I. am- boinica. Both of these are species, and quite distinct in every respect. In I. Westi the robust growth of I. odorata is not so apparent, whilst the free-flowering proclivities of I. amboinica are well brought out. The truss partakes also of that of I. odorata, but it is not quite so large. I have not, however, observed in the offspring any of the per- fume of that species. I. Westi has not been shown as a specimen plant so frequently as some other kinds, but if some of our well-known growers were to take it in hand, they would find it a grand acquisition by reason of its perfectly distinct colour. Being a variety of very free growth and flowering as freely, when of good size it should yet win its way with specimen plant growers. There is hardly anything of the same pleasing .shade of colour as is to be found in I. Westi; for this reason, there- fore, it should be grown for home decoration as well. I find thus far that our pl.ants of it have wintered well, retaining their foliage in a healthy state in spite of such adverse circumstances as fogs, &o. On one o;c.asioa a well-known floral decorator expressed a wish to me that he should like to be able to obtain it in a cut state, he being quite taken with the colour, more particularly in its earliest stages whilst still of a pale shade. — J. Hudson. Aralia elegantissima. — This is one of the most useful for table decoration, as it lasts in good condition tor such a long time. Plants which have become too tall or have lost their lower leaves should have the tops taken off and the soil kept oa the dry side, which will soon cause lateral shoots to form. These, after they have grown about 3 inches, are just in the right condition for making into cuttings. Take them oft' with a heel and insert them in cocoa-nut fibre refuse in a pro- pagating case where the temperature is warm and moist. After a time, roots will form when the rooted cuttings should be potted off. By treating the above Aralia and also the allied kinds in the manner stated above, I am enabled to keep up a stock of useful plants. Many people are under the impression that these Aralias must be grafted to increase stock, but it is certainly an erroneous opinion. Aralias are expensive plants to buy, and this no doubt is the reason why they are not more used than t'oey are for general house decoration. —A. Y. Iris chinensis. — What Mr. Buxton says (p. 97) of the terms in which I spoke of the treatment of this lovely winter-flowering Iris is strictly correct, and I had my first lesson on the matter from that excellent lady gardener, Ihe late Mrs. Rawson, who made a speciality of this Iris, and also of the Belladonna Lily. Perhaps nobody ever grew these two plants better. There can be no doubt about the plan I described being effective, as proved by the stQut flower-scapes at present on my own plants. Febrdaky 18,1893.] THE GARDEN. 129 which were only repotted last spring after flower- ing ; of course to get flowers you must retain plenty of rhizome when repotting. I see no reason why the more loamy compost should not answer, but I should say that the kinder treatment given to Col. Johnstone's plants being kept under glass all the year round may have something to do with the good results, and then how often we succeed as well as fail with plants without knowing the reason why. Anyhow, I agree with what Mr. Buxton says of the merits of this greenhouse Iris ; the flowers are beyond praise, and they last so long, so that any amount of care spent upon it would be justified. There certainly is no difficulty in getting plenty of flowers once you rightly man- age the repotting, especially as to date. Get plenty of good growth, good- sized, dark green leaves in summer, and fJowers must follow if the plants are taken into the greenhouse before cold rains or frosts come. — J. Wood. SHORT NOTES.— STOVE AND OREENHOUSE. Hardy Azaleas. — I have recently seen several notes auent these cbarmiut.' shrulis. I wish to put in 11 plea for A. arborescens, with pure white red- gtamened flowers, having just tbe fragrance of Jessa- mine. It is very hardy, of free growth, and about the late-t to come into bloom — not before July. — T. .Smith. Impatiens Hawkeri— " J. H. B." rends me a nice spray of this plaut in full flower. It is indeed a ploriou^ plant. The sender says he has three plants which have been quite a blaze of beauty all the winter. The colour is very brUliant carmine, over w hioli is a tinge of blue, the centre beiui^r white. It was intro- duced by Jlr. Wm. Bull, of Chelsea, some few years ago.— W. H. G. Dracaena Alsace-Lorraine. — J. Hubbard sends me a leaf of tliis variety for an opinion. I do not kuoT anything of its origin, but it is a very pretty variety. The leaves in the centre are very rich and deep purple, margined with rich scarlet ; the young leaver, I am told, are of a uniform brilliant scarlet. This variety, if of good habit, should become one of the leading" kinds.— W. H. G. Echeverias in -CTrinter.— These succulent Cape plants are very useful in the winter, as they flower 8 on after Chrysanthemums are over. We notice them wirh pleasure as taHe plants in London dining-rjoms. They remain long in flower, are very easily grown, and last for some time in a town atmosphere, wliich is a consideration. They are grown in the greenhouse in winter, and as soon as they bloom are taken where wanted. — Field. Brunsvigia Josephinae.— Can anyone tell me how often Brunsvigia Josephinae blooms in a wild ttate, yearly, or not so often ? 1 have what, judsing by Baker's " AmarjllideaJ," seems a flourishing plant, with fourteen very large leaves, 4 inches to o inches across and 2 feet long. It has increased its leaves by fom- in the three years I have had it, but has never flowered. B. gigantea remained dor- mant two years, and is now growing well. Does not this suggest that they may lie naturally irregular bloomers, taking their time about it ? — W. 8. Calceolaria fuchslaefolia. — Although but little known or cultivated at present, this semi- shrubby species of Calceolaria makes a very pretty .show during the present month. Its flowers are of a bright yellow, a colour which, in some shade or other, is common to all but a few of the wild forms of this genus. The foliage, however, is very distinct, the leaves being smooth, dark green, slightly toothed, and. as the specific name implies! very like those of a Fuchsia. It is well adapted for cultivation in the greenhouse, being dwarf and easily made to assume a compact bushy form. It strikes readily from cuttings, which may be taken at any time during spring. The young plants should be occasionally pinched, and kept growing throughout the summer under ordinary greenhouse treatment, potting them in a lio-ht loamy compost. By flowering-time they will°be about a foot high and nearly as much through, and may be conveniently accommodated in G-inch pjts. Such plants ought to bear seven or eight of the elegant panicles of flowers The species is a native of the mountains of Peru, whence it was introduced in 1«7S. On March 29 of the following year a coloured drawing of it appeared in Tm-: "Gabden. Orchids. TRICHOPILIA SUAVIS. This .some years ago I used to look upon as one of the easiest to grow ; but, to my surprise, a friend said to me the other day that it would not grow at all with him. The finest and most freely- flowered plants that I have ever seen were grown liy Jlr. John Day at Tottenham. Trichopilia suavis was first found by Warscewicz in 1848 growing upon trees on the volcano of Chiriqui at some 8ard).— This is the name of the Orchid flower which you send. It is considered a variety of the plant called rubes- cens, but both Lindley and Reichenb.xch accorded it specific rank. It is more robust in habit than rubescens, but the flowers differ considerably, the colour being rich rosy magenta. The lip has a dis- tinct spot of rosy crimson at the base, and imme- diately in front of this a zone of pure white, leav- ing the front lobe of a rosy magenta. This plant does well in a hanging earthenware basket, which should be well clrained. It requires a liberal amount of wa'er during the growing season, but onlyjust sufficient during the winter toprerentth? bulbs shrivelling. — W. NEW ORCHIDS CERTIFICATED IN 1893. At the July meetings the following were duly recognised : "Cypripedium Stonei candidum, a very pale form with the other good qualities of the type, the dorsal sepal tbe most distinct feature; Denilrobium crystallinum (General Berkeley's var.), a very pretty variety, shown in profuse flower; Phalajnopsis Artemis (rosea xamabilis), a choice hybrid in a choice genus, a rosy tint suffusing the flowers, which are intermediate in size ; Cattleya Schilleriana Lowiana, in the flowers of which the singularity is the close resemblance of the lip to Zygopetafum Mackayi ; Cattleya Hex, in which the flowers, as regards size, take after C. Mendeli, a pale buff colour taking the place of the pink in the petals and sepals, the lip being inchned towards C. Dowiana ; Cypripedium Youngianum (C. Veitchi X C. lievigatuni), another hybrid between two quite distinct s'pecies, and an extremely fine one also, being shown in first-rate condition with large flowers; C. Bryan (Isevigatumx Argus).— This be- longs to tbe class of dark-coloured hybrids, being also a distinct one. In August were exhibited Ltclio-Cattleya Ingram! (L. purafla Dayana x C. aurea), a remarkable hybrid, with flowers of an intensely deep crimson in the lip, the habit dwarf; Cypripedium caudatum (Luxembourg var.), with larger flowers also richer in colour, a very beautiful variety of this choice species ; Laolia crispa superba, which is well de- noted by its name, being one of the finest forms ■ Oncidium macranthum nanum, a distinct and very pretty variety, the shorter spikes being a decided advantage ; Calantbe Sanderiana, a species with dark purplish - coloured flowers, very distinct ; La-lia Oweniana (L. Dayana x L. xanthina), in which the last named parent is almost lost, the flowers possessing the rich colouring of L. Dayana; Lailio-Cattleya Baroness Scbrceder (C. Trian^ x L. Jonghiana), a lovely hybrid, with all the good quafities of C. Trianie, which it resembles the most 130 THE GARDEN. [February 18, 1893. During September were shown Cattleya Oweni- ana, which has some affinity to C. aurea, but dis- tinct, inasmuch as the sepals and petals are a straw white and the lip of a deeper shade of crim- son, a valuable acquisition ; Uattleya speciosa Sanderiana, a very lovely and distinct form, the sepals and petals pure white, whilst the lip has a golden blotch ; Sophro-Lielia Veitchi (L. ele- gans X Sophronitis grandiflora), an altogether re- markable hybrid, the flowers in size being nearest to the latter parent, whilst in colour they are paler — a rosy crimson suffused with purple, a fine production ; La3lia Turneri superbissima, the flowers of which are deeper in colour than those of the species, particularly in the lip ; Aerides August- ianum, an altogether distinct variety, pale in colour and of medium growth ; Cattleya Statteri- ana, which belongs to the C. aurea family, being a superb variety, intensely rich in its colouring, the lip remarkably fine, being much expanded ; Cat- tleya Minucia (C. Loddigesi x C. labiata), which approaches more nearly the former than the latter parent in habit of growth, but has some of the fine colouring of its other parent. October was not productive of many new varieties, no awards being made at either meeting. In November, however, this deficiency was fully atoned for, when the following were shown : Cym- bidiura hybridum Winnianum (C. eburneura x C. giganteum), the plant shov/n being a finely grown one with six spikes ; the flowers partake largely after C. eburneum, the spikes and growth after C. giganteum; it is in all respects a notable hybri.3 possessed of remarkable vigour : in colour the flowers are a creamy yellow with crimson spots on the lip ; Cattleya leucoglossa (C. fausta x C. Loddi- gesi I, a hybrid on one side of the third generation, the C. fausta parentage being C. exoniensis x C. Lod- digesi ; in this descendant the colour is a delicate rose, with yellow on the lip, the sepals and petals finely shaped, clearer than in C. Loddigesi, a very handsome hybrid as well as a fine feature from the point of hybridisation ; Spathoglottis Viellardi rubra, deeper in its colour than the type, and alto- gether a choice variety ; Cattleya labiata Sanderic, a variety with bold flowers of large .size and fine shape, rosy mauve in colour, with crimson-purple lip, one of the finest forms ; Lrelia Perrini nivea, a pure white and very charming form of a good Orchid ; Lajlia elegans excellens, with flowers of fine proportions and very rich in their colouring, particularly in the lip; Cypripedium Arthurianum inilchellum (C. Fairrieanum x C. Arthurianum), in which the parentage of the first-named is very clearly seen, whilst it has the fine and distinct properties of C. Arthurianum, itself one of the choicest hybrids ; t^ypripedium Morgania3 burfordi- ense, a very fine form of this, one of the grandest hybrids ever raised amongst the class; in this plant the colouring was deeper than in the type ; C. Tityus (C. cenanthum superbum x Spicerianum), an extremely interesting hybrid ; on the side of its first-named parent it is of the third generation as a hybrid, in spite of which its relation to C. Spiceri- anum is evident; Cattleya labiata albanensis, a pale form of C, labiata with a fine lip ; Catasetum tubulare var., a form not particularly handsome ; Cypripedium Perseus (C. Sedeni porpliyreum x C. Lindleyanum), best de-cribed as C. Sedeni greatly improved, with richer flowers, very prettily spotted ; L;clio-Cattleya Aurora (C. Loddigesi x L. pumila Dayana), with much resemblance'in growth to the latter with more of the colour of the former parent. At the December meeting there was a goodly number of new kinds, as follows : Cattleya labiata alba, a pure white variety, with the lip finely fringed ; in its colour it is the best yet seen ; in fact, it is supposed to be the first white form that has been shown ; So- phro-Cattley.i Calypso (C. Loddigesi x Sophro- nitis grandiflora) is a most beautiful hybrid, its parentage being very marked ; the flower.s are of a rich rose colour suffused with violet in a faint manner, the lip being distinctly marked with golden-yellow and tipped with deep rose; La;lia anceps Oweniana, a distinct form of rich colour, with lines of white upon the sepals and petals ;' Cattleya amethystoglossa (Selwood var.), quite distinct enough in the ground colour of the flowers to merit attention (a creamy white), the lip a rosy purple ; Masdevallia hybrida McVittse (M. tovar- ensis x M. Veitchi) has pale pink flowers with the habit of M. A'eitchi ; Cypripedinm Johnsonianum (C. nitens x C. Lawrenceanum), a fine rich purple hybrid, the dorsal sepal very distinct ; Lselia Fincheniana has pure white sepals and petals, the labellum purplish violet and white; it is in the way of L. anceps. This completes the list of new varieties which have been duly recognised, save those to which botanical certificates were awarded, most of which whilst being interesting are scarcely ever so particularly handsome as to claim special notice. Okchis. Ccelogyne cristata hololeuca {G. Turner). — I have received flowers of this plant from a small grower who says : " This has cropped up among some imported pieces that have been growing with me for about five years, and this season it bloomed." My friend evidently had this plant in his posses- sion at a time when it was very rare, but it is now becoming more plentiful. It still commands a good price, pure white flowers being so much in request. The blooms of this plant are wholly pure white. I prefer a flower with a stain of yellow in the threat, such as is to be found in the variety Lemoniana, for instance, which gives it life and brightness. The plant is somewhat more lax in its growth than the typical plant.— W. H. G. Cypripedium spectibile.— It is a well-known fact that even in the hands of good growers of hardy plants generally success with this splendid Orchid is the exception rather than the rule. I have not yet met with anyone who can tell us a certain or royal way to success. To the general failures there may doubtless be many contributing causes. A few points one may have become rather certain about, such as what the plant does not like or even what the plant should absolutely have. For instance, I feel sure that the plant does not like to be set very deeply in the half rotten stuff we usually employ. Neither should its roots in their naked state be pressed together en masse, for these are in the wild state no doubt held asunder by pieces of vegetable matter. I admit it is difficult to solidify the wigs of roots when planting, but I would do it with silver sand rather than leave it undone. This would point to the importance of the imported roots being sent with all the soil they would fairly carry. This would no doubt be costly to the importer in the way of carriage, but it would be the less costly and safer plan to the planter, who would doubtless be only too glad to pay an extra price for such roots. Failing such roots, and dealing with those that are in large masses, Mr. Dod's plan of trimming oif the wigs should com- mend itself. I am pretty confident that two most essential things to do are to afford the plant a moist shady place, and above all to secure firmly the young growths against wind. I have seen these snapped off by the half dozen, and after a storm even those that havs not been actually de- tached have never looked healthy again. It only seems reasonable that the plants should have sup- port of this kind when we remember that the foli- age is of a very top-heavy character, and the base of the stem thin and somewhat brittle. This Cy- pripedium at home mingles with a large amount of other herbage, and even bog-loving shrubs, so as practically to have more shelter and mechanical support therefrom than we could actually afford without a deal of care in our gardens. — J. Wood. SHORT NOTES.— ORCHIDS. L»lia harpophylla.— S. Jolinson sends me the tineyt flowers of this species I have ever seen. They each measure over 1 inches across, broad in propor- tion, the colour bright cionahar-red, the n^irrow lip reflexed and with a crispi'd margin. 1 liave not .seen unicli variation in this species, and am glad to record .such an ailvauce. — G. Cattleya labiata Trianse.— From Mr. J. Broome, of Llaududuo, comes a very good aud brightly coloured form of this plant, with large and broad petals of a soft flesh colour, lip broadly marked in front with very bright magenta, which runs in a triangular streak into the deep orange in the throat. It is a very handsome variety. — G. Cattleya TriansB alba.—" W. W." sends me a very tine flower of this cliarniing variety. The flower measures nearly 8 inches across, the sepals and petals being round, fidl and pure white, the lip also pure white with a stain of pale yellow in the throat. It is pleasing to find this variety has become more generally distributed than was the case a few yeirs since. — AV. H. G. Cattleya Percivaliana. — P. M. Burton sends me two distinct flowers nf tliis variety fur au opinion. The form with liglit sepals and petals would be a very nice flower had it a better lip. The dark form is a better flower, but it is wanting in the rich orange, wliich gives such a warmth to good varieties of this plant. The flower of Cattleya chocoensis is very good, but this Orchid has lost favour with the majority of Cattleya growers because its blooms never fully ex- pand.— G. liSelia anceps Dawsoni. — Hugh Nicol sends me a flower of this beautiful variety, saying it is from a plant which formed part of the original one imported by the Messrs. Low and Co., now many years ago. The bloom is rather small, pure white ; the lip is also white, the front lobe flat, and of a rich rosy purple, having at the base immediately in front of the throat several deep yellow crests, the side lobes streaked with radiating lines of rich purple. This variety is one of the rarest and best that has come to hand out of all the white forms, and I was very glad to see it again. — W. H. G. Garden Flora. PLATE 897. THE ONCOCYCLUS GROUP OF IRISES. (with a coloured plate of 1, IRIS GATESI ; 2, I. LORTETI ; 3, I. LUPINA.*) The editor, in asking me to write a note in ex- planation of the accompanying plate, suggested tliat I should say a few words about the whole group, of wliich the three Irises here depicted are beautiful members. Everyone knows Iris susiana, " that Flower do luce," says Parkinson, " which for his excel- lent beautie and raritie deserveth the first place." It seems to have become known in Western Europe about the middle of tlie six- teenth century, having been introduced from Constantinople. It very early became a fa- vourite, and seems to have been cultivated with considerable .success, for there are few collec- tions of specimens, or of drawings of Irises, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries which do not include I. susiana. The speci- mens preserved or figured vary a good deal in size, and Parkinson distinguishes two kinds, the greater and the less, the latter differing from the former in that ' ' the flower is neither so large or faire, nor of so perspicuous marks and spots, nor the colour of that lively (though darke) lustre." "These," he continues, "have been sent out of Turkie divers times, and it should seem that they have had their origin all from about Susis, a chiefe citie of Persia. They have been sent unto us and unto divers other in other parts from Constantinople under the name of Alaia susiana, and thereupon it has been called, both of them and us, either Iris chalcedonica or susiana, and for distinction, major or minor ; in English, the Turkie Flower de luce, or the Ginnie Hen Flower de luce, the greater or the lesser." * Drawn for Tnii Gakhen by H. G. Moon from flowers sent May 30, XH'Ji, Ijy C, G. van Tubergen, Juu., Haarlem. Lithographed and printed by Guil- laume Severeyus. THZ GARDEN FE3 18 189? GROUP OF IRISES. 1 IRIS GATESI.2. I.LORTETI.3 I LUPIN Fkbrdaut 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 131 For more than two centuries I. susiana re- mained isolated as a species, wholly distinct from all other kinds of Iris, until the end of the last century and the beginning of this, when Iris iberica, I. acutiloba and I. paradoxa were dis- covered. In 1840 Siemssen, having the opportunity of observing at Jena in a living condition plants of Iris Gatesi. I. acutiloba and I. paradoxa which had been brought from the Caucasus by Koch, was so struck by thuir peculiar features that he pro- posed to found a new genus Oncocyclus, derived from 6yKos, a curve (allied to the Latin luictis), and kukKos, a circle. Though he does not explicitly state so, he apparently meant this name to de- note the orbicular and curved shape of the stan- dard, the large development of which as com- pared to that of the fall, so consi)icuous in the above two species, served him as one of the distinctive marks of his new genus. Siemssen further recognised that I. iberica also belonged to his new genus ; but, curiously enough, makes no reference to I. susiana. The new gemis, however, was not generally accepted, and with reason ; but the name Oncocyclus may be con- veniently used to denote the group or section of the genus Iris to which the above-named Irises belong. Since that time, and especially of late years, several new species have been found (and many of them, thanks chiefly to the energy of HerrMax Leichtlin, have been brought into cul- tivation) which are obviously in such close affinity to the four Irises just spoken of, that they must be considered as belonging to the same group, even though the features by which their affinity is .shown does not include the particular feature on which the name of the group is founded. This is a dilHculty which is always apt to arise when the name of a group is founded on some one structural character. A natural group— that is to say a group the members of which are not merely superficially alike, but possess such resemblances as to justify the view that they are "related by blood," that they have a common ancestry— -can- not be defined by a single token. It is the aggregate of resemblances which shows their affinity, and if we attempt to insist on any one character, it will sooner or later fail us. That a number of Irises do, with the three original Oncocy- clus Irises, form a fairly well- defined group there can be no doubt, and the term Oncocyclus has been now in use so long, that much may be said in favour of retaining it, it being under- stood that it is employed not in its original natural meaning, but in a new and artificial sense. The characteristics of this group are in the main as fol- lows : — In the rhizome the young bud, instead of being attached to the stock by a broad flattened base, and projecting slightly, stands out in the form of a nipple, the base of which is often much constricted. In many forms the attachment is lengthened into a cord, often a very narrow one, so that the bud is at the end of a " stolon." According to the nar- rowness and length (or the re- verse) of the connection of the bud with the stock, the rhizome may be spoken of as more or less spreading or creeping, or more or less compact. The foliage, as compared with that of most other Irises, is scanty ; the leaves are relatively narrow, sometimes very narrow, and in the majority of cases very falcate or sickle - shaped. The stem or scape, rarely exceeding 1 foot and generally a few inches only in height, bears a single flower (accompanied in rare cases by the rudiment of a second one), which is conspicuous by its size, by its colouring, or by its markings, or by all three. The spathe valves are large and long, generally inflated, green, and persistent for some time after flowering. The flower always has a perianth tube above the ovary of some considerable length. The outer perianth seg- ment or fall bears on the claw and hinder jjart of the blade a number of hairs, which in seme species are sparsely scattered and generally large and complex in structure, but which in other species are gathered into a more or less compact " beard,'' in which case the individual hairs are smaller and simpler in structure ; in some species an intermediate condition is met with, in which a more or less compact median beard is flanked by scattered hairs. The inner perianth segment or standard very frequently bears hairs on the claw, but these are usually scanty and very often wholly absent. The fall varies much as to relative size and as to shape in the ditt'erent species, but the stan- dard is relatively large and, being in all cases larger than the fall, and in most cases markedly so, is V(U'y conspicuous. The crests of the style are also nearly always large and conspicuous. The colour of the whole flower is rendered striking, sometimes extremely so, sometimes less so, by the contrast between the colour of the veins and that of the ground substance, the coloured lines of the veins running frequently into an irregular network or being broken up into a series of dots or blotches. And the fall in nearly all cases bears on the blade in front of the hairs or beard a consijicuous large patch of deep colour, which serves as a "signal" for insects. The veins are, as a rule, not only extremely bold, but of a somewhat peculiar nature. Eacli of them shows a thin median streak of a deeper, well-defined colour, flanked on each side by a band of lighter colour, which is not only diffuse, but irregular in outline ; it breaks away into the surrounding ground in many diti'erent ways. The outline of the whole vein is frequently a regular or irregular zigzag. The three-sided ovary becomes after fertilisa- tion developed into a very large also three-sided capsule, which when ripe .splits at the apex and for some little way down from the apex along the sides in a characteristic manner, the axial junction remaining intact, so that the three chambers do not, as in most other Irises, come apart. It contains a variable, but generally large number of relatively large seeds. In the fresh ripe seed the wrinkled body of the seed, generally brown c.r reddish brown, contrasts strongly with the fleshy-looking creamy white appendage called a strophiole, which is some- times as bulky as itself. < )f the above features, those on which Siemssen in.sisted were the long perianth tube, the dispro- portionate size of the standards, the diffuse beard, or collection of hairs on the fall, the dehiscence of the capsule, and the strophiole of the .seed. Some of these characters, for instance, those pertaining to the root and seed, are shared by cer- tainother Irises, as, forexample, I. Korolkowi,but these latter bear two or even three flowers on the stem, have flowers of a different form, and may by other characters as well be distinguished as a separate, though allied group, to which I have given the name Regelia. The chaiacters which I have given above as belonging to the Oncocyclus group are exceedingly consistent. When, for instance, a plant is sent to me from its native home and reaching me withered and Iris iberica. Engraved for TnK Gardex from a photosraph sent by C. G. van Tubergen, Jud., Haarlem. dry, possesses a root such as I have described above, the remains of narrow falcate leaves, and a stem, bearing within large conspicuous sii.ithc valves the remnants of a .solitary flower, in which one can perhaps only recognise that there is present a three-sided ovary with a fairly long tube, I have no hesitation in putting it down as 132 THE GARDEN. [Fbbbuart 18, 1893. an Oncocyclus Iris, and I feel sure that I may look forward to a flower which will certainly prove interesting and may be very beautiful. The species, so far known, which belong to the group thus defined are as follows : — I. susiANA (Linn., Sp. PL, 55).— This is so well known that I need say little about it. Its distin- guishing features may be briefly summed up thus ; The root is compact, the leaves are relatively large, sometimes a foot or even more in height, and nearly an inch in breadth, distinctly yellowish green. The flower is relatively very large ; the falls are rather longer than broad; the styles are bent down so as to be nearly horizontal, and the prevailirg colour, a dark grey, is produced by numerous veines and dots of a dark almost black- brown with a slight tinge of purple* on a creamy white ground, which acquires a brownii^h hue owing to the diffusion of colour from the margins of the veirsand dots. The hairs of the fall are black. As the flower withers the purple consti- tuent of the colour becomes very prominent. I. IBERICA (Hoffman, Comment, i., 41).— I take this second since it is the best known next to susiana, and each of the two may serve as a standard for a group of less well-known species. The distinguishing features of I. iberica. whose home is in the Caucasus and adjoining regions, are as follows : The rhizome is compact, the several parts, buds and branches being more slender than in I. susiana. The foliage is dwarP, the leaves being narrow, often not more than a quarter of an inch in breadth, and short, 4 inches to 6 inches in length, but very falcate. The stem is short, sometimes only 1 inch, and rarely more than 6 inches or 8 inches in length. The flower, though varying in size and generally smaller than in I. susiana, is large enough to seem wholly dispro- portionate to the foliage. The fall is more or less orbicular, remarkably concave, and the style is not merely horizontal in direction, but curved sharply downwards so as to rest in Ihe hollow of the fall, and an insect crawling in search of nectar up the tunnel, of which the style forms the roof, has at first to ascend almost directly upwards. While the fnll is marked with bold netted, irregular coloured veins, the vcining of the standard U thin and delicate, often hardly visible; hence in this respect the fall and standard contract strongly with each other, whereas in I. susiana they are much more alike. On the blade of Ihe fall, just in front of the end of the style is a very con- spicuous signal, in the form of a patch of deep colour with a very sharply defined outline, marking the entrance to the nectar tunnel. Whereas I. susiana varies on tlie whole very slightly and merely in size and depth of colour, I. iberica varies very widely, not only in size, stature, but in colour and in the character of the venation, especially of the fall^. In what is perhaps the most common form, the general colour of the fall is a peculiar d.irk brown-purple, difhcult to de- scribe, due to thick irregular, netted, more or less diffuse veins and dots, which almost hide the creamy white ground colour, while the white ground colour of the standard is so little broken by these purple veins or small dots as to appear almost white. The veins of the fall may be very thick and diffuse, running into irregular blotches, or may be thin and comparatively speaking sharply de- fined, and hence the prevailing tone may be more or less brown or more or less purplish black. The signal patch is very constant, being of rich deep, almost black-purple. The colour of the standard is very v,T,iiable, due chiefly to the diffusion of one or another hue over the ground substance ; thus it * I may here say that I use the word purple in its broad meauing as signifying one or other of the several colours which, not being present in the visible spectrum, are eomplemontary to the certain parts of the green of the spectrum, and which may be considered as mixtures of red and blue, foUowing upon the violet of the blue end of the visible spectrum, and thus uniting it with the extreme red of the red end. Shortly speaking, I apply purple to any colour in which blue seems to bo mixed with more red than can be recognised in the violet of the spectrum. may be a light bluish purple, almost a blue, or a reddish purple, almost a red, a creamy white tinged with brown, so as to be a stone colour, and so on. Since I. iberica is not a florist's flower, it is unnecessary to give each plant exhibiting any in- dividuality of colour or form a separate name ; otherwise from what I have seen myself I could easily throw into circulation some two dozen names or so. Kegel (Garten/fora, t. S8(5) figures a var. och- racea, in which the fall is a rich orange tinged with brown, and the standard a nearly pure white. This I have not seen, but the var. Belli, mentioned by Mr. Baker ("Irideai," p. 20) with dark lilac standards, seems to me one of the many varieties which have come before me. All these are beauti- ful flowers, even the least charming of them to my mind far exceeding in beauty I. susiana ; but I give the palm to two varieties from Kurdistan, which I owe to the great kindness of the Rev. Dr. Ray- nolds, of Van. One of these is remarkable for the large size of the flowers, which combine the mag- nitude of I. susiana with the graceful outline and purity of colour of I. iberica. The other, though rather small, seems to me by its exquisite tints to be one of the most lovely flowers I know ; the standard is a pure Head solid white, with only a few hardly visible black-purple spots around the base of Ihe claw ; the fall is marked with a thick irreguhir network of a cbocnlatebrowu, while the signal is a deep crimson, and the style is almost quite black. The plant known as I. iberica var. van Houttei appears to me to be one of the hybrids between I. iberica and I. susiana, of which I will speak later on. I. Gatesi (Foster, Uardeixers' Chronicle. 1890, ii., p. 18).— This was discovered in the country above Mardin, in Armenia, by M. Max Leichtlin's collector Sintenis in 1888, and is named after the Rev. T. G. Gates, of the American Mission at Mar- din, through whose kind assistance Sintenis came to know of it. It comes very near to susiana. The rhizome is perhaps still more compact, and the foliage smaller, shorter and narrower, and of a darker green than in susiana. The stem is taller, reaching IJ feet or even 2 feet, and the flower when well grown larger than that of any susiana I have ever seen. The fall is relatively broader, more than 4 inches across, and curved so a^ to be convex from side to side as well as from above below. The standard is nearly orbicular and very large, 5 inches or even more across, and when tlie flower is fully ex- panded in a calm atmosphere stands erect, so curved as to be concave inwards both from side to side and from above below, so that the surface is somewhat saddle-shaped. The prevailing colour of the speci- mens so far cultivated is, when the flower is seen at a distance, a soft delicate grey, brought about by very thin clear veins (those of susiana are thick, blotchy, irregular) and minute dots or points of purple on a creamy white ground, the dots being predominant on the fall and the veins on the standard. The hairs on the claw beneath the style, grey or brownish flcrlced with dark purple, are crowded irregularly into a diffuse beard, which, bifurcating in front, embraces a purple patch of no great size or conspicuousness produced by the aggregation of purple dots. The style, whose yellowish ground colour is sprinkled w"ith purple dots, is bent horizontally close down on the claw of the fall and bears two large spotted and streaked semicircular crests with finely serrated edges. The ripe capsule is exceeding large, as much as 5 inches in length. To my mind, this Iris when seen at its best, with standards and falls fully unfolded, and its delicate tint not yet marred by bruises, rain- drops, or the beginnings of withering, is of sur- passing grace and beauty. The accomplished artist has doubtless faithfully represented in the plate the specimen given him, but it was not in good condition ; the fall especially is too much folded up, the standard has in part collapsed, and the col- our is not that of the flower in its pristine beauty. The substance of the petals even in l)est grown specimens is somewhat tiirasy ; the flower does not bear travel, and even gentle winds soon deform its natural grace of outline. As far as I can learn, all the flowers which have been borne by the roots, which Sintenis sent to M. Max Leichtlin have the same grey hue which I have just described; but Sintenis, in announcing his discovery of the plant to Max Leichtlin, spoke of it as of a sky-blue col- our. Whether the blue was that of a dried speci- men (for as in susiana the blue or purple becomes prominent after death), or wliether there is a sky- blue variety remains to be seen. If the latter does exist, I cannot but think that it will appear to have touched the very limits of graceful beauty. I. Sari (Scbott, Baker, Gardener^' Chronlle, 18711, ii., p. 788). — This, which was described by Schott in MS., but first published by Mr. Baker, derives its name from the river Sar, in Cilicia, in the neighbourhood of which it was found. It comes near to susiana, having a compact rhizome, relatively large foliage, a fairly tall (a foot or less in height) stem and large flowers ; indeed the var. lurida, which alone I have seen in cultivation, is often mistaken by a casual observer for I. susiana. In this var. lurida, the flower of which is rather smaller than that of susiana, the fall is somewhat narrower than in susiana, distinctly convex from side to fide, and marked with thick irregular netted dark brownish purple veins, the colour of which diffuses into the ground substance between; below the end of the style the blade of the fall bears a " signal " patch of dark almost black- purple, but the outline of this is much less sharply liefined than in 1. iberica. Beneath the style on the claw is seen a diffuse beard of scattered hairs, which are yellow in the median region, but purple towards the sides. The orldcular standard is marked throughout with thick veins and numerous dots of very dark purple. The style, which is red- dish brown with a purple tinge, is not bent down as in I. susiana, and still more in I. iberica, but hardly horizontal, even inclined upwards. As a minor point, it may be mentioned that the scape is to a much larger extent covered by clasping leaves than is the case with I. susiana, in which the scape is largely naked. On first opening the flower has a general dark grey appearance not un- like I. susiana, but as it grows older the purple hue becomes more predominiint, and when the flower begins to wither becomes very marked, at least in the standards ; but though the several plants in cultivation vary somewhat as to the pro- minence of the purple, I have not yet seen a per- fectly fresh flower with so distinctly lilac standards as that figured in Botanical Maffa:ine, t. G900. I am now speaking of the var. lurida; in the type, as described by Schott, the fall as well as the standard is a bright lilac, but this I have never seen. I. Heylandiana (Boissier, Fl. Orient , v., 130). — This species, which is found in Mesopotamia, comes near to I. Sari. The foliage is perhaps narrower and the scape more completely clothed by clasping leaves. Both fall and standard are marked with brown-violet or black-purple veins on a dingy white ground, the purple hue not being so prominent as in I. Sari, and the white ground coming more to the front. The hairs on the claw of the fall are not purple, as in I. Sari, or black, as in susiana, but white, more or less tinged with yellow. I have in cultivation a plant under this name wh-ch I owe to the kindness of M. Mix Leichtlin, and which answers fairly well to Boissier's descrip- tion, save that the root is compact and not creep- ing. If my plant is the true one, then the differ- ences between I. Heylandiana and I. Sari are perhaps hardly of specific value ; indeed, I may re- mark that in general among these Oncocyclus Irises there has been a tendency to establish species on very slight differences. In my plant the claw of the standard bears a few scattered hairs, which I have not seen on I. Sari ; but this is a very minor feature. I. LOETETI (Barbey, Herbor. au Levant, p. 178, t. 7). — This most beautiful Iris was discovered some years ago between Meis and Hounin, in South Lebanon, by Dr. Lortet, the accomplished natural- ist of Lyons. It was described by Barbey, " Her- borisations au Levant," p. 178 1882, who there gives a large coloured figure of it. Thanks to the unwearied zeal of M. Max Leichtlin, a consider- able stock of roots has recently been imported from Palestine. February 18, 1893.] THE GARDEN. 133 In general features it comes very close to I. Sari, but its wonderful colouring puts it by itself as, perhaps the most beautiful Iris in the world. Iq the specimens gathered Viy Lortet Ihe outer segments are described and figured as showing a very pale blue ground covered with crimson spots, which, scattei'ed sparsely over the marginal parts of the fall, are concentrated into a dark crimson patch or '• signal " in the centre beneath the end of the style ; the inner segments or standards are similarly described as being of a delicate pale rose. In a plant flowered by myself this summer the falls showed a creamy yellow ground marked with crimson spots, concentrated at the centre into a dark crimson signal, while the standards were nearly pure white, marked with very thin violet vines, hardly visible at a distance. The plant figured in /intanical Mogazhw, t. 7351, from Mr. Elwes' garden gives the prevailing tone of the standards as a light vioUt, while the veins, spots, and signal on the fall a'e purple. I learn that the p'aits imported by M. Max Leichtlin show considerable variation in colour ; apparently, however, the "note" of the plant is a peculiarly charming comb'nation of crimson spots and blue or violet veins on a white or creamy yellow gro jnd. Th^ flawer figured by Ba-bay is as large as that of an ordiua'Y or rather s:nall I. susiana; the one sh iw.i in thi plate is not quite so large. I imagine that, wlien well grown, the flower will be found to be about as large, but on the whole rather smaller than that of a well-grown I. susiana. When the pUint is well grown, the foliage seems ti be lirger, longer, and broader than even that of I. su>iana. I. ^ls^\ncK\.\s\(GaTtcn:eit., 1892,353, fig. 72). — This [lis, found in the Lebanon, has been intro- duced by Messrs. Dammann, of Naples. I only know the rhizomes and imperfect dded specimens of the flower. It is described as having a flower as large as I. susi.ina, with grey falls and tky-blue stand.ards. Some years ago I received from Miss Lee, of Nazareth, rhizomes of an Iris which seems fairly common in Palestine. I e.xhibited a flower this at the Royal Horticultural Society under the provisional name of I. Sari var. nazarena. But it differs from I. Sari mostdistinctly in the characters of its rhizome, which is not conapact, but f-pread- ing or creeping to a very marked extent ; it sends out long, thin, stolon-like shoots many inches in length. In this it agrees with I. Bismarckiana, and by this the two differ from .all the Irises of which I have so far spoken. I atu very much in- clined to think that my Iiis is identical with I. Bismarckiana; at all events, 1 do not put it for- ward as a new one until I have had an opportunity of comparing authentic specimens of the two in a living state. Besides the creeping rhizome, my Iris possesses the following fe:»tures: in foliage and in its rela'ively tall stem it resembles I. su--i- ana, and is nearly as large in flower. The fall, obovate, wit'i the bla-le convex from side to side, is marked by an irregular network of dark reddish brown-purple veins on a straw-coloured ground, if we can give the name of vein to a regular row of spots or blotches running into each other. In the middle of the blade in front of the end of the style is a well-defined heart-shaped " s'gnal " p.atch of in'ense, almost black, crimson or red-purple. Behind this and stretching along the claw beneath the style is a diffuse beard of not very numerous dark purple, almost black hairs, disposed chiefly on each side of the middle line, leaving a bare median streak. The standard, orbicular, or nearly so, but somewhat obovate, with a bluntly serrate edge, is marked with thin blue veins on a creamy white ground, there being no spots or dots, though on the claw the veics become blotched as they assume a red-brown-purple colour. The style, which is horizontal, or even inclined upwards, is some- what narrow, bears deltoid crests, which are di- vergent, refle.xed, and have a finely serrate edge; it is marked with numerous reddish brown spots or blotches on a creamy white ground. The flower is very striking and handsome, though it is inferior in beauty to Lorteti, Gatesi, or iberica. I have ob- served in this species what, as far as my experience goes, is very rare in Oncocyclus Irises — the rudiment (not more than the mere rudiment) of a second flower within the spathe valves. I. LUPIN'A (Foster, lUrdciiers' Chronicle, 1887, i., p. 7:^8).— The five Irises of which I just spoken so far resemble I. susiana, that they may perhaps be put into a group with it. I. lupina, a na'ive of Armenia and Central .Vsia Minor, which was made known to me by Mrs. Barnum of the American Mission at Kharput, is in some ways intermediate between I. susiana and I. iberica. The rhizome is compact; the foliage, though somewhat variable, is dwarf like tliat oE I. iberica, sometimes exceed- ingly dw.arf, 3 inches or so in length, and then ex- tremely falcate. The flower, borne on a stem sometimes 1 inch or 2 inches, sometimes (i inches or even more in length, differs in form from both I. susiann and I. iberica in that the fall is distinctly lance-shaped, narrowing to a blunt, but still pointed tip, and the standard also is oval, not orbi- cular. Its colour, moreover, is very distinctive, being brought about by irregular browr.i^h red veins on a yellow or greenish yellow ground, the red of the veins often merging into purple. The claw and the hind median part of the blade of the fall bear a number of large yellow hairs arranged in several rows, some of the hairs being tipped with purple, and on the blade of the fall in front of this diffuse beard is a more or less triangular " signal " patch of very dark almost black-purple. The style is curved down close over the fall, and binrs very large semicircular crests witli serratfd edges. The claw of the standard is furnished with quite numerous hairs. Though the colour is always the result of a contrast between a yellowish ground and a red-brown, more or less purplish veining and mottling, the exact result varies much in different plants. In some plants the ground colour is a nearly pure bright yellow, and sufficiently .abun- dant to give a good contrast with the red-brown veins ; the whole flower is then to my mind ex- ceedingly handsome. In other plants the ground colour is greeni.-h yellow, and the total effect is spoilt by a certain dinginess. In other plants, again, as in the one figured in the plate,- the peculiar red- brown-purple of veins so encroaches on the ground colour, especially in the standards, as to make these too sombre and dark. In its native home it is called the " Wolf's-ear," to which indeed an open- ing bud presents no small likeness. Hence I have called it I. lupina. I. .\TRn-PURPiTBEA (Baker, Gardeners' Chronicle, 1889, i., p. 330).— This Iris, introduced into culti- vation from Syria by Messrs. Dammann, may per- haps be considered .as coming within an iberica group. The foliage is not unlike that of I. iberica, and the stem, thcugh alwa.vs of some length, never rises vei-y high. The flower is somewhat small. The fall, narrow and ovate, beai's on the claw and hind part of the blade a yellow patch, on which are numerous, but scattered yellow hairs, tipped with dark purple or black. In Iront of thisis a semicircular " signal " patch of almost black-pur- ple, and the rest of the fall is a very dark purple, almost bl.ack, no distinct veins being discernible. The standard, larger and orbicular, is also of a deep black-purple, but on this veins of a still deeper colour may be distinguished. The style is of a reddish purple-brown, with relatively small quadrate crests. Within the spathe v.alves a rudi- ment of a second flower may sometimes be seen. The plant varies somewhat, one variety being called by Messrs. Dammann "Odysseus." I. MaeI-E (Birbey, " Herborisations au Levant," p. 159, under the name I. Helense). — This, which very clearly belongs to the ibeiica group, was dis- covered by M. Barbey on the confines of Egypt and Palestine, and was first named by him I. Helenas. Owir)g to the name having been .already used by Koch for an Iris of which I will speak later on, M. Barbey has recently withdrawn the name Helena and proposed that of Marias. The rhizome is compact, but rather slender, the foli- age not unlike that of iberica, but narrower and less distinctly falcate. The stem is short— .about G inches. The flowers, which are somewhat smaller than in I. iberica, are of a uniform lilac colour, though marked with veins, but the uniformity is broken by a conspicuous " signal " patch of deep purple on the fall. The standard is larger and more rounded than the fall. The claw of the fall is beset by numerous deep purple hairs, which, scattered at the sides, are crowded together along the middle line more after the fashion of the beard of an ordinary bearded Iris. I. Barnum. E (Foster and Baker, Gardeners' Chronicle, 1888, ii., p. 182). — This Iris, a native of the hills of Kurdistan, in the neighbourhood of Van, was made known to me by Mrs. Barnum, of Khar- put, .after whom I have named it. It seems closely allied to I. Maris, and with that Iris may be cla-sed in the iberica group. The rhizome is slender, and especially when starved has some tendency to creep. The foliage is not unlike iberica, but perhaps narrower and less falcate. The stem is some few inches high. The flower, which is distinctly smaller than in iberica, has the fall smaller and narrower than the orbicular standard, both of which are of vinous-red-purple marked with darker veins, the standard being lighter in colour than the fall and its veins more conspicuous. The style, which is horizontal, is of a brownish yellow col- our marked with red-purple spots or splashes, and bears somewhat triangular crests with finely ser- r.ated edges. On the claw of the fall numerous hairs, bright yellow tipped with purple (there are also a few hairs on the claw of the standard), are crowded together into a triangular space, the apex of the triangle pointing forwards and abutting on a signal patch of deep almost black purple, which, however', is much less conspicuous than in I. iberica and many other Oncocyclus Irises. This collection of hairs may be called a beard, but it differs from the beard of a so-r.alled Pogoniris Iris, such as I. pumila, since the hairs cover a relatively wider space, whereas in a Pogoniris Iris they are confined to what is almost a linear space along the median vein. I. Barnuma; possesses every character of an Oncocyclus Iris except that the hairs on the fall are somewhat crowded together ; it seems to me wholly irration